If Germany is your preferred study destination, that’s a solid decision right there. However, most German universities offer a lot of their courses in German, and then some others in other languages, including English. So, in this post, we will talk about the universities in Germany that teach in English 100%. I am going to focus on specific university programmes that are available in English at each university as well as the English language proficiency requirements needed to study an English-taught course at the specific school.
Now, when a university says that its courses are specifically taught in English, it means that no German language proficiency test is required. So, you only have to present an English language proficiency test result as part of your application. That said, let’s discover these German schools offering English-taught Bachelors or Masters program.
Universities in Germany That Teach in English
1. Technical University of Munich (TU Munich)
So, the first university we will look at is the Technical University of Munich. The Technical University of Munich offers a total of 178 degree programs, and a good number of these are in English. I looked up their programs on tum.de/en/studies/degree-programs, specifically focusing on master’s programs. After selecting “English proficiency,” the list showed 66 master’s programs available in English. This includes a variety of courses. If you do the same for Bachelor’s programs, you’ll find there are around 6 courses in areas such as Electronics and Data Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Aerospace, etc.
For some master’s programs, especially those under the TUM School of Management, a GMAT score of over 600 can be used as proof of your English skills. Alternatively, if the instruction language during your previous education was English for at least half of the program, that can also serve as proof of your English proficiency.
For Bachelor’s degree programs in Aerospace, Information Engineering, Management and Technology at the Heilbronn Campus, and Sustainable Management and Technology, verifying your English skills is part of the selection process. However, you don’t need to submit an English language certificate with your application.
2. LMU Munich
The second university in Germany that teaches in English is LMU Munich. This university does offer many bachelor’s and master’s programs in English, and sometimes these are mixed with other languages. For these, you don’t need to know German. Beyond English-taught master’s, LMU has double degree programs in English too.
Some of the English master’s programs are in subjects like American History, Culture and Society, Biochemistry, Data Science, Economics, English Studies, and Software Engineering. You can also check the full list at lmu.de/ international degree programs.
For English proficiency, the requirements are as follows:
- TOEFL (internet: B2: 90 / C1: 95, paper)
- TOEIC (B2: 785 / C1: 945)
- IELTS (B2: 5.5 / C1: 7.0)
- Cambridge English (B2: First (FCE) / C1: Advanced (CAE))
- A signed PDF from your university confirming your language skills (80 KB).
3. Free University of Berlin
at number 3, we have the Free University of Berlin as one of the universities in Germany that teach in English. At the Free University of Berlin, there are Bachelor’s and Master’s programs that are taught entirely in English. You don’t need to prove your German skills to get admitted. You can check out the list of these programs for yourself at fu-berlin.de English page.
For those looking at Bachelor’s programs, the only option available in English is North American Studies (Bachelor of Arts). For Master’s degrees, there’s a broader selection. In the Master of Arts program, you can find courses like English Studies focusing on Literature and Language, Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East, Sociology focusing on European Societies, and more. On the science side, the Master of Science offers programs in Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computational Sciences, Data Science, Mathematics, etc.
If English isn’t your first language, you’ll need to provide English test scores with your application. For the TOEFL test, you should have a score of at least 100. For IELTS, the overall score must be 6.5 or higher, with no part scoring lower than 6.0.
4. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
At KIT, there are also degree programs that let you specialize and graduate by studying entirely in English. You need to show you’re good at English to get in. Each program has its own rules for getting admitted. I found this accurate list via sle.kit.edu English page. So, for Bachelor’s degree programs, we have Mechanical Engineering. For Master’s degree programs taught in English language, we have Applied Geosciences, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Mathematics, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Geophysics, Optics and Photonics, Physics, etc.
If you want to take a Master’s course in English, you’ll need to prove you’re proficient in English. The English requirement varies by course, so look up the rules for the course you want to study in Germany.
5. Humboldt University Berlin
Yes, Humboldt University Berlin is one of the universities in Germany that teach in English. Here, you can find English courses in many fields, such as History, Philosophy, Sociology, American Studies, Art History, Economics, Business Administration, English Language and Literature, European Anthropology, and Studies About Africa and Asia.
For your English skills proficiency, Humboldt University Berlin accepts the following:
- TOEFL IBT: 90 or more, with at least 20 in every skill
- TOEFL paper: 580 or more, with at least 50 in every skill
- IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any skill
- TOEIC: 685 or higher in every skill
- CEFR: C1 or above
- CET-4 (China): 550
- CET-6 (China): 490
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English: Grade C
- Cambridge Advanced Certificate: Grade B
- Duolingo English Test: 105 or higher
6. Heidelberg University
At number 6, we have Heidelberg University. Usually, classes are taught in German here, but you can also find courses in English. There are over 180 different degree programs available.
For undergraduate courses, many of them are mainly taught in German. This is true for courses designed for future school teachers who need to learn in German to teach in German schools. While there are some English modules, getting a bachelor’s degree without attending any German lectures may not be possible right now. But for postgraduate studies, such as master’s and PhDs, you’ll find a lot more programs that are entirely in English.
If you check out the University of Heidelberg’s page at uni-heidelberg.de subjects and use the filter for programs “completely in English,” you won’t find any undergraduate programs. But if you look at the master’s level, you’ll find Economics, Computer Science, English Studies, Computational Linguistics, Anthropology, and others. To sign up for classes, you need to meet at least one of these scores:
- TOEFL: 79 (iBT), 550 (paper-based), Institutional Code: 1292
- IELTS: 6.5
- ELS: 112
- SAT: 560 in Evidence-Based Reading & Writing
- ACT: 21 in English
- IB Diploma: If you have an IB Diploma and your school confirms your IB courses were in English, you don’t need to meet the English proficiency requirements.
- PTE (Pearson Test of English): 53
- GTEC: 1181
- Cambridge: 180 (CEFR level C1)
7. University of Freiburg
At the University of Freiburg, there are 25 programs that are completely taught in English. This includes both undergraduate and graduate levels. For undergraduates interested in Bachelor of Arts programs, that’s all we have in English – so, no Bachelor of Science degrees available in English.
When it comes to Master’s programs, there are many courses in both the arts and sciences taught in English. For Bachelor of Arts, some of the courses you can find are Liberal Arts and Sciences, and English and American Studies. Among these, Liberal Arts and Sciences is unique as it’s focused on just one area of study. For Master of Arts, there are fields like Social Sciences, English Literatures and Literary Theory, and more. On the science side, the Master of Science courses include Neuroscience, Geology, Environmental Sciences, Applied Physics, Computer Science, and several others.
If you are interested in these English-taught courses, you don’t need to know German. However, you may need to show proof of your English proficiency through TOEFL or others such as English B1, UNIcert I or II, TOEIC, Cambridge Preliminary Certificate B1, IELTS, etc. Alternatively, if you have completed an undergraduate program in English from a country where English is the main language (like the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand), that can also meet the English language requirement.
8. Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin)
TU Berlin is right in the middle of Berlin and has more than 100 study programs and about 35,000 students. There are 91 master’s programs, but only 19 of them are taught in English. And while there are 50 bachelor’s programs, none of them are in English. So, if you plan to study here, you’ll be looking at master’s programs such as Computer Science, Environmental Planning, Computational Neuroscience, Civil Systems Engineering, Space Engineering, and others. You can use this course filter tu.berlin/ All Programs Offered to see other programs.
For those English-taught programs, you need to be good at English. If you are taking the TOEFL test, remember to use the uni-assist code 2727 for your test center.
9. RWTH Aachen University
Currently, RWTH doesn’t have any bachelor’s degrees taught entirely in English but is still one of the universities in Germany that teach in English. Some bachelor’s degrees are in both German and English. But, for master’s degrees, they offer courses in English in areas like Software Systems Engineering, Data Science, Automotive Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Civil Engineering.
RWTH doesn’t take MyBest Scores from the TOEFL test. You need to get the minimum TOEFL score all in one go. Also, TOEFL and IELTS tests are only good for two years after you take them. So, the English requirement depends on your course. For instance, the Data Science M.Sc, taught completely in English, needs one of the following English qualifications:
- TOEFL Internet-based Test (IBT) with at least 90 points
- IELTS test with a score of at least 5.5
- Cambridge Test Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)
- First Certificate in English (FCE) with at least a B grade
- A B2 level certificate in English from the “Common European Framework of Reference of Language (GeR)”
- A B2 level placement test from the RWTH Language Center
10. University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen has 7 faculties offering over 200 course programs, some of which are English-taught. There are about 28,600 students from both Germany and other countries studying here. So, to know which courses are taught in the English language, you will need to use uni-tuebingen.de/ Degree Programs page as I have. For a bachelor’s degree, the only programs available in English are in English and American Studies. For a master’s degree, the University of Tübingen offers English and American Studies as well as Computational Linguistics.
As for the application, you’ll need to meet the English proficiency requirements through a TOEFL iBT test score of at least 79 points, an IELTS score of at least 6.5, or a Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) with a grade of B2 or higher. So, any of these test scores will do.
Other Cheap English Taught Universities in Germany
Now, if you want to save a lot of money, below are the really cheap universities here in Germany that teach in the English language.
- University of Bremen
- University of Cologne
- University of Hamburg (170 degree programs, including English language programs)
- Technical University of Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt)
- Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (many master’s degree programs at LMU are now in English)
- Humboldt University of Berlin (50% of Ph. D. Programmes are fully taught in English as well as many English taught Master programmes.
- University of Stuttgart
So, for these universities, you have to do your own additional research to know the specifics the same way I mentioned them for the other universities. I don’t want to bulk up these posts with their information. But just know that these schools I have mentioned offer courses taught entirely in English.
Conclusion
So, I have mentioned 18 universities in Germany that teach in English and went in-depth on 10 of them, focusing on the specific programs and English language proficiency requirements. The final section is where I have listed universities that are really cheap options you can find here in Germany. Meanwhile, we wrote an article about the German study visa interview questions on this blog; make sure you read it.
If you have any German universities in mind but are not sure about their English taught courses, drop the school’s name in the comment section. WorkAfterSchool.com will do the findings on your behalf and report them to your email, or just reply to your comment with the information.
