best public universities in germany

With over 100 public universities offering an array of courses, one can choose from some of the best public universities in Germany. The top-ranked universities that are public universities include:

Public University in Germany

THE Ranking in 2024

Acceptance Rate

Technical University Munich

# 30

8%

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

# 38

10%

Heidelberg University

# 47

27%

Humboldt University of Berlin

# 87

18%

RWTH Aachen University of Berlin

# 90

10%

These universities offer 100’s of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programs in different streams including engineering, sciences, medicine, humanities, law and many more. The country already renowned for its affordable education offers programs with an annual tuition fee of as low as INR 50K up to 3 Lakhs. Some of the top-ranked universities such as the Technical University of Munich are known to have a slightly higher tuition fee which is still under INR 10 Lakhs which is considerably lower in comparison to pursuing a similar international degree in countries such as the USA or UK.

While the top-ranked universities have stringent admission procedures and low acceptance rates, some other best public universities in Germany like the University of Wuerzburg, Technical University Dresden and Goethe University Frankfurt have a better acceptance rate between 40 and 80%.

  • Technical University of Munich with its strong industry connection provides extensive research programs in natural sciences and engineering disciplines.
  • The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich is renowned for its excellent faculty and their alumnus becoming Nobel laureates.
  • Heidelberg University is the only German university that has an acceptance rate above 20% among the ones ranked under #50 by THE in 2024. It is also one of the oldest universities in Germany.
  • Aspirants wishing to pursue political science, sociology and economics can opt for Freie University Berlin which is renowned for its liberal arts program.
  • With its state-of-the-art research facilities and rigorous curriculum, RWTH Aachen University is known for its excellence in the field of technology and engineering.

A considerable number of the best public universities in Germany offer courses that are taught in English which makes it more accessible for international students especially at the graduate level. Despite that, a certain level of expertise in the language is helpful when it comes to getting placed in leading companies. The admission procedure includes submitting the previous educational qualifications, along with language proficiency scores. Programs taught in German require standardised tests like TestDaF or DSH and the programs taught in English require IELTS or TOEFL with a score above average. Some universities hold entrance qualification tests to analyse academic credentials.

Germany with its rich cultural heritage, perfect standard of living with public transportation that is noteworthy along with affordable healthcare makes it appealing for international students to pursue their studies from the beautiful cities of Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Heidelberg.
 

Cities
Berlin
Hamburg
Munich
Aachen
Karlsruhe
Bremen
Mainz
Cologne
Darmstadt
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Stream
Course
Colleges By Ranking
Institution Type
College Type
State
City
Entrance / Exam Accepted
Avg Fees Per/yr
Attendance Type
Course Delivery Mode
Language

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#23/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Technical University Munich, Munich

2.7(Based on 17 User Reviews)Bavaria, Germany8%q8kmCZ
MSc Computational Science and Engineering
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL88PTE65
jpctdh 101 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€9,091/Yr)$10.7K/Yr
lpofqY
(€1,300/Yr)$1.5K/Yr
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#34/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich

6.2(Based on 4 User Reviews)Bavaria, Germany10%q8kmCZ
MS Software Engineering
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.5
jpctdh 78 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€477/Yr)$562.50151898734/Yr
lpofqY
(€1,100/Yr)$1.3K/Yr
wW4ehl
#45/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Heidelberg University, Heidelberg

7.0(Based on 3 User Reviews)Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany45%q8kmCZ
MS Applied Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.5
jpctdh 97 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€3,087/Yr)$3.6K/Yr
lpofqY
(€7,978/Yr)$9.4K/Yr
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#56/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Free University of Berlin, Berlin

5.3(Based on 1 User Reviews)Berlin, Germany
MS Data Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS7PTE76
jpctdh 99 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€3,716/Yr)$4.4K/Yr
wW4ehl
#65/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin

8.0(Based on 2 User Reviews)Berlin, Germany18%q8kmCZ
MS Psychology
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL72
jpctdh 28 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€884/Yr)$1K/Yr
lpofqY
(€1,000/Yr)$1.2K/Yr
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#75/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

RWTH Aachen University, Aachen

8.3(Based on 26 User Reviews)North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL90PTE60
jpctdh 157 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€1,262/Yr)$1.5K/Yr
lpofqY
(€7,200/Yr)$8.5K/Yr
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#84/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe

9.3(Based on 2 User Reviews)Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany25%q8kmCZ
MS Computer science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.5
jpctdh 95 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€2,719/Yr)$3.2K/Yr
wW4ehl
#99/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Bonn, Bonn

7.7(Based on 7 User Reviews)North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
M.S Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS7
jpctdh 27 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€44/Yr)$51.498571428571/Yr
wW4ehl
#104/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Tuebingen, Tubingen

7.0(Based on 1 User Reviews)Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany33%q8kmCZ
M.Sc Data Science in Business and Economics
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.5
jpctdh 25 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€3,000/Yr)$3.5K/Yr
lpofqY
(€6,167/Yr)$7.3K/Yr
wW4ehl
#112/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Freiburg, Freiburg

7.3(Based on 14 User Reviews)Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany33%q8kmCZ
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL5.0PTE76
jpctdh 120 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€2,957/Yr)$3.5K/Yr
wW4ehl
#114/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Hamburg, Hamburg

7.0(Based on 7 User Reviews)Hamburg, Germany
MS Psychology
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS5.5
jpctdh 83 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€219/Yr)$257.91428571429/Yr
wW4ehl
#115/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Technical University Berlin, Berlin

4.8(Based on 2 User Reviews)Berlin, Germany
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.5PTE65
jpctdh 124 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€293/Yr)$345.18304/Yr
wW4ehl
#122/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Goettingen, Gottingen

8.7(Based on 4 User Reviews)Lower Saxony, Germany32%q8kmCZ
MS Applied Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL95PTE76
jpctdh 43 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€540/Yr)$636.98545454545/Yr
wW4ehl
#136/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Technical University Dresden, Dresden

7.2(Based on 23 User Reviews)Saxony, Germany22%q8kmCZ
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.0
jpctdh 90 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€700/Yr)$826.41494505495/Yr
lpofqY
(€5,997/Yr)$7.1K/Yr
wW4ehl
#152/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle

8.0(Based on 1 User Reviews)Saxony, Germany56%q8kmCZ
M.S Chemistry
Course duration:
2 years
jpctdh 55 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€105/Yr)$123.9/Yr
lpofqY
(€2,597/Yr)$3.1K/Yr
wW4ehl
#156/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen

8.3(Based on 3 User Reviews)Bavaria, Germany46%q8kmCZ
MS Artificial Intelligence
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL80
jpctdh 27 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€257/Yr)$303.42857142857/Yr
lpofqY
(€608/Yr)$717.44/Yr
wW4ehl
#169/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Cologne, Cologne

8.2(Based on 1 User Reviews)North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany20%q8kmCZ
MS International Management
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL100PTE68
jpctdh 27 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€1,963/Yr)$2.3K/Yr
wW4ehl
#172/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Rostock, Rostock

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany48%q8kmCZ
M.S Computational Science and Engineering
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL90
jpctdh 23 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€422/Yr)$497.96/Yr
wW4ehl
#180/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main

Hesse, Germany77%q8kmCZ
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS4.5
jpctdh 84 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€288/Yr)$340.08988235294/Yr
lpofqY
(€7,752/Yr)$9.1K/Yr
wW4ehl
#195/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Muenster, Munster

North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany15%q8kmCZ
M.S Business Administration
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
GMAT650IELTS7PTE76
jpctdh 143 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(€144/Yr)$169.38736111111/Yr
wW4ehl