In general, there are two types of universities in Germany: state universities and non-state universities. State universities are directly associated with the government university system and get complete funding from the state. Non-state funded universities are the private and church maintained universities.

Germany has almost 394 higher education institutes that include universities, universities of applied sciences (FH), and colleges of art and music.

In 394 higher education institutes, 121 are universities (technical universities), 216 are the universities of applied sciences (FH), 57 are the colleges of art and music.

If we split them according to funding then 240 are the state-funded universities, 115 are state-recognized private universities and 39 are the church maintained universities.

These 394 German universities are offering around 19,839 degrees or courses. These 19,839 degrees include Diplom (Uni), Diplom (FH), Magister, Staatsexamen, Bachelor, Master’s degrees, and courses. If we only talk about bachelor and master then these universities are offering 8,896 bachelor degree programs and 9,330 master degree programs.

Types of universities in Germany:

Specifically, Germany has three types of universities or higher education institutes. You can choose the type of university according to your profession.

• Technical Universities (Technische Universität, TU)
• Universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschule, FH)
• Colleges of art and music

Technical universities (TU)

Technical universities offer degrees based on research and theoretical knowledge. Students can study bachelor, master, and PhD at a technical university. Some degrees of TU includes mandatory internships for practical knowledge and some not. If you want to do a PhD or want to pursue a teaching or scientific career and the technical university is the best option.

Universities of applied sciences (FH)

Universities of applied sciences focused more on industry-related studies or toward practical knowledge. These universities mostly offer practice-oriented courses and degrees. These degrees normally consist of two parts theoretical and practical. The practical part includes one or more semesters training in a company. It depends on the degree to degree.

You can do bachelor’s and master’s at a university of applied sciences but not PhD. If you have a desire to do PhD then you have to switch to a technical university. If you want to learn by day-to-day hands-on experiences and want to get a job quickly then the university of applied sciences is the best option.

How many students are studying in German universities?

In total, 2.9 million students are studying in different types of universities. In technical universities around 1.7 million, in universities of applied sciences around 1.05 million and in colleges of art and music around 36,483 students are studying.

International students:

If we talk about the number of foreign students studying in German universities then around 397,300 foreign students are studying in different types of German universities. These foreign students belong to different countries like China, India, Austria, Russia, Italy, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Cameroon, France, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Spain, America, South Korea, Tunisia, Morocco, Poland, Indonesia, and Pakistan.