Germany is one of the most popular study destinations because it offers quality higher education for free, which means you’ll only have to worry about other expenses, like living costs.
These are some of the main reasons why a large number of international students enrol in English-taught Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Germany.
Below, you will find the top universities in Germany, according to rankings from THE, Shanghai University, and TopUniversities.
Top 10 universities in Germany 2024
Scroll down for the full list of best universities in Germany
| Germany Rank 2024 | World University Rank 2024 | World University Rank 2023 | University | City/town |
| 1 | =30 | 30 | Technical University of Munich | Munich |
| 2 | =38 | 33 | LMU Munich | Munich |
| 3 | 47 | 43 | Universität Heidelberg | Heidelberg |
| 4 | =87 | =86 | Humboldt University of Berlin | Berlin |
| 5 | 90 | =99 | RWTH Aachen University | Aachen |
| 6 | 91 | 89 | University of Bonn | Bonn |
| 7 | 94 | 73 | Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin | Berlin |
| 8 | =95 | =86 | University of Tübingen | Tübingen |
| 9 | 102 | =91 | Free University of Berlin | Berlin |
| 10 | =111 | =119 | University of Göttingen | Göttingen |
This league table reveals the best universities in Germany, according to the trusted Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024.
The Technical University of Munich takes first place, followed by LMU Munich.
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The top universities in Germany are scattered throughout the country, with options to study in Munich, Berlin and 40 other cities. The top university in Berlin is Humboldt University of Berlin.
In total, 49 universities in Germany are counted among the very best in the world.
More than 500 degrees (bachelor’s and master’s programmes) are taught in English at top German universities. Whatever subject you are interested in, you can study that degree in English in Germany.
Top 5 universities in Germany
5. RWTH Aachen University
RWTH Aachen University was founded in 1870 with a strong focus on engineering and the local mining industry.
It has since expanded to become the largest technical university in Germany, offering courses in engineering, chemical engineering, life sciences and medicine, arts and humanities, natural sciences and social sciences, and management and architecture.
The world’s first wind tunnel and particle accelerator were both developed at RWTH Aachen. Major innovations created on site include a pioneering aircraft made entirely of metal and a diesel soot filter.
The university also has strong ties to industries and created a European equivalent of Silicon Valley around it.
4. Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin is located in the country’s capital, Berlin, which is a popular destination for international students.
The university is made up of nine faculties, including its medical faculty, which it shares with the Free University of Berlin.
The main building of Humboldt University is on Unter den Linden boulevard, surrounded by a range of other historic buildings, museums and art galleries.
The university has an impressive list of alumni and former faculty, including physicists Albert Einstein, Max Planck and Erwin Schrödinger, collectors of folk tales Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm and philosopher Karl Marx.
3. Universität Heidelberg
Universität Heidelberg, founded in 1386, is the oldest university in Germany.
Close to 20 per cent of the student body is international, representing 130 countries. More than a third of doctoral students are international.
The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in 160 study programmes. Academics at Heidelberg have been responsible for founding sub-disciplines including psychiatric genetics, modern sociology and environmental physics.
The university is particularly renowned for its innovative research and intellectual contributions across a range of subjects. Some 27 Nobel laureates have been associated with Universität Heidelberg, nine of whom won the prize while tenured there.
Many influential politicians, philosophers and scientists are alumni or affiliates of the university, including Max Weber – the founder of modern sociology – and philosopher Hannah Arendt.
Heidelberg is known as the home of German Romanticism, and the Old Town and castle are some of the most visited tourist destinations in Germany.
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2. LMU Munich
LMU Munich was founded in 1472, making it one of Germany’s oldest universities.
The university is affiliated with 42 Nobel laureates, including renowned scientists such as Otto Hahn, Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg.
With the second-largest student population of any university in Germany, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich – to use its full name – attracts a large number of international students, about 13 per cent of the total student body.
Since the end of the 18th century, the university has had a strong focus on natural sciences and has produced world-leading research and innovations.
The German Universities Excellence Initiative, launched in 2005, has provided funding for LMU Munich, as well as other leading universities in the country.
1. Technical University of Munich
The Technical University of Munich is the only state university dedicated to science and technology.
Since 1927, 17 Nobel prizes have been awarded in physics, chemistry and medicine to academics affiliated with the university.
Founded in the 19th century, the university originally focused on engineering, but has expanded over the years to include natural sciences, social sciences, agriculture, brewing and food technology, and medicine. Many specialisms within engineering (chemical, electrical, civil) and information technology are offered across three departments.
An overarching philosophy of “the entrepreneurial university” guides the development of the institution, which now has 15 departments across three campuses in and around Munich
Best universities in Germany 2024
Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 results
| Germany Rank 2024 | World University Rank 2024 | World University Rank 2023 | University | City/town |
| 1 | =30 | 30 | Technical University of Munich | Munich |
| 2 | =38 | 33 | LMU Munich | Munich |
| 3 | 47 | 43 | Universität Heidelberg | Heidelberg |
| 4 | =87 | =86 | Humboldt University of Berlin | Berlin |
| 5 | 90 | =99 | RWTH Aachen University | Aachen |
| 6 | 91 | 89 | University of Bonn | Bonn |
| 7 | 94 | 73 | Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin | Berlin |
| 8 | =95 | =86 | University of Tübingen | Tübingen |
| 9 | 102 | =91 | Free University of Berlin | Berlin |
| 10 | =111 | =119 | University of Göttingen | Göttingen |
| 11 | 128 | 113 | University of Freiburg | Freiburg |
| =12 | =136 | =128 | University of Hamburg | Hamburg |
| =12 | =136 | =156 | Technical University of Berlin | Berlin |
| 14 | =140 | =189 | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology | Karlsruhe |
| 15 | 160 | 146 | University of Cologne | Cologne |
| 16 | =161 | =156 | TU Dresden | Dresden |
| 17 | =175 | =139 | University of Würzburg | Würzburg |
| 18 | =187 | 179 | University of Mannheim | Mannheim |
| =19 | =193 | =196 | University of Erlangen-Nuremberg | Nuremberg and Erlangen |
| =19 | =193 | 185 | University of Münster | Münster |
| =19 | =193 | =148 | Ulm University | Ulm |
| =22 | 201–250 | =189 | Friedrich Schiller University Jena | Jena |
| =22 | 201–250 | 251–300 | Goethe University Frankfurt | Frankfurt |
| =22 | 201–250 | 201–250 | University of Potsdam | Potsdam |
| =25 | 251–300 | 251–300 | Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf |
| =25 | 251–300 | 201–250 | University of Hohenheim | Hohenheim |
| =25 | 251–300 | 251–300 | Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz | Mainz |
| =25 | 251–300 | 201–250 | University of Konstanz | Konstanz |
| =25 | 251–300 | 251–300 | Ruhr University Bochum | Bochum |
| =25 | 251–300 | 301–350 | University of Stuttgart | Stuttgart |
| =25 | 251–300 | 301–350 | Technical University of Darmstadt | Darmstadt |
| =32 | 301–350 | 351–400 | University of Bremen | Bremen |
| =32 | 301–350 | 251–300 | University of Kiel | Kiel |
| =34 | 351–400 | 401–500 | University of Bayreuth | Bayreuth |
| =34 | 351–400 | 401–500 | Justus Liebig University Giessen | Giessen |
| =34 | 351–400 | 401–500 | Leibniz University Hannover | Hannover |
| =37 | 401–500 | 501–600 | Constructor University Bremen | Bremen |
| =37 | 401–500 | 351–400 | University of Greifswald | Greifswald |
| =37 | 401–500 | 401–500 | University of Marburg | Marburg |
| =37 | 401–500 | 401–500 | University of Passau | Passau |
| =37 | 401–500 | 501–600 | TU Dortmund University | Dortmund |
| =42 | 501–600 | 601–800 | Hamburg University of Technology | Hamburg |
| =42 | 501–600 | 351–400 | Leuphana University of Lüneburg | Lüneburg |
| =42 | 501–600 | 601–800 | TU Braunschweig | Braunschweig |
| =42 | 501–600 | 601–800 | University of Wuppertal | Wuppertal |
| =46 | 601–800 | 601–800 | University of Kaiserslautern | Kaiserslautern |
| =46 | 601–800 | NR | Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg | Magdeburg |
| =46 | 601–800 | 801–1000 | University of Siegen | Siegen |
| 49 | 1001–1200 | 1001–1200 | Ilmenau University of Technology | Ilmenau |