Top German universities with English-taught programmes

Looking for German universities with English-taught programmes? Discover the top public universities in Germany offering strong English bachelor’s and master’s options, international support, and a global student environment.

Master and bachelor programmes in English

When students ask for the top German universities with English-taught programmes, the first reply should be:

Top for what subject?

That matters because Germany does has strong English-taught study options, but they are not spread equally across all universities, all fields, or study levels.

The second truth is this:

Master degrees taught entirely in English are much more common than bachelor programmes.

DAAD states that in 2025 that about 18% of master’s programmes in Germany were offered entirely in English, while only about 4% of bachelor’s programmes were in English. That means students looking for an English-taught bachelor’s in Germany have a much smaller pool than students looking for a master’s degree.

How to select the right university for your profile

The biggest misunderstandings about English programmes in Germany students have

A lot of students still believe:

there are many English bachelor programmes in Germany
if your programme is in English, you do not need German at all
only private universities in Germany offer good English-taught options

All three ideas are misleading.

Germany’s strongest English-taught options are still heavily concentrated at master’s level, and many of the best English-language choices are at public universities, not just private ones. And even when your degree is fully in English, German still matters for internships, student jobs, daily life, and long-term career growth in Germany.

A simple way think about this is: English helps you get in, but German helps you stay and grow.

Which German universities offer the most English-taught options?

Below are some of the strongest public-university options if you want a university that is both internationally visible and has a lot of options for degrees in English.

University	Why it stands out
TUM	177 degree programs, many in English, 45% international students
RWTH Aachen	Strong English master’s portfolio, 190 courses overall, 30%+ international
Freie Universität Berlin	Dedicated page for English-taught bachelor’s and master’s, no German needed for those specific programmes
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Official English-taught degree page, strong technical profile, one full English bachelor plus English study variants
TU Berlin	Official study portal lists 19 English and 6 bilingual programmes
University of Mannheim	Many master’s fully in English, every fifth student comes from abroad
LMU Munich	Some bachelor’s and an increasing number of master’s in English
Heidelberg University	Wide selection of English-taught programmes at undergraduate and master’s level

Best universities in Germany with English-taught programmes by field

Browsing programmes and universities based on your field of study is a better way to choose than just looking at a flat ranking list.

Engineering and technology

If your focus is engineering, technology, or applied sciences, the universities with most English-taught programmes include:

TUM
RWTH Aachen
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
TU Berlin

TUM and RWTH are especially strong if you want an international technical environment. KIT is a very good option if you want a strong technical university with a clearly listed English-taught portfolio. TU Berlin is attractive if you want tech plus Berlin’s start-up scene, though its official programme filter shows a smaller English pool than many students assume.

Business, management, economics, data science

If your interest is business or management, University of Mannheim should be on almost every shortlist. Its website lists many master’s programmes completely taught in English, including Management, Economics, Finance, Data Science, and Operations & Supply Chain Management.

TUM is also strong if you want management with a technical or innovation angle.

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management is private university with a variety of English-taught programmes and an international environment.

For these fields, Freie Universität Berlin, LMU Munich, and Heidelberg can be strong options. Freie Universität Berlin has a dedicated English-programme page and states no German is needed for admission to those specific degree programmes. LMU offers some bachelor’s and more master’s in English. Heidelberg offers English-taught programmes too, but students should know that most of its overall study environment is still German-dominant.

Broad research university with international degree options

If you want a classic research university and are mostly looking at master’s level, University of Bonn, LMU, and Heidelberg are worth checking. Bonn’s international degree-programme page states these are mostly master’s programmes taught in English.

Bachelor’s vs master’s in English

This is where students need to be realistic.

If you want a master’s in English, Germany gives you many good public-university options. If you want a bachelor’s in English, the pool becomes much smaller and you might need to check private university catalogues.

That is why students searching only for “English bachelor’s in Germany” often end up seeing the same names again and again. Official university pages reflect that clearly:

RWTH says it currently has no fully English-taught bachelor’s degree programs.
KIT lists Mechanical Engineering (International) as a fully English bachelor’s and then several programmes with English-only study variants.
Freie Universität Berlin has an official list of English-taught bachelor’s and master’s.
LMU says it has some bachelor-level and some master-level degree programmes in English, not a huge English-only system across the whole university.

So yes, bachelor’s in English exists in Germany. But students should not assume there are many options, which in turn makes there programmes quite competitive to get in.

The most international-feeling universities on this list

If by “international” you mean a place where international students are highly visible and support structures are clear, a few names stand out more strongly.

TUM has one of the strongest international profiles in Germany, with 45% international students from around 140 countries.

RWTH Aachen is also very international with 36% international students from 141 countries.

University of Mannheim says every fifth student comes from abroad, and its English-taught master’s portfolio gives it a strong international feel, especially in business and economics.

TU Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin also have dedicated support pages for international students, which matters because a university feeling international is not only about numbers; it is also about how easy it is to navigate the system before and once you arrive.

A short but important truth about German

Students often think that an English-taught degree means they do not need to learn German at all.

While this is a completely personal decision and it might be possible to get by only with English day-to-day especially in bigger cities, this is not a good way to plan longer-term for those planning to stay in Germany after graduation.

Even if admission and classes are in English, your internships, student jobs, housing search, local paperwork, and long-term career options often become much easier if your German improves. Some universities also still expect some German in specific cases. TUM, for example, says applicants must prove German and/or English depending on the degree program.

So the smartest approach is:

Choose the English-taught programme you need, but do not ignore learning German if you want to build a life in Germany.

Final advice

If you want the best German university with English-taught programmes, do not ask only: Which university is most famous?

Ask yourself:

top for which subject(s)?
bachelor or master degree?
fully in English, or only partly?
does the university feel international in practice?
and will I still learn enough German for life after graduation?

That is you can make a better decision about your future study life.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

There is no single official national ranking by English-programme count, but based on official university pages, TUM, RWTH Aachen, KIT, TU Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, LMU, Mannheim, and Heidelberg are among the strongest public-university options with visible English-taught offerings.

No, not compared with master’s. DAAD said about 4% of bachelor’s programmes were in English, compared with about 18% of master’s programmes.

For admission, maybe not always. For living, internships, and long-term career growth in Germany, German is still very important. Some universities also require German depending on the programme.

No. Many of the strongest English-taught options in Germany are at public universities such as TUM, RWTH, KIT, FU Berlin, LMU, Mannheim, and Heidelberg.