School system of Germany

The German school system prepares students for entrance to higher education at the country’s top universities.

Why study in Germany? German universities combine centuries of academic heritage with state-of-theart facilities to ensure students graduate with a prestigious degree. As well as German universities, the language and academic skills gained with EF will allow you to attend university in Austria and Switzerland.

Education in Germany From the age of six or seven (depending on the state), children attend an elementary school called Grundschule. They then progress to either a Hauptschule, which prepares students for a vocational education, or a Realschule, which has a broader range of emphases for intermediate pupils, or a Gymnasium, which prepares students for higher education with grades 11 to 12 or 13. There, students study up to 10 subjects before taking the Abitur, which is the academic qualification required to enter German universities.

University Undergraduate students in Germany typically pursue a bachelor’s degree which specializes in one subject for three years. Entrance requirements for international students include a German proficiency test (TestDaF) and – if the student’s high school diploma is not considered equivalent to the Abitur – an additional year of secondary school in Germany, known as Studienkolleg, which is the equivalent to grade 13 at Gymnasium. Universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen) focus on a practical scientific approach. The range of subjects is generally not as extensive and is focused on certain subject areas, such as technology, industry, social affairs or media. The integrated practical phases are comprised of internships spanning several weeks, extended project phases or entire practical semesters. Master’s, MBA or PhD degrees: Ages 21+ A master’s or MBA degree typically lasts one year and requires both exams and a thesis to graduate. Some specialized careers require the completion of a doctoral program or PhD, which includes four to five years of advanced study and research. For most of these programs, international students are required to have a recognized undergraduate degree (or Master's for a PhD program) and a German level of at least C1. MBA programs normally require at least two years of work experience.

Germany’s top universities*

1) LMU Munich 2) Technical University of Munich 3) Heidelberg University 4) Humboldt University of Berlin 5) University of Freiburg 6) RWTH Aachen University 7) University of Tübingen 8) Charité - University of Medicine, Berlin 9) Free University of Berlin 10) University of Bonn

*Times Higher Education Rankings 2019

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