Best universities in Germany 2024

Find the best universities in Germany in 2024 through Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings data

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September 27 2023

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, 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 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.

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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