Best universities in Germany 2025

By seeta.bhardwa@…, 17 October, 2024

Top 10 universities in Germany

Scroll down for the full list of best universities in Germany 

Germany Rank 2025World University Rank 2025 World University Rank 2024 UniversityCity/town
126 =30 Technical University of MunichMunich
238 =38 LMU MunichMunich
3=47 47 Universität HeidelbergHeidelberg
4=84 =87 Humboldt University of BerlinBerlin
589 91 University of BonnBonn
692 90 RWTH Aachen UniversityAachen
7=93 94 Charité - Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlin
8=100 =95 University of TübingenTübingen
9=104 102 Free University of BerlinBerlin
10121 =111 University of GöttingenGöttingen

 

This league table reveals the best universities in Germany, according to the trusted Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025.

The Technical University of Munich takes first place, followed by LMU Munich

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, 50 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

5. University of Bonn

The University of Bonn was founded in 1818. 

Students can study across a range of subjects including natural sciences, medicine, law and humanities. 

The university has a range of resources to make international studentws feel welcome including the Study Buddy programme which matches newly-arrived international students wiith student mentors. There is also an International Choir and International Club for international students. 

The university provides students with the chance to undertake an internship abroad or particpate in a study abroad programme. 

Alumni include two Nobel Prize winners: Wolfgang Paul in 1989 for physics, and Reinhard Selten in 1994 for economics. It also has associations with eight Leibniz Prize winners. Its most notable alumni include Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, and the composer Robert Schumann.

Best universities in Germany 2025

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2025 results

Germany Rank 2025World University Rank 2025 World University Rank 2024 UniversityCity/town
126 =30 Technical University of MunichMunich
238 =38 LMU MunichMunich
3=47 47 Universität HeidelbergHeidelberg
4=84 =87 Humboldt University of BerlinBerlin
589 91 University of BonnBonn
692 90 RWTH Aachen UniversityAachen
7=93 94 Charité - Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlin
8=100 =95 University of TübingenTübingen
9=104 102 Free University of BerlinBerlin
10121 =111 University of GöttingenGöttingen
11=128 128 University of FreiburgFreiburg
12=132 =136 University of HamburgHamburg
13140 =136 Technical University of BerlinBerlin
14=157 160 University of CologneCologne
15=160 =161 TU DresdenDresden
16=163 =175 University of WürzburgWürzburg
17=166 =140 Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyKarlsruhe
18188 =193 University of MünsterMünster
19=199 =193 Ulm UniversityUlm
=19=199 =187 University of MannheimMannheim
=21201–250 201–250 Friedrich Schiller University JenaJena
=21201–250 201–250 Goethe University FrankfurtFrankfurt
=21201–250 =193 University of Erlangen-NurembergErlangen and Nuremberg
=21201–250 201–250 University of PotsdamPotsdam
=25251–300 251–300 Heinrich Heine University DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
=25251–300 251–300 Johannes Gutenberg University of MainzMainz
=25251–300 251–300 Technical University of DarmstadtDarmstadt
=25251–300 NR University of Duisburg-EssenDuisberg
=25251–300 251–300 University of KonstanzKonstanz
=25251–300 251–300 University of StuttgartStuttgart
=31301–350 251–300 Ruhr University BochumBochum
=31301–350 351–400 University of BayreuthBayreuth
=31301–350 301–350 University of BremenBremen
=31301–350 251–300 University of HohenheimHohenheim
=31301–350 301–350 University of KielKiel
=36351–400 351–400 Justus Liebig University GiessenGiessen
=36351–400 351–400 Leibniz University HannoverHannover
=38401–500 501–600 Leuphana University of LüneburgLüneburg
=38401–500 401–500 TU Dortmund UniversityDortmund
=38401–500 401–500 University of GreifswaldGreifswald
=38401–500 401–500 University of MarburgMarburg
=42501–600 401–500 Constructor UniversityBremen
=42501–600 501–600 Hamburg University of TechnologyHamburg
=42501–600 NR Paderborn UniversityPaderborn
=42501–600 501–600 TU BraunschweigBraunschweig
=42501–600 401–500 University of PassauPassau
=42501–600 601–800 University of SiegenSiegen
=42501–600 501–600 University of WuppertalWuppertal
49601–800 601–800 University of KaiserslauternKaiserslautern
501001–1200 1001–1200 Technische Universität IlmenauIlmenau

 

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Find the best universities in Germany in 2025 through Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings data

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