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Rankings: The 59 best universities in Germany for 2021/2022

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Rankings: The 59 best universities in Germany for 2021/2022

Germany enjoys a remarkable reputation for its higher education sector: There are more than 400 universities, and many of them score high in international rankings, among the top universities in the world. The two hot spots of academic excellence are Munich (with Ludwig Maximilians University, LMU, and the Technical University of Munich, TUM) and Berlin (with the HU, the FU and the TU). But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, and there are many more world-class institutions in other corners of the country.

Top ranked universities in Germany

University QS Ranking 2021 THE Ranking 2021 ARWU Ranking 2020
Technical University of Munich (TUM) 50 41 54
Ludwig Maximilians University Munich 63 32 51
Heidelberg University 64 42 57
Humboldt University Berlin 117 80 –
Freie Universität Berlin 130 118 –
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) 131 201 201
RWTH Aachen University 145 107 201
Technische Universität Berlin 148 140 301
Technische Universität Dresden 173 152 201
University of Freiburg 175 83 101
University of Tübingen 175 78 151
University of Göttingen 195 130 101
Universität Hamburg 228 135 201
University of Bonn 240 114 87
TU Darmstadt 267 301 401
University of Cologne 282 145 151
University of Mannheim 307 140 –
Goethe University Frankfurt 311 251 101
FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg 317 198 201
Friedrich Schiller University Jena 323 251 401
University of Stuttgart 333 351 301
Ulm University 344 140 301
University of Münster 356 195 151
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz 403 301 201
University of Würzburg 437 140 201
Ruhr University Bochum 439 251 401
University of Konstanz 443 251 601
Saarland University 451 – 501
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg 470 – 501
Leipzig University 483 – 201
Kiel University 501 251 201
University of Bayreuth 521 351 701
Justus Liebig University 531 401 701
University of Bremen 541 401 501
Technische Universität Braunschweig 551 601 601
University of Regensburg 601 – 501
University of Hohenheim 651 201 701
University of Marburg 651 301 401
Leibniz Universität Hannover 651 501 601
University of Rostock 701 – 501
University of Duisburg-Essen 751 201 301
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf 751 – 301
TU Dortmund University 801 401 801
Bielefeld University 801 158 701
University of Potsdam 801 251 401
University of Kaiserslautern – 601 –
University of Greifswald – 301 –
Jacobs University Bremen – 251 –
Ilmenau University of Technology – 801 –
Hamburg University of Technology – 601 –
University of Wuppertal – 601 801
University of Siegen – 601 –
University of Passau – 301 –
University of Oldenburg – – 801
University of Kassel – – 701
Universität zu Lübeck – – 701
University of Magdeburg – – 601
Hannover Medical School – – 401
Leuphana University Lüneburg – – 901

Explained: How do the university rankings work?

The QS World University Rankings are among the most important, most-referenced rankings. The QS ranking relies heavily on its academic survey, asking thousands of academics worldwide about the reputation of universities.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (or the THE Rankings for short) compile a wide range of statistics. Equal weight is put on teaching quality, research excellence, and research impact through citations (meaning how often a university’s research is referenced elsewhere).

The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (often just Shanghai Ranking, or ARWU) focuses on research output and quality, for example measured by the number of published and cited scientific papers and the number of staff or alumni winning the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal.

Study in Germany Germany - Flag

For many international students, Germany is the ideal country to study abroad: World-leading universities, many English-language study options especially at the postgraduate level, and no tuition fees at public universities. For these reasons and more, every year around 100,000 students from around the world choose to come to Germany for their university education.

Read more about studying in Germany

Find the right study programme for yourself:

Bachelors degrees in Germany
Masters degrees in Germany
PhD programmes in Germany

Relevant links

  • Studying abroad in Germany: Basic information for international students
  • Study programmes in Germany
  • Visit the website of the QS World University Rankings
  • Visit the website of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings
  • Visit the website of the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities

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