Best universities in Germany 2025

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

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October 17 2024

Top 10 universities in Germany

Scroll down for the full list of best universities in Germany

Germany Rank 2025	World University Rank 2025	World University Rank 2024	University	City/town
1	26	=30	Technical University of Munich	Munich
2	38	=38	LMU Munich	Munich
3	=47	47	Universität Heidelberg	Heidelberg
4	=84	=87	Humboldt University of Berlin	Berlin
5	89	91	University of Bonn	Bonn
6	92	90	RWTH Aachen University	Aachen
7	=93	94	Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin	Berlin
8	=100	=95	University of Tübingen	Tübingen
9	=104	102	Free University of Berlin	Berlin
10	121	=111	University of Göttingen	Göttingen

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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 2025	World University Rank 2025	World University Rank 2024	University	City/town
1	26	=30	Technical University of Munich	Munich
2	38	=38	LMU Munich	Munich
3	=47	47	Universität Heidelberg	Heidelberg
4	=84	=87	Humboldt University of Berlin	Berlin
5	89	91	University of Bonn	Bonn
6	92	90	RWTH Aachen University	Aachen
7	=93	94	Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin	Berlin
8	=100	=95	University of Tübingen	Tübingen
9	=104	102	Free University of Berlin	Berlin
10	121	=111	University of Göttingen	Göttingen
11	=128	128	University of Freiburg	Freiburg
12	=132	=136	University of Hamburg	Hamburg
13	140	=136	Technical University of Berlin	Berlin
14	=157	160	University of Cologne	Cologne
15	=160	=161	TU Dresden	Dresden
16	=163	=175	University of Würzburg	Würzburg
17	=166	=140	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Karlsruhe
18	188	=193	University of Münster	Münster
19	=199	=193	Ulm University	Ulm
=19	=199	=187	University of Mannheim	Mannheim
=21	201–250	201–250	Friedrich Schiller University Jena	Jena
=21	201–250	201–250	Goethe University Frankfurt	Frankfurt
=21	201–250	=193	University of Erlangen-Nuremberg	Erlangen and Nuremberg
=21	201–250	201–250	University of Potsdam	Potsdam
=25	251–300	251–300	Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf	Düsseldorf
=25	251–300	251–300	Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz	Mainz
=25	251–300	251–300	Technical University of Darmstadt	Darmstadt
=25	251–300	NR	University of Duisburg-Essen	Duisberg
=25	251–300	251–300	University of Konstanz	Konstanz
=25	251–300	251–300	University of Stuttgart	Stuttgart
=31	301–350	251–300	Ruhr University Bochum	Bochum
=31	301–350	351–400	University of Bayreuth	Bayreuth
=31	301–350	301–350	University of Bremen	Bremen
=31	301–350	251–300	University of Hohenheim	Hohenheim
=31	301–350	301–350	University of Kiel	Kiel
=36	351–400	351–400	Justus Liebig University Giessen	Giessen
=36	351–400	351–400	Leibniz University Hannover	Hannover
=38	401–500	501–600	Leuphana University of Lüneburg	Lüneburg
=38	401–500	401–500	TU Dortmund University	Dortmund
=38	401–500	401–500	University of Greifswald	Greifswald
=38	401–500	401–500	University of Marburg	Marburg
=42	501–600	401–500	Constructor University	Bremen
=42	501–600	501–600	Hamburg University of Technology	Hamburg
=42	501–600	NR	Paderborn University	Paderborn
=42	501–600	501–600	TU Braunschweig	Braunschweig
=42	501–600	401–500	University of Passau	Passau
=42	501–600	601–800	University of Siegen	Siegen
=42	501–600	501–600	University of Wuppertal	Wuppertal
49	601–800	601–800	University of Kaiserslautern	Kaiserslautern
50	1001–1200	1001–1200	Technische Universität Ilmenau	Ilmenau