Munich is the capital and largest city of the German state of Bavaria, a major European industrial centre for automobiles and defence equipment manufacturing. The city has a population of 1.5 million residents, and the larger Munich municipal area hosts almost 6 million people.
Munich attracts tens of thousands of international students every year to its top-ranked universities because of the city’s well-developed urban infrastructure and Germany’s extremely low tuition fees. Additionally, international students make up nearly 25% of the total student enrolment at top-ranked universities in and around Munich.
Top Universities in Munich
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich
Founded over 500 years ago in 1472, LMU Munich is a leading German university with a rich history of academic excellence and focus on research. LMU Munich is Germany’s second-largest university with a total enrolment of over 50,000 students, of which nearly 10,000 are international students.
LMU Munich can claim to have taught as many as 43 Nobel Prize winners, as well as a Pope! International medical students will also be interested in applying to LMU Munich because of the nearby LMU University Hospital where doctors-in-training receive extensive hands-on training. Courses at LMU are divided into 18 Faculties, some of which are:
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
- Faculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Religious Studies
- Faculty of Languages and Literatures
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics
- Faculty of Physics
- Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy
Technical University of Munich
Technical University Munich is a large-scale public university founded in 1868. The main campus of the Technical University Munich is located in the city, with two more campuses in the nearby towns of Weihenstephan and Garching.
In 2002 the university established an overseas institute in Singapore named the German Institute of Science and Technology – TUM Asia. With a third of the 32,000 enrolled students at Technical University Munich being international students, you will always feel comfortable and well-supported by a sizable international student community at the top-ranked university.
Courses are offered in thirteen departments to international students, some of which are:
- Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Faculty of Informatics
- Faculty of Mathematics
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Physics
Ulm University
Located an hour and a half away by road from Munich in the nearby city of Ulm, Ulm University is a relatively new university founded in 1967. But Ulm University has wasted no time in creating strong relationships with Germany’s largest firms including BMW and Daimler, and international students at Ulm University are consistently placed in top-quality internships at such companies year after year. Ulm University is home to over 10,000 enrolled students and more than 1,200 international students.
The four faculties in which courses are offered at Ulm University are:
- Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
- Faculty of Natural Science
- Faculty of Medicine (includes a university hospital)
- Faculty of Mathematics and Economics
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Founded in 1743, the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg is Bavaria’s second-largest university and is located in Erlangen, a small city with just over a million residents. The University of Erlangen-Nuremberg offers more than 250 degree programs across undergraduate and postgraduate levels to more than 4,000 international students.
The university also has a secondary campus in the nearby city of Nuremberg. The University of Erlangen-Nuremberg is also home to multiple world-class research institutes operated by the university faculty and students, including the Cluster of Excellence Engineering of Advanced Materials centre. The university’s five faculties for international students are:
- Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Theology
- Faculty of Business, Economics and Law
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Sciences
- Faculty of Engineering
See this article for the Top 10 Universities in Germany.
Munich Universities World Ranking 2023
Below is a list of the top Munich universities in 2023, according to QS world rankings and Times Higher Education:
| University | QS World Ranking 2023 | Times Higher Education Ranking 2023 | QS rank in Germany | THE Rank in Germany |
| Technical University of Munich | 49 | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich | 59 | 33 | 2 | 2 |
| University of Erlangen-Nuremberg | =340 | =196 | 18 | 22 |
| Ulm University | =375 | =148 | 21 | 15 |
List of other top-ranked Colleges & Universities in Munich
Alongside the four top-ranked Munich universities, the city and the Bavarian region are also home to many world-class institutes with work-study degrees and courses offered in departments including Engineering, Healthcare & Law.
Below are some of the top-ranked Munich institutes for international students:
- EU Business School, Munich
- Macromedia University of Applied Sciences
- Munich Business School
- Munich University of Applied Sciences
- Munich School of Philosophy
- University of Television and Film Munich
- Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Munich
- European Business College Munich, New European College
- University of Music and Performing Arts Munich
- Academy of Fine Arts, Munich
Tuition and Living Costs
In 2014, Germany abolished tuition fees for domestic as well as international undergraduate students at all public universities. International undergraduates at public universities in Germany can effectively study for free, and must pay only a minor semester fee. The option of studying at a world-class university for an extremely affordable semester fee makes top-ranked German universities excellent value for money for international students.
As for living costs, LMU Munich estimates that you should budget between 900 and 1,200 US Dollars every month. This figure is divided into the following monthly living costs:
- Shared Accommodation including Utilities: 450-650 US Dollars
- Food Expenses: 250-300 US Dollars
- Public Transport: 40-50 US Dollars
- Miscellaneous Expenses: 100-125 US Dollars
Life in Munich for International Students
Munich is a centuries-old city where international students will be able to enjoy a never-ending list of entertainment venues, outdoor areas, world-class food and sporting events alongside studying at their top-ranked universities.
Below is a list of Munich and Bavaria’s most iconic venues which international students must visit:
- English Garden
- Marienplatz
- Nymphenburg Palace
- Deutsches Museum
- Munich Residenz
- Victuals Market
- Alte Pinakothek
- Allianz Arena
- St. Peter’s Church
- Hellabrunn Zoo
- BMW Museum
- Neuschwanstein Castle
- Bavarian National Museum
- Museum Brandhorst
- Glyptothek
Munich has excellent connectivity via public transport to major European cities as well as the German countryside. You will be able to travel on exciting weekend trips and thoroughly enjoy your time away from the classroom at top-ranked Munich universities.
International students at top-ranked universities in Munich will also find it easy to secure world-class internships at large businesses across the city, especially industrial and engineering-related jobs.