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Bachelor's Degree in Germany for African Students

Reviewed by World Study Team Updated

A German bachelor's runs 3–4 years, carries at least 180 ECTS, and tuition at most public universities is free. You apply through uni-assist (most universities) by 15 July (winter) / 15 January (summer) for an October or April start. The catch is entry: most African school certificates do not admit you directly, and you sit a 12-month Studienkolleg year first.

What a bachelor’s degree in Germany looks like

The degree titles are Bachelor (B.A., B.Sc., B.Eng., LL.B., B.F.A., B.Mus., B.Ed.); Staatsexamen in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and law. Length is 3–4 years and the statutory credit minimum is 180 ECTS; engineering degrees commonly run above that minimum. Teaching starts in October, April, matching the two national intakes, Winter (October), Summer (April). October is the larger of the two and carries most of the programmes.

Because the credits are ECTS, the degree reads the same way to employers and to admissions offices across Europe, and a 180 ECTS bachelor’s pairs with a 120 ECTS master’s to reach the 300 credits German master’s rules assume.

The honest part is the language of teaching. English-taught bachelor’s programmes exist but are thin on the ground: LMU Munich lists 0, TU Darmstadt lists 0 and the Free University of Berlin lists 1, against 25 English-taught master’s at the same university. At bachelor’s level, German is the default language of instruction, and the English-taught option is the exception you have to hunt for.

Can you enter with WASSCE, KCSE, NSC or the Bac?

Mostly not directly. Your certificate is assessed by the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen of the KMK, published in the anabin database and applied by uni-assist on each application. The credential check itself runs through uni-assist + Anabin; WAEC scratch card for Nigeria/Ghana, and documents must be apostilled: yes. No APS certificate is required from any of our nine origin countries, because there is no APS office in Africa: no.

Where you stand depends on the certificate. The South African NSC with a degree endorsement gives direct general admission, provided you hold seven general-education subjects at grade four including mathematics. Uganda’s UCE plus UACE gives direct admission restricted to the subjects you studied. Everyone else needs the bridging year: WASSC and NECO from Nigeria, WASSCE from Ghana, KCSE from Kenya, Thanaweya Amma from Egypt and the Zambia School Certificate all route to a Studienkolleg and the Feststellungsprüfung. Zimbabwe’s ZGCE O-Level plus A-Level and the Moroccan Baccalauréat route to a subject-restricted Studienkolleg.

There is one shortcut that costs no extra time in Germany. One successful academic year at a recognised university at home replaces the Studienkolleg entirely and gives direct subject-restricted admission in that subject area, which means a Nigerian or Kenyan student who has already completed a first year at home applies straight to the degree.

The bridging year itself is Studienkolleg (Feststellungsprüfung), 12 months long, and at state Studienkollegs it is free — you pay only the semester contribution. State-recognised private colleges charge €6,250–7,850 per semester. Course and exam are in German even when your target degree is taught in English, and entry to the Studienkolleg is itself by examination in German and mathematics. Our Studienkolleg and foundation routes in Germany page sets out the streams and providers, and the corridor pages — for example study in Germany from Nigeria — give the certificate rules for your country.

How much a bachelor’s costs in Germany

Tuition at public universities is free, with two live exceptions. Baden-Württemberg bills non-EU students by statute: €3,000 per year at Heidelberg University and the University of Freiburg, and €1,500 per semester at the University of Tübingen. In Bavaria, the Technical University of Munich charges €2,000–3,000 per semester, and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg starts charging €1,000–3,000 per semester in 2027/28.

Private universities are a different market at €6,000–20,000 per year: IU International prices an on-campus bachelor’s at €20,910 per programme, and CODE University in Berlin bills €650–1,250 per month.

Everyone pays the semester contribution, €100–400 per semester, twice a year, and in many cities it includes a transport ticket. Add living costs of €850–1,200 per month, health insurance of €1,700–1,760 per year, the uni-assist evaluation at €75 and the visa at €75. Before any of that you must prove €11,904 per year in a blocked account, which is the real first-year barrier rather than tuition. Full figures are on our cost of studying in Germany page.

English requirements for a bachelor’s

The national working floor for a bachelor’s is IELTS 6, and the universities that publish a bachelor’s band sit at or just under it: RWTH Aachen asks 6, the University of Freiburg 6, IU International 6 and CODE University 6, while FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, the University of Bonn and the University of Hamburg ask 5.5. TOEFL iBT is accepted in parallel, from 72 at Bonn to 90 at RWTH Aachen.

German matters more than English on this route. A Studienkolleg is taught and examined in German, and the preparation course targets C1. The visa office does not test your language itself: it checks that you hold a valid admission letter, and treats language as settled if the university already tested it. Routes that avoid an IELTS sitting are listed on our study in Germany without IELTS page.

Universities to look at for a bachelor’s

RWTH Aachen University in Aachen charges free tuition with a contribution of €375.19 per semester, and its international share is 35.6 per cent. Engineering is the draw; the published bachelor’s band is IELTS 6.

TU Berlin is free at €360.49 per semester in a city with living costs of €950–1,350 per month and hall or shared rent of €300–650 per month. Its international share is 30.6 per cent, the highest of the three Berlin universities here.

Free University of Berlin is free at €376.80 per semester and ranks #98 (QS 2027), but lists only 1 English-taught bachelor’s, so most of its degrees will need German.

University of Bonn charges free tuition, €345.07–363.07 per semester and free application, with living costs of €900–1,150 per month and the lowest published bachelor’s band, IELTS 5.5.

TU Dresden is free at €361 per semester in the cheapest city in our dataset, €600–1,000 per month. Its own application fee is €75–105.

Heidelberg University lists 4 English-taught bachelor’s and charges €3,000 per year as a Baden-Württemberg university, on living costs of €1,000–1,400 per month.

FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg lists 5 English-taught bachelor’s, the largest count here, and moves to €1,000–3,000 per semester for new non-EU entrants in 2027/28.

IU International University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt is private, lists 9 English-taught bachelor’s and charges €20,910 per programme. Its route is direct rather than through a Studienkolleg, which is what you are paying for. More options sit on our German universities page.

How to apply for a bachelor’s in Germany

  1. Check your certificate in anabin and decide your route: direct entry, Studienkolleg, or one completed university year at home. Start this in 2026, not 2027.
  2. If you need the bridging year, apply for a Studienkolleg place and prepare for its entrance examination in German and mathematics.
  3. Shortlist programmes and confirm the language of instruction on each programme page, not on the university’s homepage.
  4. Sit IELTS or TOEFL for an English-taught degree, or take the DSH or TestDaF route for a German-taught one.
  5. Gather documents: certificates and transcripts, apostilled, plus the WAEC scratch card if you are Nigerian or Ghanaian. Ghanaian applicants should start embassy document verification about a year ahead.
  6. Apply through the portal at https://www.uni-assist.de/ by 15 July for the winter (October) intake, 15 January for the summer (April) intake; uni-assist advises applying at least 8 weeks earlier. Pay €75.
  7. On admission, fund the blocked account with €11,904 per year and buy health insurance with benefits equivalent to statutory cover.
  8. Book the visa appointment, pay €75 and allow 4–12 weeks. The document set is listed on our Germany student visa requirements page.

After the bachelor’s: master’s or work?

A German bachelor’s gives you 18 months to look for work under the §20 job-seeker residence permit, which costs €98–104 and is applied for inside Germany. That is the same allowance a master’s graduate gets, so the bachelor’s is not a lesser exit. Work during the permit is unrestricted while you search.

Staying on to study is the cheaper option for most people: a consecutive master’s at a public university is free, runs 1–2 years and carries 120 ECTS. Your 180 ECTS German bachelor’s meets the entry rule without argument, which is not true of every African three-year degree. See our master’s degrees in Germany page.

Germany at a glance — key figures

Degree Bachelor (B.A., B.Sc., B.Eng., LL.B., B.F.A., B.Mus., B.Ed.); Staatsexamen in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and law
Length 3–4 years · 180 ECTS
Starts October, April
How to apply uni-assist (most universities) or directly to the university's international office; a VPD (preliminary review documentation) is required by some Länder
Typical deadline 15 July for the winter (October) intake, 15 January for the summer (April) intake; uni-assist advises applying at least 8 weeks earlier
Entry with an African school certificate No direct entry on most of our certificates. Recognition body: Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB) of the KMK, published in anabin and applied by uni-assist. Direct general admission: South African NSC with endorsement plus 7 general-education subjects at grade 4 including mathematics. Direct subject-restricted admission: Uganda UCE plus UACE. Studienkolleg and Feststellungsprüfung required for Nigeria WASSC/NECO, Ghana WASSCE, Kenya KCSE, Egypt Thanaweya Amma and the Zambia School Certificate; subject-restricted Studienkolleg for Zimbabwe ZGCE O-Level plus A-Level and the Moroccan Baccalauréat. One successful academic year at a recognised university at home replaces the Studienkolleg and gives direct subject-restricted admission in that subject area.
Pre-university year Studienkolleg (Feststellungsprüfung) · 12 months · Free — Holders of WASSCE/NECO (Nigeria, Ghana), KCSE (Kenya), Thanaweya Amma (Egypt), the Zambia School Certificate, ZGCE O+A Level (Zimbabwe) and the Moroccan Baccalauréat who have not completed at least one academic year at a recognised university at home
Public tuition (non-EU) Free — No tuition at public universities except Baden-Württemberg (€1,500/semester for non-EU)
Private tuition (typical) €6,000–20,000 per year
English floor (IELTS) 6
Stay after graduating 18 months (§20 job-seeker residence permit)
Note Regelstudienzeit six, seven or eight semesters and not fewer than 180 ECTS (KMK Musterrechtsverordnung 21.11.2024, §§ 4-6). The ects field holds the statutory minimum; 210 and 240 ECTS bachelors are common in engineering.

Last verified 2026-09-10 against official sources (daad.de · uni-heidelberg.de · make-it-in-germany.com · tk.de · auswaertiges-amt.de).

  • Tuition is free at most public universities, so your bachelor’s bill is the semester contribution, €100–400 per semester, twice a year.
  • The bridging year is not a paid pathway product: a state Studienkolleg is free and lasts 12 months.
  • No APS certificate is required from any of our nine origin countries, no, and no medical or TB test is required for the visa, not-required.
  • You may work 140 full days or 280 half days per year (≈20 h/week) with no separate permit, at a minimum wage of €13.90 per month.
  • A bachelor’s ends with 18 months of job-search leave, the same as a master’s, at a fee of €98–104.
  • Most of our certificates do not admit you directly. WASSCE, NECO, KCSE, Thanaweya Amma and the Zambia School Certificate all add a 12-month Studienkolleg before the degree starts.
  • That bridging year is taught and examined in German, so an English-taught target degree does not spare you German study.
  • English-taught bachelor’s places are scarce: 0 at LMU Munich, 0 at TU Darmstadt, 1 at the Free University of Berlin.
  • Free tuition is narrowing. Baden-Württemberg and TUM already charge, and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg joins them at €1,000–3,000 per semester in 2027/28.
  • The calendar is long and front-loaded: €11,904 per year must be in the blocked account before a decision, and the visa takes 4–12 weeks on top of document verification.
World Study

Our core guidance is free, because universities pay us a commission when you enrol. We read your certificate against anabin, tell you plainly whether you need a Studienkolleg or qualify for direct entry, and shortlist programmes in the language you can actually study in. We vet every document — uni-assist file, apostilles, WAEC scratch card, blocked-account and insurance proof — before it is submitted. Our optional paid Premium Placement service runs the whole application for you. We never sell guaranteed admission or visas.

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How to apply for a bachelor's degree in Germany from Africa

  1. Check your certificate in anabin

    Find how your school certificate is assessed and decide your route: direct entry, a Studienkolleg year, or one completed university year at home that replaces it.

  2. Secure a Studienkolleg place if you need one

    Apply for a state or state-recognised Studienkolleg and prepare for its entrance examination, which is set in German and mathematics whatever your target degree.

  3. Shortlist programmes by language of teaching

    Confirm on each programme page whether teaching is in German or English. English-taught bachelor's programmes are few, so build the shortlist around them.

  4. Sit the language test

    Take IELTS or TOEFL for an English-taught degree, or work towards DSH or TestDaF at C1 for a German-taught one. Book early enough for results to reach the deadline.

  5. Assemble and legalise documents

    Collect certificates and transcripts, have them apostilled, and add the WAEC scratch card for Nigeria and Ghana. Ghanaian applicants start embassy verification about a year ahead.

  6. Apply through uni-assist

    Submit by 15 July for the October intake or 15 January for April, paying the evaluation fee. uni-assist advises applying at least eight weeks before the deadline.

  7. Fund the blocked account and buy insurance

    After admission, transfer a full year of living costs to a blocked account and take health insurance with benefits equivalent to German statutory cover.

  8. Apply for the national student visa

    Book an appointment at the German mission or visa centre, give biometrics, pay the fee and allow four to twelve weeks for a decision before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

It runs 3–4 years for at least 180 ECTS, and tuition at most public universities is free. You pay the semester contribution of €100–400 per semester, living costs of €850–1,200 per month and insurance of €1,700–1,760 per year. Most African applicants add a 12-month Studienkolleg first.

Not directly. WASSCE from Ghana, and WASSC or NECO from Nigeria, qualify you for a Studienkolleg and the Feststellungsprüfung rather than for immediate degree entry. The exception is one completed academic year at a recognised university at home, which replaces the Studienkolleg and gives direct admission restricted to that subject area.

The South African NSC with a degree endorsement gives direct general admission with seven general-education subjects at grade four including mathematics. Uganda's UCE plus UACE gives direct subject-restricted admission. Zimbabwe's ZGCE O-Level plus A-Level and the Moroccan Baccalauréat qualify for a subject-restricted Studienkolleg, not direct entry.

At a state Studienkolleg it is free; you pay only the semester contribution, €100–400 per semester. State-recognised private colleges charge €6,250–7,850 per semester, usually including accommodation, insurance and exam fees. It lasts 12 months, and both the course and the entrance examination are in German.

Yes, but few. FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg lists 5, Heidelberg 4, the Free University of Berlin 1 and LMU Munich 0. Private IU International lists 9, and CODE University in Berlin 3. English-taught choice is far wider at master's level, where the Free University alone lists 25.

The working floor is 6. RWTH Aachen, the University of Freiburg, IU International and CODE University ask 6; the University of Bonn, the University of Hamburg and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg ask 5.5. If your degree is taught in German, you need DSH or TestDaF instead, at C1.

15 July (winter) / 15 January (summer), for the October and April intakes. uni-assist advises submitting at least eight weeks earlier, because it evaluates your file before forwarding it. For a 2027 October start that means a complete file by May 2027, and a Studienkolleg application a full year before the degree.

FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg introduces non-EU tuition from 2027/28: €1,000–3,000 per semester for a bachelor's, tiered by subject, with medicine, dentistry and pharmacy exempt. Only newly enrolling non-EU students without a German entrance qualification pay; students already enrolled do not. FAU is the second Bavarian university to charge, after TUM.

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