A private university in Germany can award recognised degrees only if the federal state where it is based has granted it state recognition (staatliche Anerkennung). Before you apply, check three things: that the university is state-recognised, that it has been accredited as an institution by the Wissenschaftsrat, and that your programme is accredited.
Key points
- About one in four German higher education institutions is private; they teach 13% of all students.
- State recognition is the legal basis for awarding degrees. Without it, there is no recognised German degree.
- Quality is checked twice: the institution by the Wissenschaftsrat, each programme through accreditation.
- You can check all three yourself in public, official databases.
Private universities in Germany in numbers
Private higher education in Germany has grown from a niche into a significant part of the system. In winter semester 2024/25, 112 of Germany’s 421 higher education institutions were privately run, and student numbers at private institutions nearly doubled between 2015 and 2024, according to Destatis data published by the Wissenschaftsrat, Germany’s science council, in July 2026.
| Private sector, winter semester 2024/25 | Figure |
|---|---|
| Private higher education institutions | 112 of 421 (27%) |
| Students at private institutions | 383,670 (13% of all students) |
| Growth in students, 2015 to 2024 | Nearly doubled |
| Universities of applied sciences among private institutions | 75% of institutions, 92% of students |
| Private institutions with university status | 21 |
| Institutions with fewer than 800 students | 53% |
| Students studying by distance learning | 43% (state institutions: 4%) |
| International students | 12% (state institutions: 14%) |
| International students at private universities | 30% (state universities: 15%) |
| Programmes taught in English | 18% (state institutions: 10%) |
Most private institutions are universities of applied sciences (Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaften or Fachhochschulen), and many are small. The more recent HRK figures count 111 private institutions among 422 higher education institutions in winter semester 2025/26. India is the largest country of origin of international students in Germany: 58,833 students from India came to German universities with a school-leaving qualification from abroad in winter semester 2024/25.
Sources: Wissenschaftsrat: Empfehlungen zur Weiterentwicklung des privaten Hochschulsektors (Drs. 3333-26); HRK: Hochschulen in Zahlen 2026.
What “state-recognised” means
State recognition is granted by the federal state (Land) where the university is based. It is the legal basis for a non-state institution to operate, hold university examinations and award academic degrees. A degree completed at a state-recognised institution counts as a completed university degree under German federal higher education law.
To be recognised, an institution must meet conditions set in law. These include admitting only students who meet the entry requirements of a comparable state university, and full-time teaching staff who meet the appointment requirements of state universities. The Wissenschaftsrat recommends that the federal states grant recognition for a limited time until an institution has permanently proven its standing as a higher education institution.
Sources: Wissenschaftsrat: Leitfaden der Institutionellen Akkreditierung nichtstaatlicher Hochschulen (Drs. 9837-22); Hochschulrahmengesetz, section 70.
How private universities are quality-checked
The institution: Wissenschaftsrat accreditation
The Wissenschaftsrat reviews private institutions on behalf of the federal states. The application comes from the state where the institution is based, not from the institution itself. Before a new institution is recognised, the Wissenschaftsrat can review its founding concept (Konzeptprüfung). It recommends a first institutional accreditation three to five years after teaching starts.
The review covers six areas:
- Governance, organisation and quality management
- Staff
- Study and teaching
- Research, artistic and design development
- Buildings and equipment
- Economic viability and strategic planning
Accreditation is usually granted for at least five years and can be granted for up to ten. An institution with deficits so serious that its standing as a higher education institution is in question is not accredited.
Sources: Wissenschaftsrat: Leitfaden der Institutionellen Akkreditierung nichtstaatlicher Hochschulen (Drs. 9837-22); Wissenschaftsrat: Leitfaden der Konzeptprüfung nichtstaatlicher Hochschulen in Gründung (Drs. 3340-26).
Each programme: programme or system accreditation
Bachelor’s and master’s programmes at state and state-recognised institutions are accredited separately. An agency approved by the German Accreditation Council (Akkreditierungsrat) reviews the programme, and the Accreditation Council decides. Programme accreditation lasts eight years.
A system-accredited institution may accredit its own programmes for eight years, because its internal quality management has been accredited. That does not mean every programme is automatically accredited: each still has to pass the internal process. As of May 2026, 23 private institutions (20%) were system-accredited, compared with 36% of state institutions.
Sources: Akkreditierungsrat: Programme accreditation; Akkreditierungsrat: System accreditation; Wissenschaftsrat: Empfehlungen zur Weiterentwicklung des privaten Hochschulsektors (Drs. 3333-26).
How to check a private university in three steps
- Find it in the Hochschulkompass. The HRK Hochschulkompass lists state and state-recognised German higher education institutions, and you can filter by “privat, staatlich anerkannt”. If a university is not listed, ask it for proof of its state recognition before you go any further.
- Check your programme in the ELIAS database. The Accreditation Council’s public database shows accredited programmes under “akkreditierte Studiengänge”. By default it shows only accreditations that are currently valid. A programme can be accredited but missing because the university has not entered it yet, so if you cannot find it, ask the university for its accreditation decision.
- Ask about institutional accreditation. Ask the university when it was last accredited by the Wissenschaftsrat, and for how long. Very new institutions may not have reached this stage yet, because the first accreditation usually follows three to five years after teaching starts.
Sources: HRK Hochschulkompass; Akkreditierungsrat: ELIAS database of accredited programmes; Wissenschaftsrat: Leitfaden der Institutionellen Akkreditierung nichtstaatlicher Hochschulen (Drs. 9837-22).
What Germany’s science council says about quality
In its July 2026 review of the private sector, the Wissenschaftsrat found a mixed picture. Several private institutions have established themselves at a high academic level, and others succeed as practice-oriented education providers. For many, however, dependence on the market and an orientation towards minimum standards have a negative effect on facilities, working conditions and research.
The review also looked at how international students are recruited. Most international students at both private and state institutions come from India. Besides the reputation of German universities, the Wissenschaftsrat names social media, partly dubious recruitment agencies and the institutions’ own admission procedures as important factors in recruitment. Check a university yourself instead of relying only on what an agent tells you.
Source: Wissenschaftsrat: Empfehlungen zur Weiterentwicklung des privaten Hochschulsektors (Drs. 3333-26).
Will your degree be recognised back home?
Recognition at home depends on your country’s rules, so check them before you enrol. In India, the Association of Indian Universities issues equivalence certificates for degrees from foreign universities that are accredited, approved or recognised; applications are accepted online only. In Pakistan, Nigeria and other countries, ask the authority responsible for foreign degree equivalence what it requires.
Germany applies the same principle the other way round: according to the anabin database of Germany’s education ministers, foreign degrees can usually only be recognised in Germany if they were earned at a state or state-recognised institution.
Sources: Association of Indian Universities: Equivalence of degree; KMK anabin: Researching foreign degrees.
Sources and method
We read every source below on 6 November 2026, and a second, independent check compared each statement in this guide with the original wording. Statistics refer to the period named next to them. We review this guide at least every three months.
AdmitArrive receives commissions from partner institutions, which can include private universities. That is why this guide relies only on official sources and does not rank or recommend individual universities.
- Wissenschaftsrat: Empfehlungen zur Weiterentwicklung des privaten Hochschulsektors (Drs. 3333-26) (3 July 2026)
- Wissenschaftsrat: Leitfaden der Institutionellen Akkreditierung nichtstaatlicher Hochschulen (Drs. 9837-22) (8 July 2022)
- Wissenschaftsrat: Leitfaden der Konzeptprüfung nichtstaatlicher Hochschulen in Gründung (Drs. 3340-26) (3 July 2026)
- HRK: Hochschulen in Zahlen 2026 (27 August 2026)
- Akkreditierungsrat: Programme accreditation
- Akkreditierungsrat: System accreditation
- Akkreditierungsrat: ELIAS database of accredited programmes
- Hochschulrahmengesetz, section 70
- HRK Hochschulkompass
- Association of Indian Universities: Equivalence of degree
- KMK anabin: Researching foreign degrees