Applying from Nigeria
English-taught programmes in Germany for students from Nigeria
829 English-taught programmes at 26 universities, compared on the rules that apply to applicants with Nigerian qualifications.
Researched 7 November 2026 to 14 November 2026 · 18,824 facts, each quoted from an official page · costs for a winter 2027/28 start: non-EU tuition plus semester contribution and other compulsory fees, without rent
Reviewed by Dennis Maaß, admission and immigration expert
Published 8 November 2026 · Last reviewed 8 November 2026
English proof for the student visa in Nigeria
- Certificates the visa section accepts
- Certificates from any institution testing to ALTE standards, not older than one year
Source
“Certificates issued by any institution testing in accordance with the standards of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) are accepted. The test may not be older than one year.”
“If you take your language exam in Nigeria, we only accept certificates from the Goethe-Institut or Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch (ÖSD)” page
nigeria.diplo.de/ng-en/2750690-2750690 · checked 10 November 2026
The mission's language-skills page adds that for exams taken in Nigeria only Goethe-Institut or ÖSD certificates are accepted. That page lists levels only for studies in German, so it does not say which English test taken in Nigeria counts.
- Not accepted for the visa
- Not stated by the German mission
3 pages checked, 10 Nov 2026
- nigeria.diplo.de/ng-en/2750690-2750690
- nigeria.diplo.de/ng-en/2744568-2744568
- nigeria.diplo.de/resource/blob/2778170/b9c65a0c3b847053472a20c4311c6464/student-data.pdf
None of these pages names a test as not accepted. The language-skills page restricts exams taken in Nigeria to Goethe-Institut or ÖSD certificates (see visaLanguageTestsAccepted).
- University waiver accepted by the visa section
- Not stated by the German mission
3 pages checked, 10 Nov 2026
- nigeria.diplo.de/ng-en/2750690-2750690
- nigeria.diplo.de/ng-en/2744568-2744568
- nigeria.diplo.de/resource/blob/2778170/b9c65a0c3b847053472a20c4311c6464/student-data.pdf
No page says whether a university's language exemption replaces a certificate. The document list (status June 2026) marks the language certificate as "If applicable" (item 13).
A university may accept a test or waive it for admission; the visa section can still ask for its own proof.
Master’s
Master’s programmes: the universities compared
Requirements are set per programme, so each cell sums up the university’s master’s programmes as a count or a range. Open a university for each programme and its sources.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
| University | English test waived for Nigerian applicants | Minimum IELTS | Rules naming Nigerian applicants | Cost per year, non-EU (2027 start) | Apply by (winter 2027, non-EU) | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical University of MunichMünchen · Public university71 programmes, mostly Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Business & Management and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | Waived at 70 of 711 don’t say | 6.5 | None named | €164–€13,794no tuition at 6 of 71, plus €75 one-off | 31 May 2027 | Mostly selection procedure70 of 71 selection procedure, 1 limited places |
| Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)Erlangen · Public university46 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Energy, Environment & Sustainability and Languages, Literature & Writing | Waived at 1 of 4645 don’t say | 5 to 7 | None named | €164–€12,164no tuition at 1 of 46 | 31 May 2027 to 31 Aug 2027 | All selection procedure46 of 46 selection procedure |
| RWTH Aachen UniversityAachen · Public university48 programmes, mostly Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Electrical & Electronics Engineering and Civil Engineering, Building & Construction | Waived at 6 of 4842 don’t say | 6 to 7 | None named | €716–€24,048no tuition at 31 of 48 | 28 Feb 2027 to 15 Jul 2027 | Mixed29 of 48 unrestricted, 16 selection procedure, 2 limited places, 1 not stated |
| TUD Dresden University of TechnologyDresden · Public university34 programmes, mostly Health Sciences, Nursing & Public Health, Biology & Life Sciences and Energy, Environment & Sustainability | Waived at 20 of 3414 don’t say | 5.5 to 7 | None named | €722–€19,722no tuition at 27 of 34 | 15 Mar 2027 to 15 Jul 2027 | Mixed21 of 34 selection procedure, 13 unrestricted |
| University of Duisburg-EssenDuisburg · Public university22 programmes, mostly Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Languages, Literature & Writing and Sociology & Social Sciences | Waived at 15 of 22test required at 1, 6 don’t say | 5.5 to 6.5 | None named | €736no tuition | 31 Mar 2027 to 31 Jul 2027 | Mostly unrestricted18 of 22 unrestricted, 2 selection procedure, 2 limited places |
| Otto von Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburg · Public university22 programmes, mostly Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Political Science & Public Policy and Mechanical Engineering | Test always required | 6.5 to 7 | None named | €659–€8,989no tuition at 20 of 22 | 15 Mar 2027 to 15 Jul 2027 | Mostly unrestricted16 of 22 unrestricted, 1 selection procedure, 5 limited places |
| Leibniz University HannoverHannover · Public university27 programmes, mostly Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Sociology & Social Sciences and Architecture & Urban Planning | Waived at 7 of 27test required at 2, 18 don’t say | 4.5 to 7 | None named | €906no tuition | 15 Jan 2027 to 15 Jul 2027 | Mixed15 of 27 unrestricted, 12 limited places |
| Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyKarlsruhe · Public university25 programmes, mostly Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Physics and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | Waived at 19 of 256 don’t say | 6.5 | None named | €3,368 | 15 Jun 2027 to 15 Jul 20276 rolling | Mixed15 of 25 unrestricted, 1 selection procedure, 9 limited places |
| Technische Universität BerlinBerlin · Public university25 programmes, mostly Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Architecture & Urban Planning and Civil Engineering, Building & Construction | Waived at 7 of 25test required at 14, 4 don’t say | 6 to 7 | At 1 of 25English test at 1 | €758–€13,958no tuition at 18 of 25, plus €500 one-off | 15 Mar 2027 to 31 Aug 20271 rolling | Mostly limited places20 of 25 limited places, 4 unrestricted, 1 selection procedure |
| Technische Universität DarmstadtDarmstadt · Public university26 programmes, mostly Materials Science & Nanotechnology, Architecture & Urban Planning and Biology & Life Sciences | Waived at 25 of 261 don’t say | 5.5 to 7 | None named | €805no tuition | 15 Jan 2027 to 15 Jul 2027 | All selection procedure26 of 26 selection procedure |
| University of StuttgartStuttgart · Public university18 programmes, mostly Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Mechanical Engineering and Architecture & Urban Planning | Waived at 8 of 18test required at 7, 3 don’t say | 5 to 7 | None named | €3,368 | 15 Oct 2026 to 15 Jul 2027 | Mixed8 of 18 selection procedure, 1 unrestricted, 8 limited places, 1 not stated |
| Chemnitz University of TechnologyChemnitz · Public university13 programmes, mostly Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics & Automation and Computer Science & Software Engineering | Waived at all 13 | 5.5 to 7 | None named | €683no tuition | 15 Jul 2027 | All unrestricted13 of 13 unrestricted |
| Technische Universität BraunschweigBraunschweig · Public university11 programmes, mostly Chemistry, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence and Electrical & Electronics Engineering | Waived at 7 of 11test required at 2, 2 don’t say | 6.5 | None named | €945–€16,945no tuition at 9 of 11, plus €75 one-off | 5 Jan 2027 to 15 Jul 2027 | Mixed5 of 11 limited places, 4 unrestricted, 2 not stated |
| Deggendorf Institute of TechnologyDeggendorf · Public university of applied sciences16 programmes, mostly Computer Science & Software Engineering, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence and Mechatronics, Robotics & Automation | Test always required | 5.5 to 7 | None named | €1,174no tuition | 15 May 2027 to 15 Jul 2027 | All selection procedure16 of 16 selection procedure |
| Rhine-Waal University of Applied SciencesKleve · Public university of applied sciences7 programmes, mostly Design, Energy, Environment & Sustainability and Biology & Life Sciences | Waived at 1 of 7test required at 2, 4 don’t say | 5.5 to 7 | None named | €730no tuition | 15 Jul 2027 | Mixed3 of 7 limited places, 2 unrestricted, 2 selection procedure |
| SRH UniversityHeidelberg · Private, state-recognised39 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Computer Science & Software Engineering and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | Waived at 2 of 3937 don’t say | 6.5 | None named | €2,588–€15,800plus €1,000 one-off | Rolling admission | Mostly not stated33 of 39 not stated, 6 selection procedure |
| University of Europe for Applied SciencesPotsdam · Private, state-recognised40 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Design and Finance & Accounting | No waiver stated | 6 | None named | €8,618–€13,049plus €490 one-off | 1 Sept 2027 | Mixed23 of 40 selection procedure, 17 unrestricted |
| Fresenius University of Applied SciencesIdstein · Private, state-recognised18 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Design and Chemical & Process Engineering | Waived at all 18 | 6 | At 18 of 18English test at 18 | €7,540–€16,000plus €250 to €695 one-off | Rolling admission | All selection procedure18 of 18 selection procedure |
| Constructor University Bremen gGmbHBremen · Private, state-recognised11 programmes, mostly Computer Science & Software Engineering, Business & Management and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | Waived at all 11 | 6.5 | None named | €32,576plus €940 to €1,000 one-off | 1 Feb 2027 to 31 Jul 2027 | All selection procedure11 of 11 selection procedure |
| IU International University of Applied SciencesErfurt · Private, state-recognised19 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Computer Science & Software Engineering and Healthcare Management | Waived at all 19 | 6.5 | None named | €8,754–€11,504plus €1,500 one-off | Rolling admission | All selection procedure19 of 19 selection procedure |
| Gisma University of Applied SciencesPotsdam · Private, state-recognised15 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Marketing and Computer Science & Software Engineering | Waived at 14 of 151 don’t say | 6 to 6.5 | None named | €12,550–€25,100 | No fixed deadlinestarts in January, April, July and October | Mostly not stated14 of 15 not stated, 1 selection procedure |
| ISM International School of ManagementDortmund · Private, state-recognised16 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Marketing and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | Waived at all 16 | 6 | None named | €6,280–€19,800plus €600 to €1,500 one-off | 15 Jun 20275 rolling | All selection procedure16 of 16 selection procedure |
| FOM University of Applied SciencesEssen · Private, state-recognised8 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Automotive & Mobility and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | Waived at 7 of 81 don’t say | 5.5 | None named | €6,900–€12,500plus €1,590 one-off | No fixed deadlinestarts in April and October | All unrestricted8 of 8 unrestricted |
| Frankfurt School of Finance & ManagementFrankfurt am Main · Private, state-recognised9 programmes, mostly Finance & Accounting, Business & Management and Healthcare Management | Waived at 4 of 9test required at 5 | 7 | None named | €10,750–€42,000plus €600 one-off | 31 May 2027 to 31 Jul 2027 | All selection procedure9 of 9 selection procedure |
| ESCP Business School, Berlin CampusBerlin · Private, state-recognised4 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Marketing and Energy, Environment & Sustainability | Waived at 3 of 41 don’t say | 6.5 to 7 | At 3 of 4other at 3 | €15,750–€25,900plus €2,900 to €4,200 one-off | 21 Oct 2026 to 4 May 2027 | All selection procedure4 of 4 selection procedure |
| Berlin School of Business and Innovation (BSBI)Berlin · Franchise provider (foreign degree)28 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Supply Chain & Logistics and Marketing | Waived at all 28 | 6 to 6.5 | At 25 of 28other at 19, English test at 19 | €6,051–€10,439plus €850 one-off | No fixed deadlinestarts in February, May and October | Mostly not stated25 of 28 not stated, 3 selection procedure |
Bachelor’s
Bachelor’s programmes: the universities compared
With a school-leaving certificate from Nigeria
A West African Senior School Certificate (WASSCE, issued by WAEC or NECO) qualifies for a Studienkolleg and the Feststellungsprüfung for every Schwerpunktkurs if it shows five independent general subjects at at least grade C6, among them two languages (only one for subjects outside the humanities) and one mathematics/science subject, from at most two sittings of the Senior School Examination. Direct entry to a bachelor's is limited to the previous subject area and neighbouring subjects and needs one year of university study on top.Source
“West African Senior School Certificate … Es müssen fünf voneinander unabhängige, allgemeinbildende Fächer mit mindestens der Note C6, darunter zwei Sprachen und ein mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliches Fach bei höchstens zweimaliger Teilnahme an der "Senior School Examination" nachgewiesen werden. Bewerber mit Studienwunsch außerhalb der Geisteswissenschaften brauchen unter den fünf voneinander unabhängigen allgemeinbildenden Fächern nur eine Sprache nachzuweisen. … Feststellungsprüfung/Studienkolleg (für alle Schwerpunktkurse) … Direkter Zugang (fachorientiert) … für die bisherige Fachrichtung und benachbarte Fächer … "studies":true,"studiesLength":"1"”
“eine Kopie des Schulabschluss-Zeugnisses ausgestellt durch den West African Examinations Council (WAEC) oder den National Examinations Council (NECO) … Wenn alle Bedingungen erfüllt sind, qualifiziert Sie Ihr WASSC für das Studienkolleg … Die Kurse in einem Studienkolleg und die Feststellungsprüfung können in der Regel nur auf Deutsch absolviert werden. Dies gilt auch, wenn Sie danach ein Studium auf Englisch beginnen wollen.” page
“In den Bundesländern Brandenburg und Nordrhein-Westfalen gibt es generell kein staatliches Studienkolleg” page
anabin.kmk.org/api/public/certificates/6729e86b4a3c434b0b3de9d2?reference=true · checked 8 November 2026
KMK/ZAB assessment proposal NGA-BV03. The one year of study is held in the record's structured field (studies/studiesLength), which is why that fragment is quoted: anabin's prose does not repeat the number. anabin lists only the WAEC certificate; uni-assist treats a NECO certificate the same way. GCE O-/A-Levels (NGA-BV01, NGA-BV02) and a completed Nigerian "100 Level" (NGA-BV06) are separate routes not covered here. The rule applies "zu allen Hochschulen", so it does not differ by federal state, but Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia have no state Studienkolleg. The DAAD admission database is a JavaScript application whose result comes from a non-public endpoint, so it could not be quoted.
Requirements are set per programme, so each cell sums up the university’s bachelor’s programmes as a count or a range. Open a university for each programme and its sources.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
| University | Teaching language | Studienkolleg (foundation course) | Cost per year, non-EU (2027 start) | Minimum IELTS | Apply by (winter 2027, non-EU) | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical University of MunichMünchen · Public university13 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Aerospace Engineering and Energy, Environment & Sustainability | 8 of 13 fully in English5 in English and German | Linked Studienkolleg | €164–€6,994no tuition at 2 of 13, plus €75 one-off | 6.5 | 15 Jul 2027 | Mostly selection procedure10 of 13 selection procedure, 3 unrestricted |
| Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)Erlangen · Public university8 programmes, mostly Languages, Literature & Writing, Sociology & Social Sciences and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | 5 of 8 fully in English3 in English and German | Linked Studienkolleg | €2,164–€6,164 | 5.5 | 31 May 2027 to 30 Sept 2027 | Mixed4 of 8 unrestricted, 2 selection procedure, 2 limited places |
| University of Duisburg-EssenDuisburg · Public university7 programmes, mostly Languages, Literature & Writing, Sociology & Social Sciences and Computer Science & Software Engineering | 0 of 7 fully in English7 in English and German | None | €736no tuition | 6 | 15 Jun 2027 to 31 Jul 2027 | Mostly unrestricted6 of 7 unrestricted, 1 limited places |
| Otto von Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburg · Public university6 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Political Science & Public Policy and Computer Science & Software Engineering | 3 of 6 fully in English3 in English and German | Linked Studienkolleg | €659no tuition | 6.5 | 15 Jul 2027 | Mostly unrestricted4 of 6 unrestricted, 1 selection procedure, 1 limited places |
| Leibniz University HannoverHannover · Public university1 programme, mostly Law | 0 of 1 fully in English1 in English and German | Linked Studienkolleg | €906no tuition | 6 | 15 Jul 2027 | All limited places1 of 1 limited places |
| Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyKarlsruhe · Public university1 programme, mostly Mechanical Engineering | All in English | Own Studienkolleg | €3,368 | 6.5 | 30 Apr 2027 | All limited places1 of 1 limited places |
| Technische Universität BerlinBerlin · Public university1 programme, mostly Information Systems & Business Informatics | 0 of 1 fully in English1 switch language during the degree | Own Studienkolleg | €758no tuition | Not stated by the university | 15 Jul 2027 | All limited places1 of 1 limited places |
| Chemnitz University of TechnologyChemnitz · Public university3 programmes, mostly Languages, Literature & Writing, Computer Science & Software Engineering and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | 1 of 3 fully in English1 switch language during the degree, 1 in English and German | Linked Studienkolleg | €683no tuition | 5.5 | 15 Jul 2027 | All unrestricted3 of 3 unrestricted |
| Technische Universität BraunschweigBraunschweig · Public university2 programmes, mostly Languages, Literature & Writing and Mechanical Engineering | 0 of 2 fully in English2 in English and German | Linked Studienkolleg | €945no tuition, plus €75 one-off | 6 to 6.5 | 15 Jul 2027 | All unrestricted2 of 2 unrestricted |
| Deggendorf Institute of TechnologyDeggendorf · Public university of applied sciences12 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Electrical & Electronics Engineering and Tourism, Hospitality & Events | 6 of 12 fully in English6 switch language during the degree | Linked Studienkolleg | €1,174no tuition | 5.5 | 15 Jun 2027 to 15 Jul 2027 | Mostly selection procedure8 of 12 selection procedure, 4 unrestricted |
| Rhine-Waal University of Applied SciencesKleve · Public university of applied sciences16 programmes, mostly Agriculture, Food & Nutrition, Business & Management and Energy, Environment & Sustainability | All in English | Own Studienkolleg | €730no tuition | 5.5 | 15 Jul 2027 | Mixed8 of 16 unrestricted, 1 selection procedure, 7 limited places |
| SRH UniversityHeidelberg · Private, state-recognised35 programmes, mostly Design, Business & Management and Music & Audio | All in English | Own Studienkolleg | €9,000–€11,300plus €1,000 one-off | 6.5 | Rolling admission | Mostly not stated27 of 35 not stated, 8 selection procedure |
| University of Europe for Applied SciencesPotsdam · Private, state-recognised22 programmes, mostly Design, Psychology & Cognitive Science and Film, Animation & Photography | All in English | Own Studienkolleg | €7,122–€8,779plus €490 one-off | 5.5 | 1 Sept 2027 | All selection procedure22 of 22 selection procedure |
| Fresenius University of Applied SciencesIdstein · Private, state-recognised12 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Design and Tourism, Hospitality & Events | 8 of 12 fully in English3 switch language during the degree, 1 in English and German | Own Studienkolleg | €10,000–€13,240plus €595 to €695 one-off | 6 | Rolling admission | All selection procedure12 of 12 selection procedure |
| Constructor University Bremen gGmbHBremen · Private, state-recognised20 programmes, mostly Computer Science & Software Engineering, Business & Management and Chemistry | All in English | None | €13,726–€32,576plus €940 to €1,000 one-off | 6.5 | 1 Feb 2027 to 15 Aug 2027 | All selection procedure20 of 20 selection procedure |
| IU International University of Applied SciencesErfurt · Private, state-recognised10 programmes, mostly Business & Management and Computer Science & Software Engineering | All in English | Own Studienkolleg | €7,424plus €1,500 one-off | 6 | Rolling admission | All selection procedure10 of 10 selection procedure |
| Gisma University of Applied SciencesPotsdam · Private, state-recognised12 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Computer Science & Software Engineering and Finance & Accounting | All in English | Own Studienkolleg | €13,825 | 6 | No fixed deadlinestarts in January, April, July and October | Mostly selection procedure11 of 12 selection procedure, 1 not stated |
| ISM International School of ManagementDortmund · Private, state-recognised5 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Tourism, Hospitality & Events and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence | All in English | None | €0–€11,940no tuition at 1 of 5, plus €600 to €1,500 one-off | 6 | 15 Jun 20271 rolling | All selection procedure5 of 5 selection procedure |
| FOM University of Applied SciencesEssen · Private, state-recognised3 programmes, mostly Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science & Software Engineering and Business & Management | All in English | None | €9,167 | 5.5 | No fixed deadlinestarts in April and October | All unrestricted3 of 3 unrestricted |
| Frankfurt School of Finance & ManagementFrankfurt am Main · Private, state-recognised4 programmes, mostly Business & Management, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence and Information Systems & Business Informatics | 3 of 4 fully in English1 in English and German | Own Studienkolleg | €17,200plus €600 one-off | 6.5 | 30 Jun 2027 | All selection procedure4 of 4 selection procedure |
| ESCP Business School, Berlin CampusBerlin · Private, state-recognised1 programme, mostly Business & Management | All in English | Not stated by the university | €23,900plus €2,900 one-off | 6.5 | 18 Nov 2026 to 20 May 2027 | All selection procedure1 of 1 selection procedure |
| Berlin School of Business and Innovation (BSBI)Berlin · Franchise provider (foreign degree)11 programmes, mostly Film, Animation & Photography, Business & Management and Design | 8 of 11 fully in English | Not stated by the university | €10,514plus €850 one-off | 6 | No fixed deadlinestarts in February, May and October | Mixed6 of 11 not stated, 5 selection procedure |