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Bachelor’s · Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering (International) B.Sc.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology · Karlsruhe · Official programme page

23 facts from 9 official pages · last checked 14 November 2026

Reviewed by Dennis Maaß, admission and immigration expert
Published 8 November 2026 · Last reviewed 8 November 2026

Key facts

Length, deadlines and costs

Language
English
Source
“Language of instruction: English … Courses are held entirely in English”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

KIT's only bachelor's programme taught in English, run with the Carl Benz School of Engineering.

Study mode
Not stated by the university
3 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026

No KIT page states the teaching format. The programme has laboratory courses, workshops and an on-site Pre-Semester and KIT publishes no online degree programme, but because nothing says so explicitly no value is recorded.

Attendance
Full-time
Source
“Regular program length: 6 semester (full-time program)”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

Length
6 semesters
Source
“Regular program length: 6 semester (full-time program)”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

Credits
180 ECTS
Source
“Credit points (ECTS): 180 credit points”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

Intakes
Winter
Source
“Application possible for: … First semester: winter term”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

First-semester entry in the winter semester only, and applications for the summer semester are not accepted.

Non-EU deadline
30 Apr 2027 (winter 2027)
Source
“Non-EU nationals: … First semester: April 30”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

30 April, the earliest deadline at KIT and two and a half months before the 15 July deadline of the German-taught bachelor's programmes; the same date applies to German, EU and non-EU applicants. All four mandatory documents must be uploaded in the portal by then.

Non-EU tuition
€1,500 per semester
Source
“According to Article 3, LHGebG (Baden-Württemberg Act on State University Fees), international students (from third countries/non-EU countries) attending bachelor's, teacher's, and consecutive master's programs as well as free movers will have to pay tuition fees in the amount of EUR 1,500 per semester as from the 2017/2018 winter semester.”
“Tuition fees for international students *** … 1500,00 € … 1684,00 €” page

www.intl.kit.edu/istudies/12606.php · checked 14 November 2026

Baden-Württemberg's tuition for non-EU students, charged every semester from the first one and payable with the semester fee (184.00 EUR), so a non-EU student pays 1,684.00 EUR per semester in total. Exempt without an application: EU/EEA citizens, holders of a German Abitur, students on cooperation programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Erasmus+, double degree, EUCOR, direct exchange, state exchange programmes), doctoral students and holders of a Baden-Württemberg Stiftung scholarship; on application: students with established living conditions in Germany (Art. 5 LHGebG), students who completed a bachelor's AND a master's in Germany, refugees, students with a disability, students on leave, and hardship cases under Art. 7 LHGebG (deadline 1 July for winter, 15 January for summer, never for the first semester). Moving from a KIT bachelor's to a KIT master's starts the fee. A second degree costs 650.00 EUR per semester, but non-EU students who already pay the 1,500.00 EUR are not charged it on top.

Application fee
Not stated by the university
4 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026

KIT applies its own portal instead of uni-assist and no page names an application fee; the fee overview lists only the semester charges and tuition. Nothing is recorded rather than assuming there is none.

Places
Restricted (limited places)
Source
“Limited capacity: … First semester: yes / 125 study places”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

125 places a year, allocated by a ranking list.

Places for non-EU applicants
Not stated by the university
2 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026

KIT publishes no share of the 125 places reserved for non-EU applicants; everyone who meets the requirements is ranked on the same list of up to 45 points. The admission and enrollment regulations do, however, normally exclude foreign applicants whose school-leaving certificate is below 70 % on a normalised scale (see minimumGrade).

Admission

What you need to apply

School certificate
A university entrance qualification: Abitur, Baccalauréat, Matura or another European qualification, the International Baccalaureate, GCE A-Level (mathematics and physics required for the application; for enrolment three different A-level subjects at grade C or better, including a third unrelated subject, from a recognised examination authority such as Cambridge or Pearson), a US High School Diploma with an official transcript from class 9, or another accepted qualification. A school-leaving certificate from India, China or Vietnam needs an additional APS certificate from the Academic Evaluation Centre at the German embassy.
Source
“Document 1: Proof of your university entrance qualification … National school-leaving certificates from India, China, or Vietnam - submission of an additional APS certificate is required. This certificate must be obtained from the Academic Evaluation Centers at the German embassies.”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

An application with a preliminary certificate is possible using KIT's "Confirmation of anticipated school-leaving certificate"; it must show the results of the last three years, and the final certificate must be presented by the start of studies. KIT refers applicants to the DAAD admission database and anabin for country-specific rules; whether a Studienkolleg is needed first depends on that classification.

Subject requirements
Mathematics and physics, each attended for at least one year, with the results of the last three years of school; for GCE A-Level, results in mathematics and physics are required with the application. Applicants who cannot show them can prove the knowledge with an ACT International Subject Test Physics of at least 24 points or the TestAS engineering-sciences subject module at 75 % or better.
Source
“Important: If you apply with your preliminary certificate, please complete the Confirmation of anticipated school-leaving certificate , which is available in the application portal. If you have a preliminary certificate, it must show the results of the last three years prior to the completion of school. Your results in mathematics and physics will be of particular importance. Both subjects must have been attended by you for a year at least. Alternatively, you can provide proof of your knowledge in these subjects by one of the following tests: … TestAS subject module engineering sciences: At least 75%”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

Advanced Mathematics I and Engineering Mechanics I are orientation examinations that must be passed by the end of the third semester to continue.

Minimum grade
Foreign applicants who are not treated as German applicants are normally excluded from the allocation procedure unless their school-leaving certificate reaches at least 70 % on a scale where the lowest pass grade counts as 50 % and the best as 100 %, unless the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen uses a different minimum.
Source
“sind in der Regel vom Vergabeverfahren ausgeschlos- sen, wenn sie in ihrem ausländischen Schulabschlusszeugnis auf einer Skala, bei der jeweils die unterste Bestehensnote mit 50 % und die oberste Bestehensnote mit 100 % gleichgesetzt wird, nicht mindestens 70 % erreicht haben (Mindestnote)”

www.sle.kit.edu/downloads/AmtlicheBekanntmachungen/2025-AB-060.pdf · checked 14 November 2026

§ 6 of KIT's admission and enrollment regulations, a central rule for restricted bachelor's programmes that the programme page does not mention. For a 0-100 Indian or Nigerian marksheet with a 40 % pass mark this is roughly 60 % of the maximum mark; the exact conversion is the ZAB's.

How your grade is converted
Not stated by the university
3 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026

No conversion table is published. The regulations normalise foreign school grades onto a 50-100 % scale for the minimum-grade rule but give no formula for the German 1-4 scale.

Foundation or preparatory course
Pre-Semester of the Carl Benz School, usually August to September, with mathematics, physics, chemistry and English at German Abitur level, ending in an external aptitude test. It is compulsory to pass that test for anyone whose admission is "subject to the following conditions", and the Pre-Semester is then urgently recommended; others may attend voluntarily. Registration is with the Carl Benz School.
Source
“Pre-Semester: Before the official start of the semester in the Mechanical Engineering (International) degree program, you can attend the so-called Pre-Semester. The Pre-Semester is a course to prepare for your studies. It usually takes place from August to September every year. You will attend courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and English corresponding to the German Abitur level (university entrance qualification). At the end of the Pre-Semester, you will have to pass the external aptitude test in all subjects. … In case you have received a preliminary admission to studies, passing of this aptitude test is mandatory. In this case, participation in the Pre-Semester is urgently recommended for you to be optimally prepared for the test.”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

Separate from the Studienkolleg, which prepares for German-taught programmes. The Carl Benz School also runs an optional, paid College Program of tutorials, soft-skills training, excursions and cultural activities.

English
Level B2. IELTS 6.5 in every section · TOEFL iBT 90 · Duolingo not accepted. Cambridge: Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency (CPE). UNIcert at least level II is also accepted. Unlike the master's programmes, this page lists no TOEIC and no PTE Academic score.. Exemption: No certificate is needed with proof that classes were taught in English for the last two years (KIT's Declaration of Proficiency form), a GCE A level or AS level in English at grade B or better, or an International Baccalaureate with at least grade 5 in English
Source
“For successful studies, your knowledge of the English language must correspond to level B2 at least. The following proofs are accepted: … TOEFL (iBT): At least 90 points … IELTS: Total score at least 6.5, no section below 5.5”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

The programme page lists a shorter set of tests than KIT's admission and enrollment regulations, which also accept TOEIC and PTE Academic; the regulations are the binding central rule, so those two are probably accepted as well, but they are not recorded here because the programme page is the more specific source. The Duolingo English Test appears on neither list.

German
When applying: None: English B2 is the only language certificate among the mandatory documents
Source
“To apply for the Mechanical Engineering (International) program , upload the following four mandatory application documents in the application portal by April 30: … Document 4: English proficiency certificate”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

The B1 German required for KIT's German-taught bachelor's programmes (and DSH-2 at enrolment) does not apply here: the four mandatory documents are the entrance qualification, an aptitude test, a motivation letter and an English certificate.

GRE / GMAT / GATE
Not stated by the university
2 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026

KIT's GRE/GATE/GMAT list covers master's programmes only. This bachelor's programme instead requires a subject-specific aptitude test: SAT, ACT or TestAS (see requiredTests).

Other required tests
SAT at least 1200 points (mathematics, critical reading, writing), ACT at least 24 points (English, mathematics, reading, natural sciences), TestAS at least 75% in the core test
Source
“Document 2: Result of a subject-specific aptitude test … SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test): At least 1200 points (mathematics, critical reading, writing) … TestAS: At least 75% in the core test”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

One of the three is a mandatory application document and is worth up to 20 of the 45 selection points. KIT warns applicants to check test dates early.

Selection
Ranking list over a maximum of 45 points, assessed by a commission on the submitted documents except the language certificate: up to 10 points for the school results of the last three years (mathematics and physics decisive), up to 20 for the subject-specific aptitude test, up to 10 for the motivation letter (2 points per question on KIT's template) and up to 5 for professional or extracurricular achievements. Admission can be granted subject to conditions, which may include passing an aptitude test at KIT after the Pre-Semester.
Source
“For your application, hence, you may be given a maximum of 45 points . The ranking resulting from the evaluation of all applications will then be the basis for admission. … The result of your subject-specific aptitude test. (Up to 20 points)”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

India, Pakistan, Nigeria

Rules for applicants from India, Pakistan and Nigeria

English test waiver
Possible for applicants from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, with a school-leaving certificate from an English-medium school or with enough English at school
Source
“A language proficiency certificate will not be required, if … you can prove that your classes were taught in English for the last two years. Please complete the Declaration of Proficiency in the application portal,”

www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

For school leavers from India, Nigeria or Pakistan whose schooling was in English, the medium-of-instruction route is a declaration about the last two years of school, filled in on KIT's own form in the application portal, not a previous degree. A GCE A/AS level in English at grade B or better, or an International Baccalaureate with at least grade 5 in English, also exempts. KIT's central regulations add the route of five years of English up to graduation with at least German grade 4.

Rules that name these countries
  • India: Indian applicants with a national school-leaving certificate must submit an APS certificate from the Academic Evaluation Centre at the German embassy in addition to the certificate itself.
    Source
    “National school-leaving certificates from India, China, or Vietnam - submission of an additional APS certificate is required. This certificate must be obtained from the Academic Evaluation Centers at the German embassies.”

    www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/bachelor-mechanical-engineering-international.php · checked 14 November 2026

    China and Vietnam are named in the same line. KIT's general bachelor's application page names only China and Vietnam, so this programme is stricter for Indian school leavers than the central page suggests. No rule names Nigeria or Pakistan.

The rules for your country across all universities, and the visa rules on English tests, are on the India, Pakistan and Nigeria pages.

More on this programme

Every value was read on an official page and is stored with a verbatim quote; open “Source” to see it. “Not stated by the university” means none of the pages we checked says, and lists those pages. Rules change: confirm with the university before you apply or pay.