Educational institutions and study programmes
What types of educational institutions and study programmes are there in Germany? And how do we check if the quality is sufficient?
German educational institutions and study programmes
Below, we explain what types of German educational institutions and study programmes there are, and how we check whether they are recognised and/or accredited. We check the recognition and accreditation to make sure that the quality is sufficient. We give the necessary information for each type of education.
Secondary education | diplomas
With regard to secondary education programmes, you have to pay special attention to the fact that a student has a recognised diploma. These are the recognised upper secondary education diplomas:
- Fachhochschulreife
- Schulischen Teil der Fachhochschulreife
- Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife
- Zeugnis der Fachgebundenen Hochschulreife
See Secondary education documents for a short explanation of the documents that students receive.
Higher education | educational institutions
In Germany, there are separate educational institutions for research-oriented higher education and higher professional education.
Institutions for research-oriented higher education
Students can follow research-oriented higher education at various Universitäten and specialised Hochschulen:
- Universitäten
- Technische Universitäten
- Technische Hochschulen
- Wissenschaftliche Hochschulen, zoals:
- Pädagogische Hochschulen
- Erziehungswissenschaftliche Hochschulen
- Medizinische Hochschulen
- Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschulen
- Kunst- en Musikhochschulen
Kunst- en Musikhochschulen
In German higher education, Kunst- en Musikhochschulen form a separate category. The admission requirements and diplomas of these institutions are often the same as those of the research-oriented Universitäten en Hochschulen. However, the goal of the programme is often more similar to that of Dutch universities of applied sciences ( HBO ). Per study programme, we determine if we can compare the diploma to a Dutch HBO or WO diploma.
Institutions for higher professional education
Fachhochschulen offer higher professional education. In English, these institutions are called: university of applied sciences.
Checking the recognition of higher education institutions
You can find a search tool for all recognised German higher education institutions on the Hochschulkompass website (in German only).
- Open the Hochschulkompass search tool.
- At the section ‘Suchen Sie hier nach Hochschulen’, enter the name of the German higher education institution and click on ‘Treffer anzeigen’.
- No result? The higher education institution is probably not recognised.
Higher education | study programmes
In Germany, higher education programmes must be accredited. Below, we explain how to check if a study programme is accredited.