Study in Munich, international student city guide

Munich is the capital and largest city of the German state of Bavaria, a major European industrial centre for automobiles and defence equipment manufacturing. The city has a population of 1.5 million residents, and the larger Munich municipal area hosts almost 6 million people.

Munich attracts tens of thousands of international students every year to its top-ranked universities because of the city’s well-developed urban infrastructure and Germany’s extremely low tuition fees. Additionally, international students make up nearly 25% of the total student enrolment at top-ranked universities in and around Munich.

All universities in Munich

• Academy of Fine Arts, Munich
• Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Munich
• EU Business School, Munich
• European Business College Munich, New European College
• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich
• Macromedia University of Applied Sciences
• Munich Business School
• Munich School of Philosophy
• Munich University of Applied Sciences
• Technical University of Munich
• University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
• University of Music and Performing Arts Munich
• University of Television and Film Munich

Top universities in Munich

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich

Founded over 500 years ago in 1472, LMU Munich is a leading German university with a rich history of academic excellence and focus on research. LMU Munich is Germany’s second-largest university with a total enrolment of over 50,000 students, of which nearly 10,000 are international students.

LMU Munich can claim to have taught as many as 43 Nobel Prize winners, as well as a Pope! International medical students will also be interested in applying to LMU Munich because of the nearby LMU University Hospital where doctors-in-training receive extensive hands-on training. Courses at LMU are divided into 18 Faculties, some of which are:

• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
• Faculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Religious Studies
• Faculty of Languages and Literatures
• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics
• Faculty of Physics
• Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy

Technical University of Munich

Technical University Munich is a large-scale public university founded in 1868. The main campus of the Technical University Munich is located in the city, with two more campuses in the nearby towns of Weihenstephan and Garching.

In 2002 the university established an overseas institute in Singapore named the German Institute of Science and Technology – TUM Asia. With a third of the 32,000 enrolled students at Technical University Munich being international students, you will always feel comfortable and well-supported by a sizable international student community at the top-ranked university.

Courses are offered in thirteen departments to international students, some of which are:

• Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Faculty of Informatics
• Faculty of Mathematics
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Physics

Munich universities world ranking 2025

Below is a list of the top Munich universities in 2025, according to QS world rankings and Times Higher Education:

Tuition and living costs

In 2014, Germany abolished tuition fees for domestic as well as international undergraduate students at all public universities. International undergraduates at public universities in Germany can effectively study for free, and must pay only a minor semester fee. The option of studying at a world-class university for an extremely affordable semester fee makes top-ranked German universities excellent value for money for international students.

As for living costs, LMU Munich estimates that you should budget between 900 and 1,200 US Dollars every month. This figure is divided into the following monthly living costs:

• Shared Accommodation including Utilities: 450-650 US Dollars
• Food Expenses: 250-300  US Dollars
• Public Transport: 40-50 US Dollars
• Miscellaneous Expenses: 100-125 US Dollars

Life in Munich for international students

Munich is a centuries-old city where international students will be able to enjoy a never-ending list of entertainment venues, outdoor areas, world-class food and sporting events alongside studying at their top-ranked universities.

Below is a list of Munich and Bavaria’s most iconic venues which international students must visit:

• English Garden
• Marienplatz
• Nymphenburg Palace
• Deutsches Museum
• Munich Residenz
• Victuals Market
• Alte Pinakothek
• St. Peter’s Church
• Hellabrunn Zoo
• BMW Museum
• Neuschwanstein Castle
• Bavarian National Museum
• Museum Brandhorst
• Glyptothek

Munich has excellent connectivity via public transport to major European cities as well as the German countryside. You will be able to travel on exciting weekend trips and thoroughly enjoy your time away from the classroom at top-ranked Munich universities.

International students at top-ranked universities in Munich will also find it easy to secure world-class internships at large businesses across the city, especially industrial and engineering-related jobs.