Germany Guide: Education

Find information about universities, admission processes, tuition fees and how the education system works. You will also find information about other learning opportunities in further education.

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  The German education system

  A beginner’s guide

  Germany was one of the first countries to introduce compulsory schooling. Optional kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory for ten to thirteen years.

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  The German school system

  Nursery, primary and secondary schools

  In Germany, all children are required to attend at least 10 years of school. After four years of primary school, pupils are streamed to different types of secondary schooling depending on their abilities.

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  State or private school

  Choosing how to educate your child

  Key factors when deciding between a state or a private school in Germany are the language(s) of tuition, the child’s age and your working hours. There are also considerations based on what educational system your child has been in before and where they might be studying in the future.

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  State schools

  Grading system, enrolment and school hours

  In Germany, each state ( Land) develops its own education programme, determines its own educational objectives and sets its own standards. Although the education standards are generally very high, they can vary significantly between the different Länder.

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  Private schools

  Waldorfschulen, religious and international

  There are various alternatives to the state school system in Germany. Although most aren’t strictly private as they rely on a certain level of government funding and often operate under the same rules as state schools.

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  Higher Education

  Universities and Fachhochschulen

  Germany has more than 220 higher education institutions, including state universities (traditional and technological), private universities and a large number of specialized establishments (such as colleges of arts). Anyone who passes the Abitur is guaranteed entry to one of the institutions.

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  Qualifications

  German university degrees and doctorates

  There are essentially three types of university degrees in Germany: an MA, which is a purely academic qualification (usually in arts subjects); a Diplom, which is similar but in a science subject; and a Staatsexamen, which is taken for careers that are controlled by the government (such as teachers).

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