Universities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Higher education in the DACH region at a glance

The DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) is one of the richest regions in Europe for higher education: around 600 institutions teach more than 3.5 million students. This page sorts the landscape in all three countries (universities, universities of applied sciences, art and music colleges, public and private institutions) and explains accreditation, rankings and top-level research funding. It is written for readers who may be new to the system, so German terms are explained as they appear.

The DACH higher education landscape in figures

• Germany: about 423 institutions and 2.87 million students (HRK and Destatis, 2024)
• Austria: about 75 institutions and about 380,000 students (uniko and FHK, 2024)
• Switzerland: about 50 institutions and about 270,000 students (FSO and swissuniversities, 2024)
• DACH in total: over 600 institutions, around 3.5 million students
• Cities with the most institutions: Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Zurich, Hamburg, Cologne
• Languages: German (Germany, Austria, parts of Switzerland), French and Italian (Switzerland), increasingly English in master programmes

Types of institution

University or university of applied sciences? Universities focus on research-oriented teaching and hold the full right to award doctorates. Universities of applied sciences, today usually called "Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften" (HAW), are more practice-oriented, with compulsory internships and closer ties to industry. Both types award bachelor and master degrees of equal value.

Ownership: state, church or private

• State institutions: about 88 % of students in Germany, about 85 % in Austria and about 95 % in Switzerland; usually free of tuition fees or with moderate semester fees
• Church institutions: about 17 in Germany (for example KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt), in Austria for example KU Linz and private theological universities
• Private institutions: about 120 in Germany (around €5,000 to €15,000 per year, for example WHU, EBS, IU, FOM), about 16 private universities in Austria (for example MODUL, Webster), few in Switzerland

Institutions in Austria

Austria has a comparatively compact but strong higher education landscape of around 75 institutions and about 380,000 students (uniko and FHK, 2024). Tuition fees at public universities are at most €363.36 per semester for EU citizens (often waived if you make good progress).

• 22 public universities, among them the University of Vienna (founded 1365), TU Wien, the Medical University of Vienna, and the universities of Innsbruck, Graz, Salzburg, Linz (JKU) and Klagenfurt
• 16 private universities, for example MODUL University Vienna and Webster Vienna
• 21 universities of applied sciences, for example FH Wien, FH Campus Wien, FH JOANNEUM, FH Salzburg and FH Vorarlberg
• 14 universities of education for teacher training
• 3 specialist institutions: the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, the University of Applied Arts Vienna and mdw

The University of Vienna (about 90,000 students) is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. All degree programmes can be searched on studienwahl.at, run by the OeAD.

Institutions in Switzerland

Swiss higher education is shaped by three languages (German, French, Italian) and is among the best in the world: about 50 institutions with around 270,000 students (FSO, 2024). Tuition fees are mostly between CHF 1,000 and CHF 2,000 per semester (USI Lugano is higher).

• 10 cantonal universities: Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, St. Gallen (HSG), USI Lugano and Zurich
• 2 federal institutes of technology: ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne (federal responsibility, top-level research)
• 9 universities of applied sciences, for example ZHAW, BFH, FHNW, HES-SO, OST, FHGR and SUPSI
• About 20 universities of education for teacher training in the cantons
• Private institutions only as a supplement (for example Franklin University Switzerland and EHL Lausanne)

ETH Zurich is the leading university in the DACH region (QS World University Rankings 2025: place 7) and consistently among the global top ten. EPFL Lausanne is its French-speaking sister institution. An overview of all degree programmes is available from swissuniversities.ch.

Top universities in the DACH region (rankings 2024/25)

Sources: QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education. ETH Zurich is traditionally in the global top ten and is the leading university in the DACH region.

Top-level research funding

Germany, Excellence Strategy: since 2019 the federal and state governments have funded a group of universities as "universities of excellence" (with an extended funding line from 2026). The list includes RWTH Aachen, FU Berlin, HU Berlin, Charité, the universities of Bonn, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Konstanz and Tübingen, TU Dresden, KIT Karlsruhe, LMU Munich and TU Munich. Funding is up to €15 million per year and university for seven years (source: DFG).

Austria, excellent=austria: since 2023 the FWF (Austrian Science Fund) has funded five clusters of excellence in quantum physics, microbiome research, materials for the energy transition, human-machine interaction and Eurasian transformations.

Switzerland, ETH Domain and SNSF: ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne form the ETH Domain together with the four research institutes PSI, Empa, Eawag and WSL (federal funding). Research funding runs through the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) with an annual budget of about CHF 1.2 billion.

Accreditation and quality assurance

• Germany: centrally through the Accreditation Council, which works with external agencies such as ZEvA (Hanover), ASIIN (engineering and natural sciences), FIBAA (business, law, social sciences), AHPGS (education and health), ACQUIN (Bayreuth) and evalag (Mannheim)
• Austria: AQ Austria (Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria), responsible for private universities and universities of applied sciences
• Switzerland: the AAQ (Swiss Agency of Accreditation and Quality Assurance) on behalf of the Swiss Accreditation Council

All three bodies are listed in the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR), so degrees are recognised across Europe.

International university rankings

• Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
• QS World University Rankings
• Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking, ARWU)
• CHE University Ranking: subject-specific, German-speaking countries

Admission and access

Germany:

• Numerus clausus (NC): an admission restriction for heavily oversubscribed degrees
• The institution's own selection procedure (AdH): its own criteria such as grades, tests and motivation
• TestAS (for international students), TMS (medicine) and, for some degrees, SAT or GRE
• Nationwide allocation for medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy through hochschulstart.de

Austria:

• Most degrees are open access. The requirement is the Matura (or Abitur) or a university entrance qualification exam
• Entrance procedures for medicine (MedAT), psychology, communication, business (Vienna) and at universities of applied sciences
• Registration through oead.at/studieren

Switzerland:

• University degrees are generally open to holders of a gymnasial Matura or a federal vocational Matura
• Aptitude test for medicine (EMS), central for all Swiss universities
• Aptitude checks at ETH and EPFL for foreign applicants
• Registration and information: swissuniversities.ch

External resources

Germany: hochschulkompass.de (HRK database of all institutions and degrees), hrk.de (German Rectors' Conference), dfg.de (German Research Foundation), akkreditierungsrat.de, studienwahl.de (federal study orientation), daad.de (DAAD: international institutions and scholarships).

Austria: studienwahl.at, oead.at/studieren, uniko.ac.at (Austrian Universities Conference), fhk.ac.at (Universities of Applied Sciences Conference), oead.at, fwf.ac.at.

Switzerland: swissuniversities.ch, snf.ch, aaq.ch, studyinswitzerland.plus (platform for international students), movetia.ch (national agency for exchange and mobility), ethrat.ch.

How to cite this page

Updated: 10 November 2026

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a university and a university of applied sciences?

Universities are research-oriented and hold the full right to award doctorates. Universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen or HAWs) are application-oriented, with compulsory internships and close ties to industry. Bachelor and master degrees from both types are equivalent.

How many universities are there in the DACH region?

Germany has about 109 universities (around 423 institutions in total), Austria 22 public and 16 private universities (75 institutions in total), and Switzerland 12 universities including ETH and EPFL (50 institutions in total). Across the DACH region that makes about 159 universities and over 600 institutions.

Which university is the best in the DACH region?

In international comparisons (QS, THE) ETH Zurich is in the global top ten and clearly leads the DACH region. It is followed by EPFL Lausanne, TU Munich, LMU Munich, Heidelberg University and the University of Vienna. Which institution suits you best depends strongly on your subject. The CHE ranking (German-speaking countries) offers subject-specific comparisons.

What are universities of excellence?

Under the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments, a group of German universities receives long-term special funding for their research, among them Charité Berlin, TUM, LMU, Heidelberg, RWTH Aachen and KIT.

Are private institutions in Germany recognised?

State-recognised private institutions (for example WHU Vallendar, EBS Wiesbaden, IU International University, FOM, Frankfurt School) award fully valid academic degrees. The requirement is accreditation by the Accreditation Council.

What does a degree at a private institution cost?

Private institutions typically charge €5,000 to €15,000 per year. WHU, EBS and Bucerius Law School are at the top, with fees of €20,000 per year and more in some cases.

What is the German Rectors' Conference (HRK)?

The HRK is the voluntary association of the state and state-recognised higher education institutions in Germany. Among other things it runs hochschulkompass.de and represents the institutions towards politics and the public.

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