University of Hamburg
Universität Hamburg
Germany's big-city University of Excellence, strong in climate science, physics and manuscript studies.
- Students
- 43,134
- International
- 13%
- of students
- Tuition
- Free
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1919
About UHH
Universität Hamburg was founded in 1919 and has grown into one of Germany's largest universities, with 43,134 students enrolled in winter semester 2025/26, including doctoral researchers. Its eight faculties are Law; Business, Economics and Social Sciences; Medicine (at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf); Education; Humanities; Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences; Psychology and Human Movement Science; and the Hamburg Business School. Together they offer 74 bachelor's programmes, 96 master's programmes (20 taught in English) and six state examination programmes.
Hamburg is one of Germany's eleven Universities of Excellence and holds four Clusters of Excellence: CLICCS on climate and society, CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter, Quantum Universe, and Understanding Written Artefacts. Its physics tradition runs from Wolfgang Pauli and Otto Stern, who taught here in the 1920s, to climate modeller Klaus Hasselmann, a Hamburg graduate and professor who shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Getting in is competitive: in 2025 the university received 46,294 applications for 10,514 first-year places, and all majors currently have admission restrictions. There is no tuition, only a semester contribution of 402 euros, but bachelor's teaching is in German. It suits independent students who want a research university in the middle of a large port city.
Der Forschung, der Lehre, der Bildung
“For research, for teaching, for education” — university motto
Why students choose UHH
Four Clusters of Excellence, including CLICCS on climate, climatic change and society, in the city where Klaus Hasselmann built the climate models that won him a Nobel Prize.
No tuition fees: the 402 euro semester contribution (winter 2026/27) includes a semester public transport pass for 226.80 euros.
Non-EU applicants can raise their ranking in the admissions points system with a strong TestAS result (up to 6 bonus points) or good language skills.
The university funds student research groups twice a year, for example a group of young geophysicists who studied the Stromboli volcano.
Admissions
Winter semester 2027/28 entry (deadlines follow Hamburg's standing annual schedule)
Selectivity
No official acceptance rate is published. In 2025 the university received 46,294 applications for 10,514 first-year places (applicants can submit more than one application), and all majors currently have admission restrictions. German and EU applicants are ranked mainly by school-leaving grade (90% of places in the university's worked example) and waiting time (10%); non-EU applicants compete in a separate quota using a bonus points system.
Typical entry requirements
| German Abitur (and EU/EEA applicants with equivalent status) | Ranked by NC value (school-leaving grade), with a smaller quota for waiting time |
|---|---|
| Non-EU school-leaving certificate | Must be recognised as a higher education entrance qualification (recognition is free in the university's application portal); the grade is converted to a point value, plus bonus points for strong language skills, TestAS or academic preparation |
| Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy | Separate rules for German-equivalent applicants via hochschulstart.de |
| English language | Bachelor's and state examination programmes are taught in German. Proof of German is an admission requirement and must be submitted by the enrolment deadline: DSH-2, TestDaF with 15 points overall (three sections at level 4 and one at least level 3), DSD II or another accepted certificate no more than three years old. English-taught degrees are at master's level. |
Deadlines
- Bachelor's and state examination programmes (summer semester 2027) Non-binding Next deadline · In ~3 months15 January 2027
Application period 1 December to 15 January, for programmes that admit in the summer semester.
- Bachelor's and state examination programmes (winter semester 2027/28) Non-binding In ~9 months15 July 2027
Application period 1 June to 15 July; applies to German, EU and non-EU applicants.
Hamburg publishes standing windows rather than dated deadlines: 1 June to 15 July for bachelor's and state examination programmes in the winter semester, and 1 December to 15 January for the summer semester. The 2027 dates above apply these rules. Winter semesters always start on 1 October.
How to apply
Apply online through the University of Hamburg's application portal; no paper documents are needed, and foreign school certificates are recognised free of charge within the portal. Results appear in your STiNE account, and if admitted you usually have 7 days to enrol, uploading your certificate, German proof and health insurance.
What admissions looks for
- A recognised higher education entrance qualification.
- For German and EU applicants, the school-leaving grade (NC value), with some places reserved for waiting time.
- For non-EU applicants, the converted school grade plus bonus points for particularly good language skills, TestAS results or academic preparation.
- German at DSH-2 or TestDaF level, submitted by the enrolment deadline at the latest.
Tips for applying to UHH
- 1 If you are applying from outside the EU, consider taking TestAS: a score of 106 or more can add up to 6 bonus points, which matters in popular programmes.
- 2 Take the subject-specific TestAS module that matches your programme; otherwise the result does not count at Hamburg.
- 3 Book your TestDaF early: Hamburg recommends the June test date for a winter start and a backup date in case you need a retake.
- 4 Check the university's published point values from past years for non-EU applicants to see how competitive your programme is.
- 5 Apply for a Studierendenwerk dorm at least three months before you move.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Hamburg charges no tuition. German and some international students can apply for BAföG, and the university points to scholarship guides and its Department of International Affairs for scholarships for international students. Studierendenwerk Hamburg advises on all financing options.
- 402 euros (public transport pass 226.80 euros, Studierendenwerk 101 euros, administrative fee 50 euros, student body 19.60 euros, transport hardship fund 4.60 euros)
- Semester contribution, winter 2026/27
- From 310 euros a month including utilities
- Studierendenwerk dorm rooms
- About 145 euros a month
- Student health insurance (statutory)
- Housing about 400-700 euros plus other living expenses about 500-700 euros
- Estimated monthly costs (university guidance)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (winter semester 1 October to 31 March, summer semester 1 April to 30 September)
Meteorology (BSc)
Taught in a university whose CLICCS cluster and Nobel laureate Klaus Hasselmann put Hamburg at the centre of climate research.
Physics (BSc)
Linked to the CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter and Quantum Universe clusters, in the department where Wolfgang Pauli and Otto Stern once taught.
Law (state examination)
A classic Hamburg degree whose graduates include former Chancellor Olaf Scholz; a joint Hamburg/Istanbul law programme is also offered.
Economics (BSc)
Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt read economics at Hamburg.
Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries Sciences (BSc)
One of Hamburg's more specialised science degrees, also offered as an English-taught MSc at master's level.
Earth System Physics (BSc)
A physics degree applied to the Earth system, alongside Meteorology in Hamburg's climate-focused science faculty.
Research
- Four Clusters of Excellence: CLICCS (climate, climatic change and society), CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter, Quantum Universe, and Understanding Written Artefacts.
- 294 million euros in external funding revenues and 899 doctorates awarded in 2025.
- Klaus Hasselmann studied and taught at Hamburg and shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics for climate modelling; J. Hans D. Jensen earned his doctorate here and won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences
- Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science
- University of Hamburg Business School
Student life
The university's main campus is in the Rotherbaum district near Dammtor station, around the domed main building on Edmund-Siemers-Allee. There are no residential colleges: most students rent on the private market or in shared flats, and affordable housing is scarce, so the university advises starting the search early. Students can join the university choir and orchestra, student theatre groups and more than 100 sports groups, and student politics and social engagement are a big part of campus life.
- The main building's portico carries the motto 'Der Forschung, der Lehre, der Bildung'.
- More than 100 different university sports groups.
- University choir and orchestra (University Music) and student theatre groups.
- Funding for student research groups twice a year.
Housing. Studierendenwerk Hamburg runs 25 housing facilities for 4,400 residents with furnished rooms from 310 euros a month including utilities; the university recommends applying at least three months before moving.
Location
Hamburg is Germany's second-largest city, with more than 1.9 million people, and a major port on the Elbe. The main campus is in Rotherbaum near Dammtor station, close to the city centre, and the semester ticket covers public transport across the city. Housing is the main challenge: the university warns that affordable rooms are rare and that a search on the private market can take months.
Nearest airport: Hamburg Airport (HAM)
Notable alumni
- HS Helmut SchmidtChancellor of West Germany 1974-1982; read economics at Hamburg
- OS Olaf ScholzChancellor of Germany 2021-2025; studied law at Hamburg
- KC Karl CarstensPresident of West Germany 1979-1984; studied law and political science partly at Hamburg
- KH Klaus HasselmannClimate modeller and 2021 Nobel laureate in Physics; studied physics and mathematics at Hamburg
- JH J. Hans D. JensenNobel laureate in Physics 1963 for the nuclear shell model; doctorate from Hamburg
- SL Siegfried LenzNovelist; studied philosophy, English and literary history at Hamburg
- RD Ralf DahrendorfSociologist and director of the London School of Economics; studied philosophy, classics and sociology at Hamburg
Frequently asked questions
Does the University of Hamburg charge tuition fees?
No. Hamburg abolished tuition fees from winter 2012/13. All students pay a semester contribution, which is 402 euros for winter 2026/27 and includes a public transport pass.
When is the application deadline at the University of Hamburg?
For bachelor's and state examination programmes, the application window for the winter semester runs from 1 June to 15 July, so 15 July 2027 for winter 2027/28. For the summer semester it is 1 December to 15 January.
Do I need to apply through uni-assist?
No. You apply through the university's own online portal, where foreign certificates are also recognised free of charge.
How hard is it to get into the University of Hamburg?
All majors currently have admission restrictions, and in 2025 there were 46,294 applications for 10,514 first-year places. Non-EU applicants compete in their own quota using a points system based on grades plus bonuses.
Can I study a bachelor's degree at Hamburg in English?
Bachelor's programmes are taught in German, and you must prove German at DSH-2 or equivalent by the enrolment deadline. Hamburg's 20 English-taught degrees are master's programmes.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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