University of Stuttgart
Universität Stuttgart
A TU9 engineering university in the heart of Germany's car and machine-building region, teaching mostly in German.
- Students
- 20,536
- 10,083 undergraduates
- International
- 24%
- of students
- Tuition
- €3,000
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1829
About Uni Stuttgart
The University of Stuttgart was founded in 1829 and was known as the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart from 1876 until it became the Universität Stuttgart in 1967. It is one of the TU9 group of leading German institutes of technology and has 10 faculties, from Aerospace Engineering and Geodesy to Humanities. In winter semester 2025/26 it had 20,536 students in more than 60 bachelor's and around 100 master's programmes.
Engineering is the core. Most technical subjects sit on the Vaihingen campus on the edge of the city, while architecture, the humanities and social sciences remain on the city-centre campus. The university works closely with Fraunhofer institutes and the German Aerospace Center, and it scores particularly highly on industry income: its 2025 budget of about 672 million euros included 282 million euros of external funding.
Bachelor's programmes are taught in German and start only in the winter semester, so international undergraduates need certified German at around C1 level (TestDaF 4x4 or DSH-2) when they apply. English-taught options are concentrated at master's level. Stuttgart suits students who want a rigorous, hands-on engineering or science degree and who plan to learn German well enough to work in the region's automotive and machine-building industry.
Why students choose Uni Stuttgart
Mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering placed 82nd worldwide in the QS subject rankings 2025, fifth in Germany.
Two Clusters of Excellence, SimTech (data-integrated simulation science) and IntCDC (computational design and construction in architecture), give undergraduates access to research that builds real structures.
Tuition is modest by international standards: EU/EEA students pay only the 184 euro semester fee, and non-EU students pay 1,500 euros per semester on top.
Applying is free and done entirely online through the C@MPUS portal, with no application fee.
Admissions
Winter semester 2027/28 entry
Selectivity
No overall admission rate is published. Some bachelor's programmes are open to all qualified applicants, others have restricted admission (NC) or entrance examinations. Applicants from non-EU countries without a German school-leaving certificate do not take part in the university's selection procedure; they are admitted within a separate quota and only submit extra proof for programmes with entrance exams.
Typical entry requirements
| University entrance qualification | A school-leaving certificate recognised as equivalent to the German Abitur; if yours is not, a preparatory college (Studienkolleg) year leads to eligibility |
|---|---|
| Study orientation certificate | Proof of taking a recognised study orientation test (for example the online test on was-studiere-ich.de) is required to enrol in any bachelor's programme |
| German language | TestDaF level 4 in all four parts, DSH-2, Goethe C1/C2, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule or DSD II, submitted with the application |
| English language | Bachelor's programmes are taught in German, so German (not English) proficiency is required. Conditional admission pending language results is not possible. English-taught master's programmes set their own English requirements. |
Deadlines
- Physical Education (teaching) and German-French Social Sciences Non-binding Next deadline · In ~7 months15 May 2027
Earlier deadline because of the sports entrance examination and the binational programme.
- Bachelor's with restricted admission (NC) or entrance exam Non-binding In ~9 months15 May – 15 July 2027
Standing annual application window for the winter semester; combined degrees close on 15 July if any subject is restricted.
- Bachelor's without restricted admission Non-binding In ~11 months15 May – 15 September 2027
Standing annual application window for the winter semester.
The university publishes standing annual windows rather than dated 2027 deadlines: 15 May to 15 July for restricted programmes and 15 May to 15 September for open ones, closing at midnight. There is no summer-semester intake for bachelor's programmes, and no special deadline for early school-leavers. English-taught and international master's programmes have their own deadlines.
How to apply
All applicants (German, EU and non-EU) apply online and free of charge through the C@MPUS portal, uploading school certificates with transcripts (plus sworn German or English translations), proof of German proficiency and, where relevant, an APS certificate (India, China, Vietnam). Bachelor's programmes start only in the winter semester. Non-EU students pay a 1,500 euro per semester tuition fee after enrolment.
What admissions looks for
- A school-leaving qualification that counts as a direct university entrance qualification in Germany.
- Proven German at around C1 level at the time of application, because all bachelor's teaching is in German.
- For restricted programmes, grades and the programme-specific criteria set out in each admissions statute (published in German).
- Proof that you have completed a study orientation test before enrolment.
Tips for applying to Uni Stuttgart
- 1 Take TestDaF or DSH before you apply: Stuttgart will not admit you conditionally and let you submit German results later.
- 2 Check the German-language table of selection criteria and admissions statutes for your programme, since the English pages point there for details.
- 3 Budget for the Baden-Württemberg fee: non-EU students pay 1,500 euros per semester plus the 184 euro semester contribution, and exemptions are rare.
- 4 If you are from India, China or Vietnam, get your APS certificate early; it must be uploaded with the application.
- 5 Apply for student housing with the Studierendenwerk Stuttgart before you are admitted, as the university advises starting the search early.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
There is no application fee. The Deutschlandstipendium pays 300 euros a month to high-achieving students regardless of nationality, and international students can apply for DAAD STIBET support and emergency funds. Exemptions from the non-EU tuition fee are rare and mostly apply to refugees, students with disabilities or sudden financial emergencies; students who earned their Abitur at a school in Germany are exempt automatically.
- EUR 300 per month
- Deutschlandstipendium
- EUR 184 (administrative fee EUR 80, Student Services EUR 96.50, student body EUR 7.50)
- Semester contribution
- About EUR 350–600 per month
- Rent for a room in a shared flat
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (winter and summer); bachelor's programmes start in the winter semester only
Mechanical Engineering (BSc)
Stuttgart's mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering placed 82nd of 578 worldwide in the QS subject rankings 2025.
Aerospace Engineering (BSc)
Taught by a dedicated Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and Geodesy; aerospace technologies are one of the university's strategic profile areas.
Architecture and Urban Planning (BSc)
Ranked 51–100 worldwide in QS 2025 and linked to the IntCDC Cluster of Excellence, which builds experimental timber and fibre structures.
Automotive Engineering (BSc)
Offered by the Faculty of Engineering Design, Production Engineering and Automotive Engineering in the city where Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Bosch have their headquarters.
Simulation Technology (BSc)
Grows out of SimTech, Stuttgart's Cluster of Excellence in data-integrated simulation science.
Research
- Cluster of Excellence SimTech (Data-Integrated Simulation Science) at the Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science.
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC (Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Transformative Architecture), funded for a further seven years to 2032; it built the Wangen Tower, the first multi-storey walkable building made of self-shaped structural timber.
- External funding reached 281.7 million euros in 2025, out of a total budget of 671.6 million euros.
- Strategic profile areas include aerospace, quantum technologies, production technologies and biomedical systems and robotics.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Faculty of Chemistry
- Faculty of Energy, Process and Bio-Engineering
- Faculty of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
- Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and Geodesy
- Faculty of Engineering Design, Production Engineering and Automotive Engineering
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences
Student life
Student life is split between two campuses: the Vaihingen campus on the southern edge of Stuttgart, where most engineering, science and computing students spend their days, and the city-centre campus around Keplerstraße for architecture, humanities and social sciences. Housing is mainly in halls run by Studierendenwerk Stuttgart and the Vereinigung Stuttgarter Studentenwohnheime, several of them on campus. Stuttgart is expensive for Germany, so many students work part time; the university advises that German at B1/B2 or better opens up far more student jobs.
- Studierendenwerk Stuttgart runs more than 5,800 places in 31 halls across the region.
- The Vereinigung Stuttgarter Studentenwohnheime offers 2,578 rooms in seven halls on the Vaihingen and city-centre campuses.
- About a quarter of students are foreign nationals.
- The Deutschlandstipendium pays 300 euros a month to selected high achievers.
Housing. The university does not guarantee housing; students apply to Studierendenwerk Stuttgart or the Vereinigung Stuttgarter Studentenwohnheime and are advised to start before admission, with shared-flat rooms costing about 350–600 euros a month.
Location
Stuttgart, capital of Baden-Württemberg, sits in a green valley in south-west Germany and is the headquarters city of Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Bosch, which shapes internships and graduate jobs for engineers. The university estimates living costs of at least 992 euros a month, higher than in many German university towns, with rent the biggest item. Regional trains and the S-Bahn link the city-centre and Vaihingen campuses.
Nearest airport: Stuttgart Airport (STR)
Notable alumni
- GD Gottlieb DaimlerEngineer and automobile pioneer, co-founder of what became Mercedes-Benz; studied two years at Stuttgart's Polytechnic
- GE Gerhard ErtlNobel Prize in Chemistry 2007 for surface chemistry
- HS Horst StörmerNobel Prize in Physics 1998 for the fractional quantum Hall effect
- UM Ulf MerboldPhysicist and the first West German astronaut in space
- GB Günter BehnischArchitect of the Munich Olympic Park
- US Ulrich SpiesshoferFormer CEO of ABB Group; PhD in economics and master's in business administration and engineering from Stuttgart
- RH Rolf-Dieter HeuerParticle physicist and former Director-General of CERN
Frequently asked questions
Is the University of Stuttgart free for international students?
Not for non-EU students: Baden-Württemberg charges them 1,500 euros per semester, plus the 184 euro semester contribution that all students pay. German and EU/EEA students pay only the semester contribution.
Can I study a bachelor's degree in English at the University of Stuttgart?
Bachelor's programmes are taught in German, so you need proof of German such as TestDaF 4x4 or DSH-2 when you apply. English-taught programmes are at master's level.
When is the application deadline for the University of Stuttgart?
For winter semester entry, the window runs from 15 May to 15 July for restricted (NC) programmes and 15 May to 15 September for open programmes. There is no bachelor's intake in the summer semester.
What is the University of Stuttgart known for?
Engineering, especially mechanical, aerospace and automotive engineering, plus architecture and simulation science; its mechanical engineering placed 82nd in the QS subject rankings 2025.
How much does it cost to live in Stuttgart as a student?
The university estimates at least 992 euros a month, with a room in a shared flat costing about 350–600 euros and health insurance about 130 euros a month.
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.
- University of Stuttgart: Figures, data and facts
- University of Stuttgart: Student statistics WS 2025/26 (PDF)
- University of Stuttgart: Rankings
- University of Stuttgart: International prospective students (degree-seeking)
- University of Stuttgart: Applying for admission (international)
- University of Stuttgart: Language requirements for German-taught programmes
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