Goethe University Frankfurt Admission Requirements 2027 for International Students

Goethe University Frankfurt is a large public university known for its law, economics and social sciences faculties in Germany's financial capital. It charges no tuition fee to international students, though its bachelor's degrees are taught almost entirely in German.

Requirements

Bachelor's

Bachelor's degrees at Goethe University are taught almost entirely in German, so applicants need a German certificate, usually at DSH-2 or TestDaF level 4, alongside a higher education entrance qualification recognised as equivalent to the Abitur. Applicants from some countries, including India, also need an APS certificate.

Master's

Applicants need a relevant bachelor's degree, normally with at least 80 percent of the required credits completed at the time of application for programmes with staged deadlines. English-taught master's programmes set their own English requirement, commonly in the IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL iBT 95 range, though some ask less and some more.

Documents

Certified copies of school and university certificates and transcripts; a certified translation if the originals are not in German or English; an APS certificate for applicants from certain countries including India; proof of German or English language proficiency depending on the programme; and confirmation of health insurance before enrolment. Master's applicants also submit their bachelor's transcript showing progress to date if the degree is not yet complete.

How to apply

Choose a bachelor's or master's programme and check its own language of instruction and application deadlines, since Goethe University does not use one single university-wide date for all programmes.
Obtain an APS certificate first if your country requires one.
Submit your application, normally through uni-assist for bachelor's programmes and often directly to the department for master's programmes, inside the programme's own window.
Upload certified copies of your certificates, transcripts and language certificate.
If admitted, pay the semester contribution, arrange health insurance, and apply for a student visa if coming from outside the EU or EEA.
Enrol and register your address in Frankfurt.

English test waiver

The required score depends on the programme. This reflects the requirement for the Master in Money, Macro and Finance; the Master in International Management asks for a higher TOEFL iBT 100 or IELTS 7.0, while other programmes accept various Cambridge certificates at B2. Applicants whose bachelor's degree was taught entirely in English are generally exempt from a separate certificate.