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All universities in Germany Public universities326
Business & Management101 Computer Science & IT85 Engineering82 Arts, Design & Architecture72 Social Sciences & Psychology67 Medicine & Health Sciences63 Education60 Science47 Media & Communication43 Agriculture & Environment34 Economics & Public Policy34 Built Environment34 Life Sciences34 Professional Accounting & Finance28 Languages & Linguistics26 Law24 Music & Performing Arts19 Sports & Recreation11
Bachelor's universities123 Master's universities109 Professional universities27 PhD universities8 Bachelor's programs1,570 Master's programs1,177 Professional programs56 PhD programs17 Diploma programs13 Bachelor's Business & Management77 Master's Business & Management70 Professional Business & Management16 Bachelor's Engineering67 Master's Computer Science & IT54 Professional Law7 Bachelor's Computer Science & IT64 Master's Engineering51 Professional Medicine & Health Sciences6 Bachelor's Arts, Design & Architecture48 Master's Arts, Design & Architecture47
All scholarships Deadlines closing soon Business & Management99 Arts, Design & Architecture91 Engineering86 Computer Science & IT82 Social Sciences & Psychology71 Medicine & Health Sciences71 Education69 Built Environment55 Media & Communication54 Professional Accounting & Finance41
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8 Best PhD Universities in Germany

Universität Hamburg tops our list of 8 PhD universities in Germany at #193 in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Next come Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (#42 in Germany) and Universität Hildesheim (#99 in Germany). The universities on this list offer 17 matching courses between them.

8 universities · ranked best first

how we rank

Universities at other levels

Bachelor's Universities Master's Universities Professional Universities

By university type

Public universities

Popular collections

Public Universities Public Bachelor's Universities Bachelor's Universities Public Master's Universities Master's Universities Public Business & Management Universities Business & Management Universities Public Computer Science & IT Universities Computer Science & IT Universities Public Engineering Universities

How these universities are ranked

Only one university here holds a QS World position — Universität Hamburg at #193 — so it heads the list. The rest are ordered by research impact. Universität Hamburg has the largest research record in this group, with 21,096,395 citations and an h-index of 1,039.

Public, private and where they are

The split is 8 public to 0 private institutions.

Inside the course list

The most common subjects are Medicine & Health Sciences (5), Professional Accounting & Finance (3), Business & Management (3) and Economics & Public Policy (1). The usual length is 4–6 years and 5 Years. 94% are full-time. Start dates lean to Fall (94% of courses with a stated intake). Medizinische Hochschule Hannover offers the widest choice, with 7 of these courses.

Frequently asked questions

What are the top universities for PhD in Germany?

Universität Hamburg (QS World #193), Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (#42 in Germany) and Universität Hildesheim (#99 in Germany) lead this list. QS World positions come first; the rest are ranked by research impact.

How many public universities offer PhD in Germany?

8 public and 0 private universities are on this list.

How long does a PhD course take in Germany?

Most listed courses run 4–6 years, with 5 Years the next most common.

When do PhD courses start in Germany?

Fall is the main intake — 94% of courses with a stated start date begin then.

Which university has the most PhD courses in Germany?

Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, with 7, ahead of Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (4).

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