We introduce online portals that contain the most comprehensive information about German universities and serve as a good guide for future students.
Website Studieren.de
This search engine has existed for almost 20 years. Today, the portal's database contains more than 18,000 specialties and about 650 localities where universities are located. In the Fachbereiche subsection, you can search for study programs in your areas of interest. In the Studiengänge subsection, all bachelor's and master's programs are listed in alphabetical order. It also indicates where and how they can be studied – at a university or a university of applied sciences, full-time or part-time, in German or English.
The portal also offers the possibility of targeted search for English-language programs: on the left in the Intern. Studium subsection or using a filter where you should select the Internationales option. For those whose priority is the geographical location of their future alma mater, the Landkarte subsection will be useful: on the map of Germany, all universities from the portal's database are displayed at a glance.
Website Studifinder.de
The Studifinder portal is more service-oriented. Currently, it only covers universities located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, but by March 2017, universities across the country will be included in its database. The information will also be expanded to include postgraduate programs.
Currently, in addition to information on more than a thousand study programs, the site provides the opportunity to orient yourself in choosing a profession and test basic knowledge in specific subjects to understand how prepared you are for studies (Studicheck section). And the Studikurs section contains study materials to help you catch up, for example, in mathematics or German. Using these services requires registration on the site.
Website Hochschulkompass.de
This search engine was developed with the participation of the German Rectors' Conference (Hochschulrektorenkonferenz). The database contains 400 public and private universities. The portal allows more targeted searches: for example, in the filter you can select universities that offer the possibility of a doctoral defense, or only arts universities. University profiles include application deadlines, including for international applicants. There is also additional information about partner universities abroad.
The Promotion section is for those who would like to obtain a doctoral degree in Germany. Here, universities and faculties that offer the opportunity to defend a dissertation in German or English are listed. In addition, the portal offers a free 15-minute career orientation test (in German).
CHE Ranking on the Die Zeit website
Another project of the German Rectors' Conference is the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE), which regularly compiles its own ranking of subjects. The ranking is based on surveys of students and professors, which allow an assessment of study conditions at universities in German-speaking countries.
The ranking is published on the website of the newspaper Die Zeit. This information can be used for free after registration. The database http://ranking.zeit.de/che2015/de/faecher contains more than 300 universities and 30 subjects.
University database on the Die Zeit website
In addition, the website of Die Zeit has a search engine that also helps you navigate the university landscape. According to the publication, this is the most extensive database of study programs. Users have several options: search by fields of study, federal states, type of university, or forms of study. Detailed portraits of subjects and universities are also provided, and you can even view photos. This information is available on the website without registration.