Studying in Bavaria, Germany
Ingolstadt
Bavaria's first university town, now the home of Audi and a technical university that teaches in English.
Ingolstadt sits on the Danube in Upper Bavaria, with about 140,000 residents. Bavaria's first university opened here in 1472, and the town was a fortress for more than 400 years, so the old centre is a ring of gates, towers and brick walls around a castle. Today the biggest name is Audi, which has its headquarters here, and the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) has grown around that: roughly 8,500 students, 28 English-taught programmes and a campus a few minutes' walk from the pedestrian zone. A second university, the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, runs its business school here. It is a small, practical place for someone who wants engineering, computing or business in a working industrial region, and who is happy to live in a town rather than a metropolis. Munich is the big city next door, and the town makes up for its size with a real river, big parks and a student life built around two campuses.
- Population
- About 140,800 (31 December 2025)
- State and region
- Bavaria, in the Upper Bavaria district; second-largest city of Upper Bavaria after Munich
- Nearest airports
- Munich Airport about 68 km to the southeast; Nuremberg Airport about 105 km to the north
- English-taught programmes at THI
- 28 of the 93 degree programmes it lists
- Tuition for non-EU students at THI
- 800 euros per semester (Bachelor), 1,200 euros (Master), with exemptions and waivers
- Student rooms (KU's figures)
- Residences from 250 euros a month; private rooms from about 550 euros
Part 1
Living in Ingolstadt
A university town that became a car town
Ingolstadt appears in a document of Charlemagne from the year 806, was one of the capitals of the Bavarian duchies from 1392 to 1447, and in 1472 became the seat of Bavaria's first university. That university moved to Landshut in 1800 and to Munich in 1826, but the main building, the Hohe Schule, still stands in the old town. In 1516 Duke William IV signed the Bavarian beer purity law here. Mary Shelley set parts of Frankenstein in the town, and Victor Frankenstein studies here in the book. For over four hundred years Ingolstadt was a Bavarian state fortress, and it held out against a Swedish siege in 1632.
The second chapter began in 1945, when Auto Union arrived, and in 1949 it was re-founded in Ingolstadt. After Volkswagen took it over in 1964 it grew into the company now called Audi, which is today the largest employer in the region. So the town you will study in has two layers: a fortress and university town of brick gates and churches, and a modern industrial city built around cars, engineering and software.
What to see in the old town
Most of this is inside a ring of old fortifications you can walk across in a few minutes.
Neues Schloss and the Bavarian Army Museum ↗
The castle was begun in 1418 and houses the Bavarian Army Museum. The museum's website lists Tuesday to Friday 9:00 to 17:30 and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 17:30.
The Kreuztor gate dates from 1385 and is one of the clearest reminders of the fortress years. The Herzogskasten (about 1255), the Liebfrauenmünster (begun 1425) and the Gothic Old Town Hall are all in the same few streets.
German Museum of Medical History ↗
Housed in the old anatomy building of the first university. KU's page on studying in Ingolstadt lists it among the town's museums together with the Audi Forum.
Wildpark, Fort Peyerl, Baggersee and Donautherme ↗
The city's own tourism site lists the Wildpark animal park, the green space around Fort Peyerl in the south, the Baggersee lake and the Donautherme spa and sauna, plus cycling and walking routes along the river.
Around the old town
The Danube, the parks and the weekends
The Danube is the town's main outdoor space. The Donaulände on the old-town side has gravel banks and steps down to the water, and the riverside floodplain forest is, according to the city's Wikipedia article, the second-largest hardwood floodplain forest on the Danube. KU's page for students lists the Klenzepark, the Danube bank, the Baggersee lake and an outdoor pool as the places people go in summer, and says the town is surrounded by the Altmühltal and Hallertau nature parks.
The calendar is simple. In late July the city's Fest der Kulturen fills the Klenzepark: in 2026 it ran on 24 and 25 July, entry was free, and more than 30 local cultural associations from about 25 countries cooked and performed. In autumn there is the Volksfest, and in summer the Audi Summer Concerts. For anything bigger, the ICE stop gets you to Munich, Nuremberg or Regensburg for a day out.
Audi and the car cluster
Audi AG is headquartered in Ingolstadt. Its Ingolstadt plant, the former Auto Union site, is where models including the Q2, A3, A6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron are built, according to Wikipedia's article on the company. Visitors can see the Audi Forum and the Audi museum mobile on Auto-Union-Straße. KU describes the town as one where many large companies offer internships and career entry, and THI's career service runs a job portal for work placements, final-year projects and student jobs, and an annual careers fair, CONTACT.
For a student the cluster matters in a practical way: THI teaches Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (BEng), International Automotive Engineering (MEng), Automotive Production Engineering (MEng) and Artificial Intelligence (MSc) in English, and its CARISSMA research and test centre for vehicle safety opened on the main campus in 2016. None of this is a promise of a placement or a job, but a student of these subjects is studying beside the industry they are learning about.
Getting around
KU's page lists an ICE stop connecting Ingolstadt to Munich, Nuremberg and Regensburg. Eichstätt, the other KU campus, has regular trains to Ingolstadt.
Deutschlandticket for students ↗
Students enrolled at THI or KU can order it through the regional transport association VGI. Its page lists 43 euros a month as a subscription that runs one semester at a time and must be reordered each semester. Check the current price when you order, because THI's own practical-information page quotes a different figure.
KU names the many cycle paths as one of the town's advantages, and both THI campuses and the old town are within a short ride of each other.
Munich Airport is about 68 km southeast and Nuremberg Airport about 105 km north of the city. Plan your first journey by train from the airport to Ingolstadt and check the timetable for your day.
What it costs
- Student residence rooms
- From about 250 euros a monthsource
- Studierendenwerk residence Münzbergstraße 26 (36 apartments)
- 334 euros (maisonette) or 370 euros (sun-deck apartment) per month in the DAAD listingsource
- Private rooms
- From about 550 euros a monthsource
- Monthly budget for rent, food, mobility and leisure
- About 1,000 to 1,200 euros (KU's estimate)source
- Canteen main dishes at THI (menu of 21 October 2026)
- 2.89 to 3.98 euros for studentssource
- Tuition at THI, non-EU students
- 800 euros per semester for a Bachelor, 1,200 euros for a Master; exemptions applysource
- Proof of funds for a non-EU residence permit
- 992 euros a month; 5,952 euros for one semester, 11,904 euros for twosource
- Deutschlandticket for students
- 43 euros a month, per VGI, reordered each semestersource
Figures come from the universities, the Studierendenwerk and the DAAD residence listing. Rents change, so ask the operator for the current price.
Part 2
Student life in Ingolstadt
Where you can study
Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) ↗
About 8,500 students in the 2026/27 winter semester, on the main campus at Esplanade 10 in the town centre and a second campus in Neuburg an der Donau. Six faculties: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Sustainable Infrastructure, THI Business School, and Engineering and Management. It lists 93 degree programmes, 28 of them taught in English, among them Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (BSc), Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (BEng), Energy Systems and Renewable Energies (BEng), Artificial Intelligence (MSc), Global Business (MA), International Automotive Engineering (MEng) and Finance (MBA). It also runs the CARISSMA vehicle-safety research centre and a Formula Student team. Non-EU students pay tuition from summer 2026, with exemptions and waivers.
International office ↗Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU), Ingolstadt campus ↗
The university's seat is in Eichstätt, and Ingolstadt is its second campus, home to the Ingolstadt School of Management (WFI), which holds AACSB accreditation. It has one large and one smaller building around a courtyard, near the Hohe Schule and the Studentenhaus. WFI lists Bachelor programmes in Business Administration, Sustainability in Business and Economics and Digital and Data-Driven Business, and Master programmes including Finance, Accounting, Controlling, Taxation and Business Law; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and Business Analytics and Operations Research. Taught in English: the MSc International Business Administration (a double degree with Toulouse Business School or the Rajagiri Centre in India), the MSc Digital Customer Experience and Service Design, and the MSc Business and Psychology.
International office ↗Student unions, services and groups
Studierendenwerk Erlangen-Nürnberg (canteen and housing) ↗
The student services body for universities in Middle Franconia, Eichstätt and Ingolstadt. In Ingolstadt it runs the canteen at Esplanade 10 (Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 14:30), the residence at Münzbergstraße 26 and the new Lutz21 residence. Its open counselling for international students is held in Erlangen and Nuremberg; for Ingolstadt questions it asks you to write to international@werkswelt.de.
THI International Welcome Centre and mentoring ↗
Pairs new full-time international students with German or multilingual student mentors who can meet you at the station, come with you to offices and help with a bank account. It also organises city tours, German courses, intercultural seminars and country evenings. Contact: iwc@thi.de.
International Culture Club (ICC) ↗
A student group founded in 2015 that works with the International Welcome Centre on excursions and cultural exchange events to bring international and German students together in Ingolstadt and Neuburg. Members can receive a certificate for their voluntary work.
The local group of the Erasmus Student Network, which has its own page on the national ESN Germany site.
Weekly sessions in Ingolstadt include football, handball, basketball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, badminton, bouldering and climbing, calisthenics, a running group, hapkido and aikido, and bachata. Most are free; some, such as hapkido at 6.50 euros a month, charge a small fee. Neuburg has its own free sessions.
THI's party association: the semester-start party, themed nights and an end-of-term party, plus leisure activities and group outings.
Schanzer Racing Electric e.V. ↗
THI's Formula Student team, founded in 2010, which designs, builds and races an electric race car each year.
A student association for computer science with project work, workshops and social events. Its flagship project is Neuland Next, an open-source campus app.
Hochschulgaming Ingolstadt e.V. (HGI) ↗
A gaming and e-sports association founded in 2022 with more than ten teams in five games and a community Discord.
KU students, coordinated by the International Office, who help new international students settle in Eichstätt and Ingolstadt. Details are announced on the International Office's Instagram a few weeks before the semester.
Katholische Hochschulgemeinde (KHG) Ingolstadt ↗
A student community for THI and WFI students of any faith or none. Its page invites international students to a weekly meeting on Wednesday at 19:00 and lists evening events through the winter.
Two universities, one compact centre
THI's main campus at Esplanade 10 opened in 1999 and was extended in 2011 and again in 2014. It stands in the centre of town, and its own campus page puts the pedestrian zone, the old town, the Danube, the Klenzepark and the Hindenburgpark within a few minutes' walk. Other THI buildings, including the Language Centre and the International Office at Paradeplatz, are within walking distance. The Neuburg an der Donau campus has taught Sustainable Infrastructure since 2021.
KU's Ingolstadt campus is the business school, WFI, with a large and a small building around a courtyard, close to the Hohe Schule. Most KU students are based in Eichstätt, the university's seat. For students who start late and cannot find a room in Ingolstadt, KU's housing page suggests Eichstätt as an alternative, with regular trains between the two.
Housing: start early
Rooms are the hard part. THI says it owns no flats or halls and does not influence who gets a room, and that searches in Ingolstadt and Neuburg can take several weeks to months. KU's housing page calls the private market competitive and comparatively expensive.
Studierendenwerk residence, Münzbergstraße 26 ↗
36 apartments, 27 maisonettes and 9 sun-deck apartments, operated by the Studierendenwerk Erlangen-Nürnberg, as listed by the DAAD.
A new Studierendenwerk residence with 231 subsidised places. THI's news report on the foundation stone gave the winter semester 2026/27 as the target, and the Studierendenwerk's own pages have given more than one date, so ask it whether it is taking tenants now.
Reserved, furnished rooms in Ingolstadt for newly enrolled students, mainly exchange students. You cannot choose the hall, and applying is a binding commitment. Deadlines are 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 November for spring. There is a security payment of 350 euros, of which 300 euros is refundable.
THI advice on avoiding rental fraud ↗
THI's practical-information page for international students links a guide to recognising fraudulent room offers. Read it before you pay a deposit to anyone you have not met.
Food, sport and a social life
The Studierendenwerk canteen is on the THI campus at Esplanade 10 and serves hot lunches Monday to Friday from 11:00 to 14:30. On the day this page was checked the three main dishes cost 3.98, 3.49 and 2.89 euros for students. KU's Ingolstadt canteen is at Konviktstraße 1, run by the Katholische Canisiusstiftung, which also runs several student residences in the city; it serves lunch from 11:30 to 14:30 on weekdays and closes in August.
Sport at THI is mostly free and organised in small groups that you join through the instructor or a WhatsApp group; THI's accident insurance covers sessions led by a THI-appointed instructor but not club-run courses. KU's sports centre is in Eichstätt. Nights out are student-run: Students' Life organises the big parties, the gaming association streams tournaments, and the Fest der Kulturen in July and the Volksfest in autumn fill the Klenzepark and the fairground. THI's campus page also points students to a theatre offer with free admission at the city theatre.
Your first weeks
- 1
Before you travel
THI offers digital introductions on health insurance and residence permits. Fill in its voluntary arrival form, and ask the International Welcome Centre about a mentor who can meet you at the station.
- 2
As soon as you have an address
Register it at the Bürgeramt in the Neues Rathaus, Rathausplatz 4, 85049 Ingolstadt. Visits are by appointment: 0841 305-1500 or buergeramt@ingolstadt.de. You need the registration confirmation for a bank account and for a residence permit.
- 3
Health insurance
Statutory health insurance is needed to enrol and must be in place from the start of the semester. THI's page lists the offices of AOK, Barmer, DAK and TK in Ingolstadt.
- 4
Bank account
Non-EU students usually need a blocked account showing 992 euros per month for the visa and permit; THI's page names several providers. EU students can use any bank with their passport, registration confirmation and proof of enrolment.
- 5
Residence permit
Non-EU students apply at the Amt für Ausländerwesen und Migration, Rathausplatz 4, 85049 Ingolstadt, by appointment (0841 305-1529, auslaenderamt@ingolstadt.de). Students from visa-free countries must apply within three months of arrival. THI says its International Welcome Centre collects documents, does a first check and forwards the application.
- 6
Transport
Order the student Deutschlandticket through the VGI shop once you are enrolled; it shows in the VGI app the next day.
Study culture, part-time work and careers
THI is an applied university, so degrees usually combine lectures, laboratories and a work placement, and the career service runs a job portal for placements, final-year projects, part-time student jobs and graduate jobs, a Bavarian university job board and an on-campus careers fair. KU runs a DAAD-supported project called KU Connect that follows international students from preparation to entering the German job market, and an international internship adviser.
How much you may work depends on your residence permit, so read what is printed on it and ask the International Welcome Centre or the foreigners' office before you accept a job. For Master's students at THI the tuition fee is the larger cost to plan for; qualification-based waivers are awarded by the university during admission, and you cannot apply for them separately.
Where you come from matters here
Pick your home country: food, faith, community groups and the consulate that serves you, checked 21 October 2026.
🇮🇳 Living in Ingolstadt as an Indian student
Ingolstadt has an Indian-German cultural association and no consulate of its own. The Consulate General of India in Munich covers Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Consulate General of India, Munich ↗
Passport, OCI and visa services, attestations and registration of Indian nationals in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, with consular camps in various cities. The website says it covers Bavaria, but does not name Ingolstadt separately.
Indisch-Deutscher Kulturverein Ingolstadt e.V. ↗
Listed by the city of Ingolstadt among the associations represented in its Migrationsrat. The city's page shows no website or contact for it, so ask the city's integration officer how to reach it.
MSc International Business Administration at KU Ingolstadt ↗
A double degree taught in English that KU runs with the Rajagiri Centre in India or with Toulouse Business School, relevant if you are comparing a route that starts in Kerala.
🇳🇬 Living in Ingolstadt as a Nigerian student
Ingolstadt has two associations the city lists for African communities: a Nigerian Igbo association and the Afrika Verein Ingolstadt Region e.V. The nearest Nigerian missions are in Berlin and Frankfurt.
Listed by the city among the cultural associations in its Migrationsrat. The city's page gives no contact details, so ask the integration officer for the current contact.
Handles passports, document legalisation and emergency travel certificates. Visas are applied for through a VFS centre, and passport appointments are booked on the Nigeria Immigration website. The page also links to the Consulate General in Frankfurt.
🇻🇳 Living in Ingolstadt as a Vietnamese student
The city lists a Vietnamese association, the Tam Viet Verein. For passports and documents, the Embassy of Vietnam is in Berlin.
Listed by the city among the associations in its Migrationsrat. The city gives no website or contact for it, so ask the integration officer.
Elsenstraße 3, 12435 Berlin. The website lists consular procedures, citizen protection and visa exemption. It does not mention Bavaria, so ask before you travel which office handles your case.
🇳🇵 Living in Ingolstadt as a Nepali student
Nothing Nepali is listed in Ingolstadt itself. The nearest community group is based in Munich, and the embassy is in Berlin.
Guerickestraße 27, 10587 Berlin. Services include passports, visas, travel documents, powers of attorney and document attestation. The consular email is consular.berlin@mofa.gov.np.
A non-profit community group for Nepali professionals in Germany, based in Munich, with newcomer meet-ups. Its page does not describe a chapter in Ingolstadt.
🇨🇳 Living in Ingolstadt as a Chinese student
Ingolstadt has a Chinese school and a Chinese cultural association, and the Chinese Consulate General is in Munich.
Chinesische Schule Ingolstadt ↗
A Chinese-language school with classes on Saturdays from 9:30 to 12:30 at the Christoph-Scheiner-Gymnasium, Hartmannplatz 1, 85049 Ingolstadt. Contact: kontakt@chinesische-schule-in.de.
Consulate General of the People's Republic of China, Munich ↗
Passports and travel documents, notarisation and consular protection. The website is in Chinese with German and English versions.
English-taught programmes in Ingolstadt
Soonest open deadline first. Every entry links to its official source.
- Retail and Consumer ManagementTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- AI Engineering of Autonomous SystemsTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Artificial IntelligenceTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Sociotechnical CybersecurityTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Global BusinessTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- User Experience DesignTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Global Foresight and Technology ManagementTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Master's in Automotive Production Engineering (MAPE)Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Intelligent Aerial SystemsTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Hydrogen Technologies and ApplicationsTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- International Automotive Engineering (MEng)Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Entrepreneurship and Corporate VenturingTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jul 2027Open
- Renewable Energy Systems (RES)Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jul 2027Open
- Autonomous Vehicle EngineeringTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtbachelor15 Jul 2027Open
- Computer Science and Artificial IntelligenceTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtbachelor15 Jul 2027Open
- Energy Systems and Renewable Energies (BEng)Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtbachelor15 Jul 2027Open
- Engineering and Management (BEng)Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtbachelor15 Jul 2027Open
- Automotive Production Engineering & Artificial Intelligence (MEng)Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jul 2027Open
- Design Leadership (MSc)Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jul 2027Open
- Engineering and Management (MSc)Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster15 Jul 2027Open
- Business Administration, Specialisation in Digital Customer Experience & Service DesignCatholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt · IngolstadtmasterNo tuitionSee sourceCheck source
- Business Administration, Specialisation in Entrepreneurship & Innovation (ENTRE)Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt · IngolstadtmasterNo tuitionSee sourceCheck source
- Business Administration, Specialisation in Business Analytics and Operations Research (BA&OR)Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt · IngolstadtmasterNo tuitionSee sourceCheck source
- Business Administration, Specialisation in International Business AdministrationCatholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt · IngolstadtmasterNo tuitionSee sourceCheck source
- Business and PsychologyCatholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt · IngolstadtmasterNo tuitionSee sourceCheck source
- Data ScienceCatholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt · IngolstadtmasterNo tuitionSee sourceCheck source
- Hybrid, Part-Time MBA for Working ProfessionalsCatholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt · IngolstadtmasterSee sourceCheck source
- MBA Strategy, Global Risk & Security ManagementTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · IngolstadtmasterSee sourceCheck source
- Master of Science in Global Engineering and ManagementTechnische Hochschule Ingolstadt · Ingolstadtmaster31 Aug 2026Deadline passed
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