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The Hörn, the southern end of Kiel harbour, with a moored ship, the glass SEALEVEL building and the television tower on a bright day

Studying in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Kiel

A university city on a Baltic fjord, with sailing, ferries to Scandinavia and the state's only comprehensive university.

10

10 English-taught programmes open for applications in Kiel

Next deadline: 15 Jan 2027. Every entry links to its official source.

See the programmes ↓

Kiel is the capital of Schleswig-Holstein and sits at the end of a fjord on the Baltic coast. About 252,000 people live here. The city has been a naval port, a shipyard town and a university town since 1665, and today you notice the water everywhere: ferries that take students to work, a promenade along the fjord, beaches inside the city limits, and the Kiel Week sailing festival every June. Kiel University is the only full university in the state, and it sits next to a university of applied sciences and an art university, so the student population is large for a city of this size. Rooms in the Studierendenwerk halls start around 200 euros. Hamburg is an hourly train away for big-city weekends, and overnight ferries leave from the Kiel harbour to Gothenburg and Oslo.

Population
251,842 (31 Dec 2025), the largest city in Schleswig-Holstein
Area
118.65 km2, 18 districts with 30 neighbourhoods
Students
about 24,500 at Kiel University, about 7,400 at HAW Kiel, about 660 study places at Muthesius
Semester contribution (Kiel University, winter 2026/27)
403 EUR, including 226.80 EUR for the Deutschland-Semesterticket
Dorm rooms (Studierendenwerk SH)
1,964 places in ten halls, rent 201 to 489 EUR a month
Blocked account for a student visa
11,904 EUR per year (992 EUR a month)
Climate
oceanic: about 2 C in winter and 17 C in summer on average, about 750 mm of rain a year
Nearest big airport
Hamburg, about 90 km, with a KIELIUS bus to Kiel central station
Kiel Week
19 to 27 June 2027

Part 1

Living in Kiel

A port city that kept its university

Kiel was founded around 1233 and joined the Hanseatic League in 1284, was thrown out in 1518 for sheltering pirates, and became Prussian in 1867. The city grew into a naval base and shipbuilding centre, and in November 1918 a sailors' mutiny here started the revolution that ended the German Empire. Much of the old centre was lost in the Second World War, so do not expect a medieval town. The oldest building is St. Nikolai, a church from the 13th century, and the town hall tower from 1911 still has a working paternoster lift.

What you get instead is a city built around the water. The fjord reaches into the centre at the Hörn, and the Kiellinie promenade follows its western shore. Kiel was one of the founding cities of the European Green Capital Award in 2006. It is the state capital, so the parliament and ministries are here, and it is the main city for everything in Schleswig-Holstein that is not Lübeck or Flensburg.

Be honest with yourself about the weather. Winters are grey, wet and windy, with the sea keeping temperatures around 2 degrees on average, and summer is mild at about 17. People who like long cold nights and a quiet city in January will be fine. People who need sun will find it in June.

The Kiel waterfront and the Kiellinie seen from the water under a big cloudy sky, with sailing boats in the marina
The Kiellinie, the promenade along the fjord, seen from the water.

What to see and do

Most of this is free or costs a few euros, and almost all of it is reachable by bus, ferry or bike from the university.

  • The fjord ferries ↗

    Kiel's Fördeschifffahrt boats run on the fjord, and the Deutschland-Semesterticket is valid on them without a surcharge. The Bahnhofsbrücke pier is next to the central station.

  • Town hall tower ↗

    A 67 m panoramic view over the harbour and fjord. The city's tourism site lists it as one of the main sights.

  • Kiellinie and the beaches ↗

    The promenade runs along the fjord, and the same tourism page lists bathing spots and fjord areas such as Holtenau, Pries-Friedrichsort, Mönkeberg and Heikendorf. Schilksee, at the northern end of the city, is on open water.

  • Laboe naval memorial ↗

    A 72 m brick tower on the eastern shore of the fjord, with an observation deck at 85 m and the submarine U-995 next to it. Begun in 1927, completed in 1936, and since 1954 dedicated to sailors of all nationalities lost at sea.

  • Holtenau and the Kiel Canal ↗

    The canal opened on 20 June 1895 and runs about 98 km to the Elbe. Around 32,000 ships use it a year. Its eastern end is at Holtenau in the north of the city, where you can see ships passing close to the bank.

  • Museums ↗

    The tourism page counts more than 30 museums, including the Maritime Museum and the SEALEVEL experience centre.

  • Kunsthalle Kiel ↗

    Closed for renovation until the end of 2029, with exhibitions at other venues in the meantime.

  • Botanical garden and parks ↗

    Kiel has two botanical gardens and the Schrevenpark in the middle of town.

Canal, fjord and ferry

The Kiel Canal running straight between green banks towards the Kiel Fjord, with fuel tanks on the right bank
The Kiel Canal where it opens into the Kiel Fjord.
Holtenau on the Kiel Fjord, with a small lighthouse and lock gates among bare trees and the open water behind
Holtenau, on the fjord at the Kiel end of the canal.
The Bahnhofsbrücke ferry pier next to Kiel central station, with a blue and red fjord ferry waiting at the landing stage
The Bahnhofsbrücke, the ferry pier right next to the central station.

Kiel Week and the sailing habit

Kiel Week (Kieler Woche) is the city's big summer festival and is described as the largest sailing event in the world. The first one was in 1882, it takes place in the last full week of June, and the next one runs from 19 to 27 June 2027. The programme is regattas on the fjord, a parade of traditional sailing ships and stages on land. Olympic sailing was held in the Bay of Kiel in 1936 and 1972.

You do not need a boat to take part. The university sports office runs a sailing centre, a rowing and canoeing centre and a diving centre, so a student can learn to sail on the same fjord that hosts the regattas. Others windsurf, kite or paddle on the water, and the city rents out bikes through the SprottenFlotte scheme. Winter has its own light show: the tourism site lists a sea of lights from 1 November 2026 and an ice festival from 18 November 2026 to 17 January 2027.

Spectator sport is local too. THW Kiel is the record champion of German handball, and Holstein Kiel plays in the 2. Bundesliga at the Holstein-Stadion, which is being rebuilt. Both sell tickets in online shops.

Getting around, and getting out

Your Deutschland-Semesterticket is part of the semester contribution and covers local and regional transport (bus, train, tram, S-Bahn) in second class across Germany, any hour and as often as you like. In Kiel it also covers the fjord ferries, and in Hamburg the harbour ferries that run on the hvv tariff. Long-distance buses such as KIELIUS and Flixbus are excluded.

Hamburg Airport is about 90 km away, and there are hourly trains from Kiel central station to Hamburg. Most students from outside Europe fly into Hamburg and take a train or the KIELIUS bus. From the Kiel harbour, ships leave daily for Gothenburg (about 13.5 hours with Stena Line) and Oslo (about 19.5 hours with Color Line), and several times a week for Klaipėda in Lithuania. A night on the water to Norway or Sweden is a real weekend option from here.

A bicycle is worth having for getting along the fjord.

Out on the water

The tall brick tower of the Laboe naval memorial above the shore, with the submarine U-995 on the beach and windsurfers in the surf
The Laboe memorial tower and the submarine U-995 on the shore.
A sandy beach and a tree-lined promenade at Laboe under a stormy sky, with a few walkers
The beach and promenade at Laboe, on the eastern side of the fjord.
A grassy dyke and a path above the blue Kiel Fjord at Schilksee with the Laboe shore on the horizon
Looking over the fjord at Schilksee towards Laboe.

Where the work is

Kiel's employers are marine science, shipbuilding, health and public administration. None of this is a promise of a job, but it shows where an internship or a student job can come from.

Part 2

Student life in Kiel

Where you can study

Research university

Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU) ↗

Founded in 1665 and the only comprehensive university in Schleswig-Holstein. About 24,500 students, eight faculties (theology, law, medicine, arts and humanities, agriculture and nutrition, mathematics and natural sciences, business, economics and social sciences, and engineering) and about 190 degree programmes. About 2,572 international students are enrolled. It lists 25 international degree programmes, among them English-language Master's in Economics, Quantitative Finance, Mathematical Finance, Biological Oceanography, Climate Physics, Marine Geosciences, Molecular Biology and Evolution, Materials Science and Engineering, Environmental Management and Medical Life Sciences, and two joint degrees (Electric Vehicle Propulsion and Control, and Applied Ecology).

International office ↗
University of applied sciences

Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Kiel (HAW Kiel, formerly Fachhochschule Kiel) ↗

The largest university of applied sciences in the state, with about 7,400 students. The main campus is at Sokratesplatz 1 in Dietrichsdorf, at the mouth of the Schwentine river. Seven faculties: agriculture, health, computer science and electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, media, social work and early childhood education, and business management. It offers Bachelor's, Master's and dual-study programmes. Ask the international office which programmes are taught in English before you apply.

International office ↗
Arts or music university

Muthesius Kunsthochschule ↗

The only art university in Schleswig-Holstein, founded in 1907, with about 660 study places. It teaches free art and art teacher training, spatial strategies (scenography and interior design), communication design (photography, illustration, interactive media, typography) and industrial design (with Master's in interface design and medical design). Classes are small, with at most 20 students per semester. About 14 percent of students are international, from more than 30 countries. The campus is in the Damperhof district around Legienstraße and Knooper Weg.

International office ↗
Cooperative (dual) university

Duale Hochschule Schleswig-Holstein (DHSH) ↗

A dual university with sites in Kiel, Flensburg and Lübeck. The Kiel campus is at Hans-Detlev-Prien-Straße 10. Its Bachelor's programmes are business administration, business informatics, software engineering and social work, combined with paid work at a partner employer, plus a part-time Master's. The site is in German with an English version.

University of applied sciences

Fachhochschule für Verwaltung und Dienstleistung (FHVD) ↗

The state's college for public administration, in Altenholz next to Kiel at Rehmkamp 10. It trains for general administration, the police, pension insurance and tax administration. It is aimed at people entering the state's civil service, not at general admissions from abroad.

Student unions, services and groups

  • AStA of Kiel University ↗

    The student union. Free advice on studies, BAföG, social and legal questions, a counselling service for international students, queer counselling and a free Kulturticket for theatre. The office is in Mensa 1 at Westring 385, and the public AStA meeting is on Thursdays at 18:00. Its international department answers questions from international students, mediates problems with the dorms and organises country evenings and excursions.

  • AStA international department (CAU) ↗

    A student-run contact point for international students. It represents them on committees, including the one that decides on loans for students in financial trouble. Write to international@asta.uni-kiel.de.

  • Studierendenwerk Schleswig-Holstein ↗

    Dorms, canteens, BAföG, psychological counselling, advice for international students, a culture office and daycare. The Kiel office is at Westring 385, phone +49 431 8816-0.

  • Hochschulsport Kiel University ↗

    The university sports office runs the Segelzentrum for sailing, a rowing and canoeing centre and a diving centre, plus dance and fitness courses. Contact the sailing centre at info@segeln.uni-kiel.de.

  • Segelzentrum Kiel University ↗

    The sailing centre of the university sports office. Ask here before the season how to join a course.

  • ESN Kiel ↗

    The Erasmus Student Network section for international students. It runs a buddy programme that pairs newcomers with local contacts, and events.

  • ESG Kiel (Protestant student community) ↗

    Open to all students whatever their faith. The ESG WeltWeit meetup for international and German students is on Mondays from 18:00 to 20:00 at Westring 385/387a, with conversation in German and English. Register first by email to the student pastor. The ESG also helps with a hardship application to refund the semester ticket.

  • AStA of HAW Kiel ↗

    The student union of the university of applied sciences, at Heikendorfer Weg 93a. It runs advice, the semester-ticket refund, events and the sports programme for HAW students. Its meetings are open to all students.

  • AStA of Muthesius Kunsthochschule ↗

    The student body of the art university, together with the Fachschaft and student parliament.

  • Forum for Migrants of the city of Kiel ↗

    The city's participation body for residents with a migration background, founded in its present form in 2002. Meetings are usually on the first Tuesday of the month at 17:00 in the town hall, are public, and are in German. Its member list includes Ghana Union Kiel, Sisters - Frauen für Afrika and the Jewish community.

Campus life and study culture

Kiel University has a main campus around Leibnizstraße and Olshausenstraße, with the university library and the Mensa at Westring. Most of the student services (AStA, Studierendenwerk, the ESG and the sailing centre) are within a few hundred metres of each other, which makes arriving easier than in a spread-out city. Check where your own faculty's building is before you rent a room.

The HAW campus is at Sokratesplatz in Dietrichsdorf, on the other side of the fjord, reached by bus or ferry. Its Bunker-D culture centre has had a café, cinema and gallery since 2014, and student groups there include a campus radio and several engineering teams. The art university is in a small, central campus where the studio is the main place to work.

The mix is practical: a lot of marine science, engineering, agriculture, economics and law, and a lot of students who come for one semester through Erasmus and stay for two. CAU lists more than 600 students from abroad arriving each year, in addition to those who apply for a full degree.

A pond with willows and reeds on the Kiel University campus, with a tall white university building behind the trees
The pond on the Kiel University campus near Musäusplatz.

What you pay each semester and each month

Studierendenwerk contribution (counselling, canteens, dorms)
89.00 EUR per semestersource
Deutschland-Semesterticket
226.80 EUR per semester, valid on local and regional transport across Germanysource
University administrative cost contribution
60.00 EUR per semestersource
Total semester contribution
403 EUR, to be paid in full for re-registration to be validsource
Cheapest dorm rooms
from 201 EUR a month (Dr Oetker House, Professor Anschütz House)source
Most expensive dorm range
up to 489 EUR a month (Edo-Osterloh House)source
Blocked account for the visa
11,904 EUR a year, 992 EUR a monthsource
Minijob income without tax
up to 556 EUR a monthsource

Figures for Kiel University in the 2026/27 winter semester and the Studierendenwerk halls. Food and private rent are not included.

Housing: dorms first

The Studierendenwerk runs ten halls of residence in Kiel with 1,964 places. Apply online through ipack.studentenwerk.sh as soon as you have a place to study, and write to wohnen@studentenwerk.sh with questions.

Food, sport and evenings

The Studierendenwerk runs canteens and cafeterias at the university sites in Kiel, with a Campus Card for payment, and publishes the menu and a CO2 score for each meal. There has been building work on the Mensa II site and some closures and reduced seating in recent months, so check the website for the canteen nearest your lecture hall.

Sport is easy to find. Kiel University's Hochschulsport covers sailing, rowing, canoeing and diving, and HAW students have their own sports programme through the AStA, booked through an external platform. Many students also join a club for handball or football, and watching THW Kiel or Holstein Kiel is a regular weekend plan.

Evenings are mostly café, cinema, house parties and the city's cultural offers. The AStA gives Kiel University students a free Kulturticket for theatre. In June the whole city is on the Kiellinie for Kiel Week, and in winter the light festival and ice festival give you something to do in the dark months.

Your first weeks

  1. 1

    Before you fly

    Apply for a room at the Studierendenwerk online. Open the blocked account (11,904 EUR a year for the visa) and have your health insurance proof ready. Ask your university's international office what to bring on day one.

  2. 2

    First week

    Register your address at the Kiel Einwohnermeldeamt. It works by appointment only, booked through the online portal at kiel.de. New slots appear every morning from 7:30, up to four weeks ahead. Call 115 or write to ema@kiel.de if you cannot find a slot.

  3. 3

    First two weeks

    Enrol at your university and pick up your student card. Your semester contribution already includes the Deutschland-Semesterticket, so you do not need to buy a separate transport pass.

  4. 4

    Within the first month

    Book an appointment at the Ausländerbehörde (Immigration Office) through the same kiel.de portal, listed there as Zuwanderung. Bring your passport, visa, enrolment certificate and proof of funds and insurance. Registration first, then the residence permit.

  5. 5

    In the first semester

    Open a German bank account if you have not, join one student group (AStA events, ESG WeltWeit, ESN buddy programme), and look at the Hochschulsport programme.

Working while you study

Students from outside the EU may work 140 full days or 280 half days a year. Working more needs permission from the Agentur für Arbeit and the Ausländerbehörde. A minijob that earns up to 556 EUR a month is tax-free. Student assistant jobs at the university or at GEOMAR are an exception to the day limit, though you still have to tell the foreigners' office.

The International Center of Kiel University has a programme called Fit 4 your Future in Germany for international graduates preparing for the German job market. The HAW also runs an Edu+Career project for its international students.

A red-brick building of the Muthesius Kunsthochschule with a yellow banner, bicycles and flowering shrubs in front
A studio building of the Muthesius Kunsthochschule.

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 Kiel as an Indian student

Kiel is a long way from the big Indian communities in Frankfurt and Munich, and the associations here are small. The city's list of foreign societies includes a Punjabi cultural society in Kiel and a German-Indian society in Postfeld, near Kiel. The city's interfaith map of places of worship lists no Hindu or Sikh site, so for a temple or gurdwara you will probably go to Hamburg.

English-taught programmes in Kiel

Soonest open deadline first. Every entry links to its official source.

Kiel University of Applied SciencesKiel University

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