# Study in Brandenburg, Germany > Brandenburg has 23 universities and colleges offering 520 degree courses (245 Bachelor's, 265 Master's), and 31% of them are taught in English or bilingually. Tuition for non-EU students: €0 — Public universities charge no tuition for regular degrees; you pay only the semester contribution (about €100–400, usually including the semester ticket). Lakes and forests wrapped around Berlin, Potsdam's palaces and parks, and quieter university towns like Cottbus and Frankfurt (Oder) on the Polish border. Many students enjoy calmer, greener living here and take the train into Berlin for nights out. **Find a course:** https://app.whereismyuni.com/dashboard/map?area=BB ## Cost of living - Rent: no figure in the 2026 rent study - Tuition for non-EU students: €0 — Public universities charge no tuition for regular degrees; you pay only the semester contribution (about €100–400, usually including the semester ticket). - Potsdam is only about 25 minutes from Berlin Hauptbahnhof by regional train, and the semester ticket covers the trip. - The European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) shares a campus with Collegium Polonicum in Słubice, just across the river in Poland. - The Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam is a well-known place for IT and digital engineering. ## Industries & employers - **Tesla** (Automotive / EV): Gigafactory in Grünheide, south-east of Berlin, opened in 2022. - **Rolls-Royce** (Aero engines): Engine development and assembly in Dahlewitz, south of Berlin. - **Studio Babelsberg** (Film): One of the world's oldest large film studios, in Potsdam. - **BASF Schwarzheide** (Chemicals): Makes battery materials in southern Brandenburg. - **LEAG** (Energy): Lusatia's energy company, headquartered in Cottbus. ## Culture & people Brandenburg is the green ring around Berlin: about 3,000 lakes, pine forests and sandy soil, with Prussian history in Potsdam, where the kings built Sanssouci. People tend to be reserved at first and straightforward once you know them. In Lusatia around Cottbus lives the Sorbian (Wendish) minority, a Slavic people with their own language — you'll see bilingual German–Sorbian street signs. The Spreewald is famous for its pickled gherkins, and summer life revolves around swimming lakes. ## Events & festivals - **Baumblütenfest, Werder (Havel)** (Late April – early May): The fruit-tree blossom festival near Potsdam, famous for its local fruit wines. - **Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci** (June): Early-music concerts in the palaces and gardens of Potsdam. - **FilmFestival Cottbus** (November): Germany's leading festival of Eastern European cinema. ## Places to see - **Sanssouci, Potsdam** (UNESCO): Frederick the Great's summer palace and its terraced vineyards, part of a large UNESCO palace landscape. - **Potsdam** (City): Palaces, the Dutch Quarter and lakes on every side — Brandenburg's capital and biggest student city. - **Spreewald** (Nature): A maze of river channels you explore by punt or kayak; a UNESCO biosphere reserve. - **Cottbus** (City): Home of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, with Branitz Park, the landscape garden of Prince Pückler. - **Filmpark Babelsberg** (Film): A film theme park next to the historic studio where Metropolis was shot. ## Getting around Brandenburg shares the VBB transport network with Berlin. Most universities include the Deutschland-Semesterticket in the semester contribution, so regional trains to Berlin, the Spreewald and the rest of Germany are covered. Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) actually lies in Brandenburg, in Schönefeld. Regional express trains link Potsdam, Cottbus and Frankfurt (Oder) with Berlin in roughly 25 minutes to about 1 hour 20. ## FAQ ### Do international students pay tuition in Brandenburg? No. Brandenburg's public universities charge no tuition for regular bachelor's and consecutive master's degrees; students pay only the semester contribution, which usually includes the semester ticket. ### Is it cheaper to study in Brandenburg than in Berlin? Usually yes, especially outside Potsdam: towns like Cottbus and Frankfurt (Oder) have far lower rents than Berlin, where a 30 m² student flat costs about €725 a month (MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026). Potsdam is the priciest city in the state. ### Can I study in English in Brandenburg? Yes — 31% of the 520 degree courses listed for Brandenburg on Where Is My Uni? are taught in English or bilingually. ### What is the best university city in Brandenburg? Potsdam is the largest, with the University of Potsdam, the Hasso Plattner Institute and the Film University Babelsberg; Cottbus suits engineering and energy students, and Frankfurt (Oder) suits law, business and cultural studies. ### How do I get around Brandenburg as a student? Regional trains run through the shared Berlin–Brandenburg VBB network, and the Deutschland-Semesterticket included at most universities covers them, plus local transport across Germany. ## Sources - [Wikipedia — Brandenburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg) - [Wikipedia — Spreewald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spreewald) - [Wikipedia — Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigafactory_Berlin-Brandenburg) - [Wikipedia — Sorbs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbs) - [Wikipedia — Studio Babelsberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Babelsberg) - [Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci](https://www.festivalsindeutschland.de/festival/musikfestspiele-potsdam-sanssouci) - [MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026 (IW Köln)](https://www.iwkoeln.de/studien/michael-voigtlaender-christian-oberst-philipp-deschermeier-mlp-studentenwohnreport-2026.html) --- Published by [Where Is My Uni?](https://whereismyuni.com) — every German university on one map. Canonical page: https://whereismyuni.com/study-in/brandenburg. Last updated November 2026. [How we research](https://whereismyuni.com/study-in/how-we-research).