In short
Göttingen has 3 universities and colleges offering 299 degree courses (130 Bachelor's, 142 Master's), and 33% of them are taught in English or bilingually. A student flat costs about €519 a month (30 m² flat incl. utilities, MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026). Tuition for non-EU students: €0 — The University of Göttingen charges no tuition, including for non-EU students; you pay a semester contribution that includes the Deutschland-Semesterticket. PFH Göttingen is private and charges fees.
Göttingen is the archetypal German university town: about a fifth of the population are students, and the University of Göttingen, founded in 1737, shapes everything. The city counts more than 40 Nobel laureates linked to it, and several Max Planck institutes are based here. It is small, walkable and on a fast ICE line.
Universities in Göttingen
Every university and college in Göttingen in our catalogue, biggest first.
- Website of University of Göttingen (opens in a new tab)
University of Göttingen
University 247 courses
- Website of PFH - Private Hochschule Göttingen (opens in a new tab)
PFH - Private Hochschule Göttingen
University of applied sciences 48 courses
VWA und Berufsakademie Göttingen
Other institution 4 courses
Cost of living
What studying in Göttingen costs, from the latest figures we could source.
- Rent for a student flat
- ≈ €519 / month30 m² flat incl. utilities, MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026
- Tuition for non-EU students
- €0 / semesterPlus the semester contribution every student pays. The rules are summed up in In short.
- Proof of funds for a visa
- €992 / monthThe proof of funds German missions currently ask of student-visa applicants (€11,904 a year) — confirm with the German embassy or consulate handling your application.
Good to know
- Rent is below the middle of the 38 cities in the MLP 2026 study: about €519 for a 30 m² flat and €419 for a shared-flat room (MLP 2026), but housing gets tight at the start of the winter semester.
- Everything is within cycling distance; most students never need public transport in town.
- Research institutes on the north campus regularly advertise student assistant (HiWi) jobs.
Industries & employers
Big names that hire graduates, and offer internships and working-student jobs, in and around Göttingen.
Sartorius
Biotech & lab equipment
Lab and biopharma equipment group headquartered in Göttingen.
Max Planck institutes
Research
Several Max Planck institutes in Göttingen hire student assistants.
University Medical Center Göttingen
Healthcare
One of the region's largest employers.
Ottobock
Medical technology
Prosthetics maker headquartered in nearby Duderstadt, with sites in Göttingen.
Culture & people
Göttingen's identity is its university. The Brothers Grimm taught here, and mathematicians like Gauss and Hilbert made it a world centre of science. The Gänseliesel, a goose girl statue on the market square, is said to be the most-kissed girl in the world: new doctoral graduates climb the fountain to kiss her.
The old town is full of half-timbered houses, pubs and bookshops, and you can walk round it on the old city wall. Life is quiet in the holidays and busy in term time, with student parties and a strong music and theatre scene.
Events & festivals
Händel Festival
May
One of the world's oldest Handel festivals, founded in 1920.
Göttinger Literaturherbst
October
Literary festival with authors and scientists.
Christmas market
Late Nov – Dec
Market around the old town hall and the Gänseliesel.
Places to see
Gänseliesel
Landmark
The goose-girl fountain kissed by new doctors.
Old Town Hall
Old town
Medieval town hall on the market square.
City wall
Walk
A tree-lined path on the old ramparts around the centre.
Kiessee
Lake
Small lake south of the centre for walks and pedalos.
SUB Göttingen
Library
The large state and university library.
Getting around
Göttingen's buses and the regional trains are covered by the Deutschland-Semesterticket included in the semester contribution. The station is on the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed line, so ICE trains reach Hanover in about 35 minutes, Frankfurt in under two hours and Berlin in a little over two. Hannover Airport is the nearest major airport.
Student experiences
First-hand posts from students in Göttingen, read by our team before they appear.
Loading experiences…
Studying in Göttingen: FAQ
Is Göttingen expensive for students?
No. A 30 m² student flat costs about €519 a month and a shared-flat room about €419, below the mid-range figure of about €565 across the 38 cities studied (MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026).
Which universities are in Göttingen?
Göttingen has 3 universities in our catalogue: the University of Göttingen (Georg-August-Universität), founded in 1737, and the private PFH Göttingen.
Can I study in English in Göttingen?
Yes. 33% of Göttingen's 299 degree courses are taught in English or bilingually, especially science Master's and doctoral programmes.
Do I pay tuition fees in Göttingen?
No. The University of Göttingen is public and charges no tuition for EU or non-EU students; you pay only the semester contribution.
More guides in Lower Saxony
Sources
- MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026 (IW Köln) (opens in a new tab)
- University of Göttingen (opens in a new tab)
- International Handel Festival Göttingen (opens in a new tab)
- University and course numbers: the Where Is My Uni? catalogue, rebuilt from official university data.
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