In short
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has 7 universities and colleges offering 439 degree courses (159 Bachelor's, 192 Master's), and 27% of them are taught in English or bilingually. A student flat costs about €476 a month (30 m² flat in Rostock incl. utilities, MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026). 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).
Beaches, chalk cliffs and lakes on the Baltic — Germany's most thinly populated state, with small Hanseatic university towns. Rostock and Greifswald are among the oldest universities in northern Europe, rents are low, and the sea is never far away.
University cities
Every city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with a university. Cities with a guide link to it.
Rostock
2 universities 168 courses 14% in English
Greifswald
1 university 120 courses 54% in English
Wismar
1 university 87 courses 22% in English
Stralsund
1 university 33 courses 30% in English
Neubrandenburg
1 university 25 courses 12% in English
Güstrow
1 university 6 courses 0% in English
Cost of living
What studying in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania costs, from the latest figures we could source.
- Rent for a student flat
- ≈ €476 / month30 m² flat in Rostock 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
- Greifswald (≈ €405 for a 30 m² flat) and Rostock (≈ €476) are among the cheapest student cities in Germany (MLP 2026).
- The University of Rostock (1419) and the University of Greifswald (1456) are among the oldest universities in northern Europe.
- Fewer courses are taught in English here than in the big cities, so learning German pays off for daily life and part-time jobs.
Industries & employers
Big names that hire graduates, and offer internships and working-student jobs, in and around Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
AIDA Cruises
Tourism
Cruise line headquartered in Rostock.
Nordex
Wind energy
Builds wind-turbine nacelles in Rostock.
Liebherr
Machinery
Makes ship and offshore cranes at Rostock port.
thyssenkrupp Marine Systems
Shipbuilding
Took over the Wismar shipyard in 2022.
Centogene
Biotech
Genetic diagnostics company headquartered in Rostock.
Culture & people
People in Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania are known for being quiet and reserved — a dry 'Moin' and few words — but warm once you get to know them. Life slows down in winter and fills up with tourists in summer, when the beaches and islands are busy.
Expect red-brick Gothic churches, fish sandwiches and sea buckthorn (Sanddorn) in everything from juice to liqueur. Sailing, swimming and cycling along the coast are part of student life, and Low German still shows up in place names and local sayings.
Events & festivals
Hanse Sail, Rostock
August
One of the world's largest gatherings of traditional sailing ships, in Rostock and Warnemünde; entry is free.
Fusion Festival
Late June – early July
A large, non-commercial music and arts festival on a former airfield in Lärz.
Störtebeker Festspiele, Rügen
Summer
Open-air pirate theatre with ships, horses and fireworks on a lakeside stage in Ralswiek.
Places to see
Jasmund chalk cliffs, Rügen
UNESCO
White chalk cliffs and old beech forests above the Baltic, including the Königsstuhl.
Rostock & Warnemünde
City
A Hanseatic port city with its own beach resort, 20 minutes away by S-Bahn.
Wismar old town
UNESCO
Medieval Hanseatic harbour and brick churches, listed by UNESCO together with Stralsund.
Greifswald
City
A small university town and the birthplace of painter Caspar David Friedrich.
Müritz National Park
Nature
Lakes, forests and ospreys in the Mecklenburg Lake District — great for canoe trips.
Schwerin Castle
Castle
A fairy-tale palace on an island in the lake, now home to the state parliament.
Getting around
Rostock has an S-Bahn to Warnemünde and a tram network; Greifswald and Wismar are small enough to cycle everywhere. Most universities include the Deutschland-Semesterticket, which covers regional trains to the coast, the islands and the rest of Germany.
Direct trains run from Rostock to Berlin and to Hamburg in about two to two and a half hours. Rostock–Laage is a small airport; Hamburg and Berlin BER are the main ones. Ferries from Rostock sail to Denmark and Sweden.
Student experiences
First-hand posts from students in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, read by our team before they appear.
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Studying in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: FAQ
Is Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania cheap for students?
Yes. A 30 m² student flat costs about €405 a month in Greifswald and €476 in Rostock — Greifswald is among the three cheapest of the 38 cities in the MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026.
Do international students pay tuition in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania?
No. Public universities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania charge no tuition for regular degrees; students pay only the semester contribution.
Can I study in English in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania?
Some courses are in English — 27% of the 439 degree courses listed on Where Is My Uni? — but most teaching is in German, so German skills matter more here than in the big cities.
What is the best university city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania?
Rostock is the largest, with a full university and a beach at Warnemünde; Greifswald is a small, very student-friendly town; Wismar offers applied sciences on the Baltic coast.
How do I get around Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as a student?
Regional trains connect the university towns and the coast, and the Deutschland-Semesterticket covers them; a bike is the easiest way to get around Greifswald and Wismar.
Every district in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
A guide to each district and district-free city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: universities, housing, jobs, transport and weather.
Sources
- MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026 (IW Köln) (opens in a new tab)
- visit-mv.com — Hanse Sail Rostock (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia — Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia — University of Rostock (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia — University of Greifswald (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia — Jasmund National Park (opens in a new tab)
- University and course numbers: the Where Is My Uni? catalogue, rebuilt from official university data.
Ready to find your course in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania?
Open the map on Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: every university, every course, filtered by degree, subject, language and cost — free.