Studying in Munich Without German: LMU, TUM, HM Compared
TL;DR: You can study in Munich without German at LMU, TUM or Hochschule Muenchen (HM). TUM charges non-EU students 4,000 or 6,000 euros a semester on master's programmes and 2,000 or 3,000 on bachelor's; LMU and HM charge no tuition. All three are selective, and Munich is the most expensive student city in Germany.
Three universities, one city, and a real cost difference between them. LMU and HM take no tuition from you. TUM charges non-EU students, and the amounts are large enough to change which offer you accept. Over a two-year master's in Germany's priciest city, that is the decision worth making deliberately rather than discovering in an enrolment email.
What TUM actually charges, and who escapes it
TUM introduced tuition fees for international students from non-EU and non-EEA countries for students newly enrolling from the winter semester 2024/25. Bachelor's programmes are usually 2,000 or 3,000 euros per semester and master's programmes usually 4,000 or 6,000 euros per semester, with the exact figure published on each degree programme's own page. Do not assume the lower band.
The exemption list is longer than most applicants realise, and one line on it is worth real money. Exempt are EU and EEA citizens including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, doctoral candidates, exchange students, Studienkolleg students, students on state examination programmes, holders of a German higher education entrance qualification, and applicants with an established domestic connection under section 8 of the BAfoeG. On top of that, students who completed a bachelor's degree at a German university pay no tuition on a subsequent master's, provided the proof reaches TUM by the enrolment deadline. If you are weighing a German bachelor's against one at home, that is a four-figure argument per semester.
Everyone also pays the semester fee, which for the 2026 summer semester is 97 euros at the Munich, Garching and Weihenstephan campuses. Payment deadlines are 15 March for first-time enrolment in the summer semester and 15 September for the winter, with re-enrolment a month earlier each time. See the TUM admissions guide: fees, deadlines and the VPD.
| School | Tuition | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| LMU | No fee | Research, all-round |
| TUM | 4,000-6,000/sem master's, 2,000-3,000 bachelor's, non-EU | Engineering, CS |
| HM | No fee | Applied, business |
The bill the visa office asks for first
Here is the part that turns tuition from a future cost into a present one. The German missions in India require, for a student visa, that the first two semesters of tuition fees have been paid, because the visa section has to satisfy itself you can finance a year. On a TUM master's at the upper band that is 12,000 euros transferred before you fly, on top of the blocked account.
Two related rules from the same visa FAQ save people a lot of grief. An education loan sits on top of the blocked account rather than replacing it, and the Indian affidavit of support is not accepted in place of a blocked account or an official German sponsorship declaration. And if a scholarship already covers your monthly living costs at the required rate, you do not need a blocked account at all. See how to open a blocked account.
LMU: broad, research-led, free
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet is the all-rounder, with English-taught master's across the humanities, the sciences and the social sciences. It charges no tuition. Bavarian law does allow universities to charge non-EU students, and TUM proves the point, so confirm the current fee page of any Bavarian university before you build a budget on the word "free". See the English-taught programmes available across Germany.
HM: the route that most people can actually take
Hochschule Muenchen is a university of applied sciences, with hands-on, English-taught programmes in business, engineering and design. Admission is noticeably more accessible than LMU or TUM, and there is no tuition. If your grades are solid rather than exceptional and you want to be in Munich, HM is the honest answer. See how applied and research universities differ in Germany.
The VPD and the APS, in the order TUM wants them
These two documents are where Munich applications go wrong, and they behave differently.
The VPD is a uni-assist preliminary review. At TUM it is required of every applicant for a bachelor's or state examination programme who did not obtain their higher education entrance qualification in Germany. Order it by 15 July for the winter semester or 15 January for the summer, and start earlier than that, because uni-assist usually needs about four to six weeks. uni-assist charges 75 euros for the first course of study in a semester and 30 euros for each further one, non-refundable whatever the result. The good news is that a VPD is accepted at TUM for three years after it is issued, so one order can cover more than one attempt.
The APS works the other way round. TUM requires it from applicants with Chinese, Vietnamese or Indian school or university qualifications, but treats it as an enrolment document: you upload the digitally signed certificate to TUMonline after you receive an offer, and if it has not arrived in time you may submit it up to five weeks after lectures begin. Studienkolleg applicants are the exception and must upload it before the application deadline. You are only enrolled once every document is in. Details in the APS process in all four countries.
What Munich costs
Budget 1,000 to 1,400 euros a month and expect the flat search to be the hardest part of your first semester. Add TUM tuition if that is your choice, and the 11,904 euros blocked-account deposit for the visa either way. Note that the blocked account releases roughly 992 euros a month, which is below the bottom of that Munich range, so plan the gap rather than discovering it in October. See what a year in Germany actually costs an Indian student.
Start in English, learn German anyway
Nothing stops you studying entirely in English here. Most universities run free or cheap German courses alongside the degree, and there is a straightforward reason to take one: part-time jobs, flat viewings and anything outside an international company go better in German. One warning for the visa file, though: the German missions in India explicitly reject medium-of-instruction letters and exemption letters in place of a recognised English certificate, and say an application can be refused if you keep sending them. Read how much German you actually need.
Working and staying on
Students can work 140 full days or 280 half days a year, up to 20 hours a week during term. Munich's tech, automotive and finance employers hire English speakers, particularly the international firms. After graduation the 18-month job-seeker visa gives you time to convert a role into a work permit and later permanent residence. See the rules on working during your studies and what the 18-month job-seeker visa lets you do.
Sources
- TUM tuition fees for international students
- TUM on uni-assist and the VPD
- TUM on the APS certificate
- uni-assist handling fees
- LMU Munich
- Hochschule Muenchen
Deciding between the three? A free profile evaluation compares LMU, TUM and HM against your grades, your subject and your budget.
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