- Founded
- 1851
- Students
- 1,700
- Programmes
- 8
- Taught in English
- 6
About Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt
The Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt is one of the oldest and most traditional music training institutions in Germany. Founded in 1851 as the Schmitt'sche Akademie für Tonkunst, it was taken over as a municipal institution and received state recognition in 1922. As a Kulturinstitut of the Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt, it combines a state-recognised University of Cooperative Education (Berufsakademie) with a broad municipal music school.
The academy operates across four educational tiers: a music school for learners of all ages (learn), a PreCollege preparatory programme (prepare), a Bachelor of Music degree programme (study), and postgraduate and advanced training courses (perform). Degree-level programmes cover instrumental performance, voice, composition, and choral conducting.
With over 1,700 pupils and students on a single modern campus in Darmstadt, the institution has an active concert and event life and participates in the Erasmus+ programme through the "Master Melodies" exchange initiative with partner institutions in Turkey, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Founded 1851 - one of Germany's oldest music academies
State-recognised University of Cooperative Education (Berufsakademie) awarding an accredited Bachelor of Music
Over 1,700 pupils and students across music school and degree programmes
Erasmus+ partner network including institutions in Turkey, Netherlands, and Spain
Part of the Darmstadt contemporary music ecosystem alongside the International Music Institute Darmstadt
Four educational tiers: music school, PreCollege, Bachelor's, and postgraduate programmes
Key facts
- Type
- Berufsakademie
- Founded
- 1851
- Students
- 1,700
- Programmes
- 8
Study programmes
8 accredited degrees at Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt, 6 of them taught in English.
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What it costs
As a public institution of the Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt, the music school component charges course fees per the published Unterrichts- und Entgeltordnung (effective 01.01.2023). The University of Cooperative Education (Berufsakademie) has a separate fee schedule updated October 2025; specific amounts are published in the downloadable 'Fees and charges of the University of Cooperative Education' PDF on the official website. Hessen does not levy semester tuition for non-EU students at public institutions of this type (no Baden-Württemberg or Bavaria non-EU surcharge applies), though semester contributions may apply.
Admission requirements
For the Bachelor of Music, applicants must hold a German Abitur or a comparable foreign school-leaving certificate (international equivalents accepted) and must pass a practical entrance examination (Aufnahmeprüfung). Entrance examination registration deadline is 30 April for the winter semester and 30 November for the summer semester. No APS certificate requirement is listed for Indian, Chinese, or Vietnamese applicants, but anabin recognition of prior qualifications applies. German language proficiency is required for degree study.
Application deadlines
Bachelor of Music entrance examination registration: 30 April (winter semester, starting October) and 30 November (summer semester, starting April). Applications submitted by post to the Berufsakademie office.
How international applicants apply
Direct application - no uni-assist: applicants register for the entrance examination (Aufnahmepruefung/Eignungspruefung) by post using the academy's own PDF form (registration deadline 31 January for winter semester / 30 June for summer semester, per the official programme page), attaching certified translations of foreign certificates directly. The Allgemeine Zulassungsordnung (AZO) requires the APS certificate only for applicants from the People's Republic of China; no uni-assist or VPD step exists.
Languages of instruction
Degree programmes are taught in German. Some postgraduate and masterclass activities may involve English-medium instruction.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Scholarships at Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt
3 schemes run or administered by the university. Always confirm current amounts and deadlines on the official page.
ERASMUS+ mobility (incoming and outgoing)
The academy participates in ERASMUS+; students of partner institutions can apply for an exchange stay, and own students can spend...
Amount: ERASMUS+ mobility grant (country-dependent)
Deadline: Internal submission deadline usually 15 January for mobilities in the...
Bachelor
Sparkassen-Stipendien fuer "Jugend musiziert" Preistraeger*innen
Annual scholarships awarded to winners of the 'Jugend musiziert' competition who enrol at the Akademie fuer Tonkunst. In 2023, 13...
Amount: Varies (total EUR 4,800 distributed among winners in 2023)
Deadline: Automatic upon enrolment after competition win
Bachelor
Zuschuesse des Foerdervereins (student grants from the friends association)
The academy's support association funds purchases, projects and continuing education for music pupils, students and teachers - inc...
Amount: Case-by-case subsidy from the association budget (approx. EUR 350,000...
Bachelor, Postgraduate, Certificate of Excellence, Zusatzfach
Campuses & locations
Ludwigshöhstraße 120, 64285 Darmstadt - single campus
Living in Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a medium-sized city of approximately 160,000 in southern Hessen, around 30 km south of Frankfurt am Main. Known as Wissenschaftsstadt (City of Science), it hosts TU Darmstadt, h_da (Hochschule Darmstadt), and numerous research institutes. The city has a strong cultural life including the International Music Institute Darmstadt, famous for its Darmstädter Ferienkurse for contemporary music, and good rail connections to Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Mannheim.
Student life & support
The academy has an active concert calendar and hosts events under the neue.tonkunst.darmstadt umbrella, featuring contemporary music, workshops, and collaborative performances with national and international guests. The institution participates in Erasmus+ exchanges, enabling student and teacher mobility to partner schools in Europe. The city of Darmstadt offers affordable living costs relative to Frankfurt and a lively arts and culture scene.
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