Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock
Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
- Founded
- 1994
- Students
- 570
- International
- 30%
- Programmes
- 5
- Taught in English
- 5
About Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock
The Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock (hmt Rostock) is a specialised public arts university founded on 12 January 1994, though its institutional roots go back to a 1947 music college and a 1968 drama school that were later merged. It is one of Germany's smaller conservatoire-style universities, enrolling around 570 students from 40 countries, with approximately 30 percent of its student body being international.
The university is organised into four departments: Music (performance and singing), Musicology/Music Theory/Composition, Music Education and Theatre Education, and Drama (Acting). It offers Bachelor's, Master's, and doctoral programmes across these fields. Notable research initiatives include the Centre for Ostracised Music and a dedicated film-music research strand within Musicology. The university produces approximately 400 public performances per year.
Since 2001 the hmt has been housed in the restored Katharinenstift, a listed historic building in Rostock's eastern old town. The institution is a member of the Association Européenne des Conservatoires (AEC) and participates in the NORDPLUS Music network. It does not charge tuition fees for first Bachelor's or consecutive Master's degrees.
~30% international students from 40 countries - strong international conservatoire community
No tuition fees for first Bachelor's and consecutive Master's degrees
Four departments: Music, Musicology/Theory/Composition, Music & Theatre Education, Drama
~400 public performances per year - high practical stage exposure
Centre for Ostracised Music - unique research focus on suppressed 20th-century repertoire
Member of Association Européenne des Conservatoires (AEC) and NORDPLUS Music network
Historic Katharinenstift campus in Rostock's UNESCO-listed old town
Key facts
- Founded
- 1994
- Students
- 570
- International
- ~30% international students from 40 countries
- Faculties
- 4
- Programmes
- 5
Study programmes
5 accredited degrees at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock, 5 of them taught in English.
Showing 1–5 of 5 programmes
Admissions & fees
What it costs
No tuition fees are charged for first Bachelor's and consecutive Master's degrees at this state-funded public university in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Continuing education (non-consecutive) Master's programmes may carry fees. A semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) covering administrative costs, student council, and the semester transport ticket is payable each semester; the exact amount is not published on the official website - contact the university directly for the current figure. There is an entrance examination fee of approximately €50.
Admission requirements
Admission to all programmes at hmt Rostock requires passing a two-stage entrance examination (Aufnahmeprüfung): an initial online qualifying round followed by in-person examination. Applications are submitted via the university's online portal with document upload. German language proficiency at C-level is required for most degree programmes; international applicants from outside the EU must obtain a German student visa after receiving an admission offer. APS certificate: the standard German APS requirement applies for applicants whose prior qualifications are from India, China, or Vietnam - the university itself does not waive this federal prerequisite. Recognition of foreign qualifications follows the German anabin/KMK process. The International Office (Linda-Sophie Blochberger, [email protected]) advises international applicants on visa and integration.
Application deadlines
Winter semester (October start): application portal open March 1 - April 15; entrance examinations in June (e.g. June 15-18 for WS 2026/27). Summer semester (April start): application portal open October 1 - November 15; entrance examinations in January (e.g. January 11-13 for SS 2027). Deadlines for DAAD STIBET scholarship: April 15 (summer semester) and October 15 (winter semester).
How international applicants apply
No uni-assist. Two-step procedure run entirely on the university's own digital application portal: online application (winter semester 1 Mar - 15 Apr; summer semester 1 Oct - 15 Nov) followed by the Eignungspruefung, which includes a binding internal German test (C-Test) for all non-native speakers. Conditional admission with B1 (paid language course) or entry to a preparatory year below B1 are possible. The Eignungspruefungsordnung requires registration solely via this platform.
Languages of instruction
Instruction is primarily in German. German language proficiency (typically C1 level) is required for most programmes. The university website is available in German and English.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Scholarships at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock
6 schemes run or administered by the university. Always confirm current amounts and deadlines on the official page.
Caspar-David-Friedrich-Stipendium
12-month scholarship for artists with a completed degree who plan an artistic project at hmt Rostock.
Amount: Stipend per LGFG M-V rates
Deadline: 31 January each year
Postgraduate artists
Deutschlandstipendium (hmt Rostock)
EUR 300 per month for all students at the hmt Rostock, funded jointly by private donors and the federal government. Currently 19 s...
Amount: EUR 300 per month
Deadline: 31 March each year
Bachelor, Master, Teacher Training
Dr. Herbert und Anne-Marie Lembcke Ad-Infinitum-Foundation scholarship
For students of the Institutes of Music and Acting who show outstanding artistic achievement and whose own financial means do not...
Amount: Monthly stipend (amount set in annual call)
Deadline: 31 January each year
Bachelor, Master, Diplom
Giovanni Omodeo-Stipendium
One-time award for voice students at hmt Rostock (BA Gesang, MA Buehnengesang or MA Konzertgesang), not on leave in the respective...
Amount: EUR 3,000 (master) / EUR 2,700 (bachelor) one-time payment
Deadline: 15 January each year
Bachelor, Master
PROMOS mobility programme (hmt Rostock)
Mainly funds study trips of hmt Rostock students; competition trips, study stays and internships abroad also possible. Free-form a...
Amount: Travel/participation subsidy per PROMOS rules
Deadline: Annual round - e.g., 19 July 2026 for projects in 2027
Bachelor, Master, Diplom
STIBET I - DAAD scholarships for international students and doctoral candidates
Semester-based completion/support grants for all regularly enrolled international students and doctoral candidates at hmt Rostock...
Amount: Semester grant (per current call)
Deadline: Per current call - usually 15 April (summer semester) and 15 October (...
Bachelor, Master, Doctorate
Student accommodation
What Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
From the university
Rostock's student population (boosted by the larger University of Rostock nearby) supports affordable housing, cafes, and cultural venues in the old town.
Campuses & locations
Main and only campus. A restored listed historic building at Beim St.-Katharinenstift 8, in Rostock's eastern old town, in use since 2001.
Living in Rostock
Rostock is the largest city in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in north-eastern Germany, situated on the Baltic Sea coast. It is a historic Hanseatic port city with a well-preserved medieval old town, home to the University of Rostock (founded 1419, the oldest university in the Baltic Sea region). The city has a population of around 210,000 and offers a relatively low cost of living compared to western German cities, a lively student scene, and good rail connections to Hamburg and Berlin.
Student life & support
With around 570 students the hmt Rostock is an intentionally small institution, allowing close contact between students and faculty. The university stages roughly 400 public performances per year - concerts, theatre productions, and recitals - giving students frequent stage experience. The Young Academy Rostock (YARO) programme connects hmt students with the local Philharmonic. Scholarships available to enrolled students include the Deutschlandstipendium (€300/month, 19 places), the DAAD STIBET grant for international students, and several foundation awards. Rostock's student population (boosted by the larger University of Rostock nearby) supports affordable housing, cafes, and cultural venues in the old town.
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