Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Founded: 1502
Students: 18,789
International: 9.3%
Programmes: 161
Taught in English: 3

Overview Programmes161 Admissions & fees Scholarships19 Accommodation Campus & life

About Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) is one of Germany's oldest universities, founded in 1502 as the University of Wittenberg and later merged with the University of Halle (founded 1694) in 1817. It is a public comprehensive research university in Sachsen-Anhalt, offering more than 234 study programmes across the arts, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, law, economics, and medicine. The university operates its own university hospital (Universitätsklinikum Halle) and maintains more than 40 academic collections and museums.

MLU hosts approximately 2,100 international students and partners with more than 200 institutions worldwide through exchange programmes and joint research. It is a member of the German U15 alliance of research-intensive comprehensive universities. The university is committed to what it describes as a worldopen (weltoffene) academic environment and actively supports international mobility via its dedicated International Office (www.international.uni-halle.de).

The main campus is located in the city centre of Halle (Saale), Saxony-Anhalt. Study is largely in German, with a growing selection of English-taught master's programmes in natural sciences, humanities, and area studies.

Founded in 1502 - one of the oldest universities in the German-speaking world, with over 500 years of continuous operation

Member of the U15 alliance of major German research universities

Approximately 2,100 international students from more than 200 partner institutions worldwide

More than 234 study programmes including nine English-taught master's programmes in natural sciences, humanities, and area studies

No tuition fees for first-degree students of any nationality (Saxony-Anhalt state policy)

Over 40 academic collections and museums, and an affiliated university hospital (Universitätsklinikum Halle)

APS certificate mandatory for applicants with qualifications from India, China, or Vietnam

Key facts

Type: Universitäten
Founded: 1502
Students: 18,789
International: 1,754 of 18,789 students are international, about 9.3% (official facts and figures, as per 31 October 2025)
Faculties: 9
Programmes: 161

Admissions & fees

What it costs

Sachsen-Anhalt does not charge tuition fees for first-degree studies, regardless of nationality (EU or non-EU). Regular studies at MLU are tuition-free. A mandatory semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) is payable each semester; the exact current amount is published on the university's fee page (studgebuehr.verwaltung.uni-halle.de) and was not specified on the pages reviewed. A fee of €500 per semester applies only to students pursuing a second degree or students aged 60 and above. Long-term study fees were abolished from winter semester 2020/2021.

Admission requirements

International applicants must hold a qualification recognised as equivalent to the German Hochschulzugangsberechtigung. Applications from holders of degrees awarded outside Germany are processed via uni-assist. For German-taught programmes, language proficiency must be demonstrated by one of: DSH-2, TestDaF with at least 4 points in each of the four sections, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule, Goethe-Zertifikat C2, Deutsches Sprachdiplom Stufe 2 (DSD-II), or ÖSD C2. Nine English-taught programmes can be studied without a German language certificate. APS certificate (Akademische Prüfstelle): applicants whose prior qualifications are from India, China, or Vietnam must submit a valid APS certificate as part of the application - this is a mandatory document. Applicants from Pakistan must provide an HEC Attestation. All documents not in German or English require sworn translations.

Application deadlines

Bachelor's programmes: 15 July for the winter semester (starting October); 15 January for the summer semester (starting April). Consecutive master's programmes: 15 June for the winter semester; 15 December for the summer semester. Individual programmes may have earlier or different deadlines (e.g. MSc Pharmaceutical and Industrial Biotechnology: 31 March). Applications are submitted via uni-assist for international applicants.

How international applicants apply

Full uni-assist procedure. All applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification (or IB/FSP) apply EXCLUSIVELY via the uni-assist portal (standard procedure; the VPS special procedure is not allowed). MLU then evaluates and admits. Exceptions: EU/EEA applicants for DoSV bachelor programmes first register with hochschulstart.de for BID/BAN numbers before applying via uni-assist, and EU/EEA applicants for Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy apply exclusively via hochschulstart.de instead of uni-assist.

Languages of instruction

The majority of programmes are taught in German. A growing number of master's programmes are offered in English, including Biodiversity Sciences, Pharmaceutical and Industrial Biotechnology, Polymer Materials Science, Anglo-American Literature Language and Culture, Applied Geosciences, Christianity in Global Transformations, and International Area Studies - Global Change Geography. A total of nine English-taught degree programmes are available without German language proof requirement. The university's study-offer portal (studienangebot.uni-halle.de) lists all programmes with their language of instruction.

Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.

Student accommodation

What Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.

Rooms are allocated by

Studentenwerk Halle

Not by the university. Apply to them directly, and expect a waiting list.

From the university

Where to apply

Named on this university's own pages.

Studentenwerk

Start early

Halls of residence in Germany are allocated by waiting list and are usually oversubscribed. Apply as soon as you hold an admission letter, and keep looking on the private market in parallel.

Ask the International Office

They answer housing questions from admitted students.

Housing & support pages [email protected]

Living in Halle

Rent is the largest part of the blocked account, and it varies far more by city than by university.

Cost of living guides

Campuses & locations

Halle (Saale) - main campus

City-centre campus housing the majority of faculties, the central library, administration, and student services. Address of the International Office: Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße 19/20, 06108 Halle (Saale).

Wittenberg

Historic secondary location associated with the university's founding as the University of Wittenberg in 1502; limited academic activity today, mainly ceremonial and historical.

Living in Halle

Halle (Saale) is a city of approximately 240,000 inhabitants in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, located on the Saale river about 30 km north of Leipzig. It is one of the larger cities in eastern Germany and has a significant student population relative to its size. The cost of living is considerably lower than in major western German cities. Halle is well connected by rail, with direct ICE services to Leipzig, Berlin, and Frankfurt. The city has a lively cultural scene, including the Händel-Haus (birthplace of composer George Frideric Handel) and the Franckesche Stiftungen, a UNESCO World Heritage candidate site.

Student life & support

Student accommodation in Halle is managed by Studentenwerk Halle, which operates 11 dormitories across the city (including facilities at Weinberg, Hoher Weg, Brandbergweg, and others). Approximately 600 dormitory places are awarded per semester from roughly 1,800 applications; early application is strongly recommended. The MLU International Office (Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße 19/20; [email protected]) provides orientation, advising, and support services for incoming international students. The university offers German language courses for international students through its language centre. The International Office also maintains an active Facebook presence (facebook.com/InternationalOfficeUniHalle) for event updates.

International Office [email protected] International students page →

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Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

About Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Key facts

Study programmes

Biologie, M.Sc.

Business Economics, B.Sc.

Chemie, B.Sc.

Chemie, M.Sc.

Deutsch als Fremdsprache (DaF) (45/75 LP), M.A.

Deutsche Literatur und Kultur (45/75 LP), M.A.

Deutsche Sprache und Literatur (60LP), B.A.

Deutsche Sprache und Literatur (90 LP), B.A.

Deutsche Sprache und Literatur, M.A.

Economics: Data Science and Policy, M.Sc.

Englische Sprache und Literatur (45/75 LP), M.A.

Ernährungswissenschaften, B.Sc.

Ernährungswissenschaften, M.Sc.

Erneuerbare Energien, M.Sc.

Erziehungswissenschaft (90 LP), B.A.

Erziehungswissenschaft, B.A.

Erziehungswissenschaft, M.A.

Ethnologie (Teilstudiengang, 60 LP), B.A.

Ethnologie (Teilstudiengang, 90 LP), B.A.

Ethnologie/ Social and Cultural Anthropology (45/75 LP), M.A.

Ethnologie/ Social and Cultural Anthropology, M.A.

Europäische und internationale Wirtschaft, M.Sc.

Evangelische Theologie (120 LP), B.A.

Evangelische Theologie (45/75 LP), M.A.

Admissions & fees

What it costs

Admission requirements

Application deadlines

How international applicants apply

Languages of instruction

Scholarships at Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Aufstiegsstipendium (SBB/BMBF)

BAföG (Studierendenwerk Halle)

Begabtenförderungswerke (13 große Werke) – Beratung über Career Center

BIDS scholarship for PASCH/DSD school graduates

DAAD Prize (MLU Halle-Wittenberg)

Deutschlandstipendium (MLU Halle-Wittenberg)

Deutschlandstipendium an der MLU Halle-Wittenberg

Evangelische Stipendien (für Theologiestudierende)

Hilde Domin Programme

KfW-Studienkredit / Bildungskredit

Landesstipendium Sachsen-Anhalt (für MLU-Studierende)

PROMOS-Stipendien für Auslandsaufenthalte (DAAD / International Office)

Promotionsabschlussstipendien des International Office (DAAD / PhD Network)

Promotionsstipendien der Medizinischen Fakultät (Promotionskollegs)

Startklar-Stipendium

Startklar-Stipendium (DAAD / International Office)

STIBET I – Studienabschluss-Stipendium für internationale Studierende (DAAD)

STIBET scholarships for international students and doctoral candidates

Stipendiendatenbanken & Suchportale (MLU-Empfehlung)

Student accommodation

From the university

Where to apply

Campuses & locations

Living in Halle

Student life & support

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