Germany–the country where the first modern Universität (university), Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, was founded–is home to more than 370 institutes of higher learning, which include traditional universities where degrees in the arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, economics, law and medicine are pursued, as well as vocational schools devoted to applied sciences (such as computer science), music and the arts. Every year, a smattering of Germany’s top universities–namely Heidelberg’s Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Munich’s Technische Universität (Technical University) and Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Berlin’s Freie Universität, Freiburg’s Albert-Ludwigs-Universität and Göttingen’s Georg-August-Universität–make it onto the list of the Top 200 World Universities, a ranking published by the Times Higher Education (www.timeshighereducation.co.uk). Germany’s network of technical universities–including the oldest, Technische Universität Braunschweig–are also widely praised.

In 2002, in response to European Union education reforms, Germany’s Center for University Development (CHE) and the newspaper Die Zeit, launched a college ranking system of their own to publicize the stature of–and fuel competitiveness among–Germany’s universities. In 1999, the E.U. initiated the Bologna Process, a set of procedures designed to create a standardized, European-wide system of schools where students receive equivalent degrees recognized in all member countries. In response to Bologna, Europe’s universities have revved up their institutes of higher education to attract prospective students beyond their country’s borders; the CHE rankings are part of this effort. The rankings (anking.zeit.de/che9/CHE) rate schools according to subject area–from Amerikanistik (American Studies) to Zahnmedizin (denistry).

As far as most visitors to Germany are concerned, it’s the prettiest (and not necessarily the brainiest) campuses that are worth noting.  According to a poll of students and professors published in Die Zeit, the neo-classical Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin came out on top. Marburg’s hill-top Philipps-Universität, Universität Leipzig, Göttingen’s  Georg-August-Universität, Munich’s Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität,  Heidelberg’s Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Tübingen’s Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Bonn’s Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Universität Mannheim, and Freiburg’s Albert-Ludwigs-Universität also win beauty points.

For more information about the country’s universities, check out the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD, www. www.daad.de).

Photo by: Rudi Heim