University in Germany
Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany
University profile
The Hochschule für Musik und Theater «Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy» Leipzig (HMT) is a state academy of music and drama in the centre of Leipzig, Saxony. It traces its origins to the Leipzig Conservatory of Music opened by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy on 2 April 1843, the first higher institution for musicians in what is now Germany, and took its present form in 1992 when the music academy merged with the Hans Otto theatre academy. Its core task is the professional training of musicians, music educators, actors and dramaturgs.
Teaching is organised in three faculties. Faculty I covers Blasinstrumente/Schlagzeug, Jazz/Popularmusik, Klavier/Dirigieren and Streichinstrumente/Harfe. Faculty II, the stage-related faculty, brings together Alte Musik, Klassischer Gesang/Musiktheater and the Schauspielinstitut «Hans Otto». Faculty III, the largest, combines art, pedagogy and scholarship in the Fachrichtung Dramaturgie, the Fachrichtung Komposition/Tonsatz, the Institut für Musikpädagogik, the Institut für Musikwissenschaft and the Kirchenmusikalisches Institut. Degrees run from Bachelor and Master through the artistic Meisterklasse (Meisterschülerstudium) to doctorate and habilitation, and the Institut für Musikpädagogik also teaches the music components of teacher-training courses in cooperation with the University of Leipzig.
Cross-faculty centres include the Zentrum für Gegenwartsmusik (founded 2016), the Zentrum für Kammermusik and the Zentrum für Nachwuchsförderung, which links the academy with music schools and young talent. The HMT takes part in the Netzwerk Musikermedizin Leipzig with the University Hospital Leipzig and the Mitteldeutsches Institut für Arbeitsmedizin, and in the Netzwerk 4.0 of 18 German music academies. The Mendelssohn-Orchesterakademie, run jointly with the Gewandhaus Orchestra since 2004, and the Sängerakademie, Orgelakademie and Europäische Kammermusik-Akademie extend the programme beyond regular degrees.
The academy has almost 1,300 students, about one third of them from abroad, and cooperates with partner conservatories across Europe and worldwide. It is a member of the Association Européenne des Conservatoires (AEC) and holds an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (held since 2007). Performances take place in the Großer Saal (430 seats, opened 2001), the Kammermusiksaal (120 seats) and the Großer Probesaal at Dittrichring 21, and the academy library and archive serve students and the public. Student services such as housing advice, counselling and financial help are provided with the Studentenwerk Leipzig, and the semester fee includes the Deutschlandsemesterticket for public transport.
As a Saxon state institution, the HMT is governed under the Saxon Higher Education Act by the Senate, the Extended Senate, the Rectorate (Rector Prof. Gerald Fauth) and the Hochschulrat, and holds the right to award doctorates and the habilitation through Faculty III.
Study at the HMT carries no general tuition for EU students, who pay the semester contribution only. Tuition applies to specific groups, per semester: students who are not nationals of an EU member state EUR 1,800; second degree EUR 900; long-term study EUR 500; guest students with individual tuition after an entrance examination EUR 750; Nachwuchsförderklasse EUR 600; guest students without examination EUR 50. Fee waivers, deferrals or part payments can be requested through HMT Campus (deadlines 15 November for the winter semester and 15 May for the summer semester). Other charges include the EUR 50 application fee.
Full students pay a Semesterbeitrag of EUR 330.80 for the winter semester 2026/27, collected for the Studentenwerk Leipzig and the student council: Studentenwerk social services EUR 11.20, canteens and cafeterias EUR 78.80, mobility fund EUR 4.00, Deutschlandsemesterticket EUR 226.80 and the HMT student council EUR 10.00. Exemption is granted by the Studentenwerk for a full semester of leave and absence from Leipzig.
All enrolled students from non-EU states who have not exceeded the standard period of study may apply; the sole criterion is demonstrated financial need. Support covers up to the amount of the tuition fee owed and is credited rather than paid out. Applications are made once a year for the winter semester after full enrolment, with income and expenses of the last three months and, for applicants up to 25, parents' income evidence; the deadline for the 2027 scholarship year is 15 November 2026. See the HMT scholarship page.
Talented and committed students of any nationality, regardless of income, can receive EUR 300 per month, half funded by the federal government and half by private donors (EUR 1,800 of private funds finances one year). In 2024/25 39 students were supported. Applications use the Deutschlandstipendium form on the official page.
The Stiftung der Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig (established 2009) supports teaching and research. The Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes and other funding bodies are listed on the HMT scholarship page, and the DAAD offers scholarship programmes for international students; DAAD applications are submitted in the home country through the German embassy or DAAD office. The HMT also confers the DAAD prize for outstanding international students annually. The Studentenwerk Leipzig offers help in financial emergencies. Erasmus+ exchange is open to enrolled students from the third semester onward.
Deutschlandstipendium at HMT Leipzig →
HMT Leipzig Scholarship for Non-EU Students (fee scholarship) →
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View scholarships for Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Leipzig →Admission to artistic degrees depends on passing an entrance examination (Aufnahmeprüfung or Eignungstest) in the chosen subject. A school-leaving certificate (Abitur) is required only for Dramaturgie, Schulmusik (teacher training) and Musikwissenschaft; other artistic programmes do not require it. The maximum age at the start of the first Bachelor semester is 25 for most artistic degrees (higher for admission into the 5th semester), with no age limit for teacher training; Alte Musik, Jazz/Popularmusik, Komposition, Tonsatz, Elektroakustische Musik, Kirchenmusik, Orgel and Chor- und Ensembleleitung are exempt. Master artistic degrees have a maximum age of 30 and the Meisterschülerstudium 32, with the same exemptions (and Kammermusik for the latter). First-semester entry to Bachelor programmes is only possible for the winter semester, except for a few programmes with summer-semester procedures.
Applications go directly to the HMT through its online application portal (no uni-assist). Applicants register, enter the application, upload a signed application form, CV and proof of payment of the EUR 50 application fee (one fee per application semester; up to three applications can be filed in one procedure), and the first round is judged on submitted videos, portfolios or scores. Selected applicants are invited, about three weeks beforehand, to in-person entrance examinations. A failed examination may be repeated once in the same programme and main subject (Schauspiel: twice). Registration windows for the winter semester 2027/28: Schauspiel 1-30 November 2026; Music, teacher training, Dramaturgie and Nachwuchsförderklasse 1-31 March 2027 (upload deadline 31 March 2027); Master Musikwissenschaft 1-31 May 2027. In-person examinations take place 1 February-17 March 2027 and 31 May-5 June 2027 depending on subject, and the winter semester begins on 4 October 2027. For the summer semester 2027, registration for selected Music programmes is 1-30 November 2026, with examinations from 1 to 5 February 2027 and the semester starting on 22 March 2027.
Requirements are a university entrance qualification where applicable, subject-specific artistic aptitude and proof of good German. For the in-person examination, applicants must hold a recognised language certificate: German B2 for Bachelor Klassischer Gesang and Dirigieren; B1 for other Bachelor programmes and artistic Master programmes; B2 for Master Klassischer Gesang and Operngesang; C1 for music pedagogy programmes, Chor- und Ensembleleitung, Dirigieren, Kirchenmusik and Elementare Musik- und Tanzpädagogik; C1 German plus English B2 for Master Musikwissenschaft; Meisterklasse programmes recommend B1. Accepted certificates include TestDaF, telc, Goethe-Zertifikat, UNICert and ÖSD, and certificates from language schools with recognised quality management are also accepted. Applicants for singing and the intensive Master Schauspiel, and in teacher training at enrolment, must supply a phoniatric medical report. Applicants with school or university qualifications from China, Vietnam or India need an APS certificate. A study applicant visa is requested at the German embassy and converted into a student visa by the local immigration office after admission; proof of financing is needed, and the residence permit for study can be applied for online with the City of Leipzig. Health insurance proof is required for enrolment.
Master programmes require a completed relevant first degree, which must be submitted within one grace semester of enrolment, plus the entrance examination or portfolio. Doctorates and habilitation are offered in musicology, music pedagogy and theatre and media studies/dramaturgy under the Promotionsordnung and Habilitationsordnung; applicants file a form 'Antrag auf Zulassung zur Promotion/zum Graduiertenstudium' with the required documents by email, and may follow the Graduiertenstudium alongside the doctorate.
The HMT occupies several historic buildings in Leipzig.
The Hochschulbibliothek at Grassistraße 8 (open Monday to Thursday 11:00-19:00, Friday 11:00-14:00) lends books, scores, CDs and instruments, and offers study space and technology loans; the Hochschularchiv holds historical collections. The Tonstudio and Videostudio, PC pools, a Künstlerisches Betriebsbüro for concerts and performances, and counselling services including psychological counselling and Musiker:innenmedizin are available to students. Buildings are open Monday to Friday 08:00-22:00 and at weekends 10:00-22:00.
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