University in Germany
Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
University profile
The Hochschule für Musik Würzburg (HfM Würzburg) is a state university of music in the centre of Würzburg, Bavaria. Its origins go back to 1804, which makes it one of the oldest institutions in Germany devoted to musical training. Today around 250 instructors from many countries teach about 650 students each year, and teaching is in German.
The subject range covers conducting, composition, all orchestral instruments, accordion, voice, guitar, piano, organ, saxophone and classical percussion. Particular emphasis lies on Elementare Musikpädagogik, historic instruments, jazz, chamber music, church music and school music (Schulmusik). Scholarly and music-communication subjects complement the practice-based programmes. The Bachelor and Master degrees are topped up at the third cycle by the artistic Meisterklasse and the possibility of a doctorate in cooperation with a university. The PreCollege offers early support for musically gifted children.
The school is organised in subject groups (Fachgruppen) such as woodwind, brass, strings, accordion, conducting, voice and opera school, guitar, harp, historic instruments, jazz, rock and pop, chamber music and repetiteurs, piano, organ and church music, classical percussion, composition and music theory, instrumental and vocal pedagogy with Elementare Musikpädagogik, musicology and musicians' health, and music education for the teaching profession.
The HfM occupies buildings at Hofstallstraße, Residenzplatz and Bibrastraße (with the Mozartareal also in use) in the city centre. Facilities include practice rooms, teaching rooms with fine instruments, a large lecture hall, two chamber music halls, the Großer Saal with its Klais concert organ, a theatre, a library, a recording studio and a studio for experimental electronic music. More than 250 public events a year include choir, symphony and chamber concerts, two opera projects each year, class evenings and the festivals Tage für Alte Musik and Tage für Neue Musik.
International students are supported by the International Office, which since 2015 has run an International Welcome Day, a German course, regular get-togethers and excursions. Erasmus+ partnerships cover almost 70 institutions in nearly 30 countries, with further partners in Brazil, Israel, Japan, the USA and Ukraine. Würzburg is home to about 34,000 students at three higher education institutions. The HfM works within the Bavarian system of Hochschulverträge (2023-2027) and runs its own quality management system with internal accreditation; the school notes that some Bachelor and Master programmes are not yet accredited.
There are no tuition fees at the HfM Würzburg. Students pay a semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) of 180 EUR twice a year (as of February 2026), made up of the semester ticket and the contribution to the Studierendenwerk Würzburg. This is not tuition.
Students have access to a range of funding, principally scholarships provided by private foundations, as well as the school's own competitions and preliminary rounds for particular instruments and subjects. See Förderung | Wettbewerbe.
The International Office advises on PROMOS grants for stays abroad, support for concert and choir tours, scholarships for study abroad and Auslands-BAföG. See Fördermöglichkeiten für Studierende.
Deutschlandstipendium at HfM Würzburg →
DAAD STIBET I Scholarship for International Students at HfM Würzburg →
Women's Promotion Scholarship (Frauenförderung) at HfM Würzburg →
Foundation Scholarships for Students at HfM Würzburg →
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View scholarships for Hochschule für Musik Würzburg →Study can begin in the winter semester only. For the winter semester 2026/27 the application phase ran from 15 January to 15 March 2026, and complete documents must arrive by 15 March. Applications are made through the Muvac online platform. Every undergraduate and postgraduate programme requires a passed aptitude test (Eignungsprüfung), held in mid to late May, and admitted applicants receive an invitation by email in early May. The test and entry rules are set out in the Qualifikationssatzung (QualS). Studierende of the teaching degree in music enrol at both the HfM and the University of Würzburg, and must enrol at the university first.
Applicants should check whether their school-leaving certificate (Abitur, Gymnasium, college or liceum) qualifies for entry to a music university; questions on certificates go to the Studierendenservice. Non-EU/EEA nationals usually need a visa for a full degree, applied for in the home country, with exceptions for nationals of countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the UK and the USA, who may apply for the residence permit in Germany.
Non-German-speaking international applicants must show German certificates for enrolment: Bachelor of Music (artistic) B2 CEFR; Bachelor of Music (artistic-pedagogical) C1; Master programmes B1 (Master Korrepetition vokal B2); Master of Music in Performance and Pedagogy in Advanced Education and Master of Music in Theory and Composition C1; Meisterklasse B1. Applicants one level below the required certificate may enrol if already registered on a course at the required level. Exempt are holders of a German-language school leaving certificate in German-speaking Europe, Erasmus and other programme students, and Meisterklasse students with at least two years of study at a university in German-speaking Europe. Erasmus+ and exchange students staying up to one academic year need no German and may partly be taught in English by arrangement.
Documents usually include the admission notice, valid ID or passport, qualification certificates as originals or certified copies (certified German or English translations if in another language), electronic proof of statutory health insurance or exemption, proof of payment of the fees stated in the admission notice, a de-registration certificate from any previous German university, and declarations on any previously failed examinations.
Study begun at another music university can be continued, internal programme changes and double degrees are possible, and prior learning can be recognised on request, possibly with entry into a higher semester.
Facilities include practice rooms, teaching and seminar rooms with high-quality instruments, a large lecture hall, a multipurpose room, two chamber music halls, the concert hall with the Hyper-Orgel, the school's own theatre, a library holding scores, specialist literature, sound and image carriers and digital resources (open to non-members for on-site use), and a recording studio offering free recordings for students.
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