University in Germany
Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
University profile
The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf Art Academy) is a state art academy in the Altstadt of Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a public-law corporation (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) and an institution of the Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, with the right of self-administration within the law; its staff are in state service. Study centres on free artistic work in the studio classes, with the aim of developing each student's own artistic position, personality and stance.
Teaching is organised in two departments. Fachbereich 1 (Kunst) brings together the artist-professors, with classes in sculpture (Bildhauerei), painting (Malerei), stage design (Bühnenbild), photography, film and video, and design, typography and book art, together with the Baukunst (architecture) class. Fachbereich 2 (Kunstbezogene Wissenschaften) covers art history, philosophy, education, didactics of the visual arts, sociology, poetics and artistic aesthetics, art and the public sphere, and architectural theory and history. It holds the right to award the doctorate (Dr. phil.). The academy offers 23 classes led by artists, plus the Baukunst class supervised by four professors.
Three degree programmes are offered: Freie Kunst (ten semesters, ending with the Akademiebrief, equivalent to a diploma), Lehramt Kunst (a six-semester Bachelor and four-semester Master for teaching at Gymnasien and Gesamtschulen, with a second subject studied at the University of Duisburg-Essen if chosen) and the postgraduate Aufbaustudiengang Baukunst. Every new student in Freie Kunst and Lehramt Kunst begins with the two-semester Orientierungsbereich (O-Bereich) in the Rheinflügel annexe, led by two professors and five lecturers, and then applies for a place in a class. Art-related academic courses are integrated into all artistic programmes.
Students have access to 13 artistic workshops (life drawing, stage design, printing and graphics, plaster, wood, metal, art casting, plastics, painting technique, modelling, photography, stone sculpture, video and audio), a library and a special art archive. The Rundgang, an exhibition of students' and graduates' work, takes place twice a year, and the Akademie-Galerie at Burgplatz 1 holds exhibitions. Students can take part in the university sports programme, use a semester ticket and the Mensa, and are represented by AStA, StuPa and SPARTA. Counselling, equal opportunity and psychological advice services are available, and the Studierendenwerk Düsseldorf is the first point of contact for financing.
International students apply through the same portfolio procedure, with certified German translations of school documents and proof of German at B2 level (Freie Kunst, Baukunst) or C1 level (Lehramt). The academy offers a study-abroad programme with partner schools in Vienna, Paris, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Kyoto.
No tuition fee is listed for the artistic programmes. Students pay the semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag, not tuition) of EUR 395.40 for the winter semester 2026/27 at re-registration, which takes place from 22 June to 9 July 2026 for the winter semester.
Normally EUR 300 per month for one year, funded by private sponsors (EUR 1,800 per scholarship). Selection follows an application with a letter of motivation (maximum two A4 pages), CV, proof of the passed Orientierungsbereich and a recommendation from the class professor, then a review of practical work during the winter Rundgang week and a ranking by the central award committee. In the 2026 round the selection took place on 3 February 2026.
For WiSe 2026/27 and SoSe 2027 the academy offers 13 stays abroad, funded by the Meyer-Struckmann-Stiftung (EUR 20,000 a year) and DAAD PROMOS (EUR 10,000). Stipends are EUR 2,000 for semesters in Vienna, Paris, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, EUR 3,750 for Kyoto and EUR 2,625 for Rio de Janeiro; free projects abroad receive up to EUR 2,500. Students from the fifth semester can apply; the 2026 deadline was 28 February 2026, with a single PDF containing CV, portfolio and motivation letter.
The Studierendenwerk Düsseldorf is the first point of contact for BAföG and Daka loans; KfW student loans and education loans are also named.
Browse the scholarships listed for Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Kunstakademie Düsseldorf →Admission depends on a decision on artistic aptitude (Feststellungsprüfung, the portfolio review) by a commission of artist-professors and artistic-academic staff, elected each year by the Senate. It is based solely on the submitted works; there is no further practical test, and the Abitur grade average is not considered. Entrants need the general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur); applicants still completing school can submit a school certificate of expected Abitur. For Freie Kunst, applicants may also apply without Abitur by uploading their last school report, and admission as a vocationally qualified applicant is possible for Freie Kunst and the Lehramt Bachelor under the BBHZVO regulation. Portfolios are rated on three levels: outstanding artistic talent, artistic aptitude, or insufficient aptitude. Criteria are artistic design ability, ability to realise work in the chosen media, and artistic conception and intensity.
Application is made in two steps. Personal data and documents (PDF) are entered in the online application portal, then the artistic portfolio is delivered in person or by post. For the 2026 round for the winter semester 2026/27, the application period ran from 16 February to 10 March 2026 (12:00). Personal delivery of the portfolio was possible from 2 to 10 March 2026, 10:00 to 12:00 (not at weekends), in room 102. Notification is sent by e-mail from mid-May, and enrolment takes place in August. Study starts in the first semester only in the winter semester, and an admission cannot be deferred to the following year. There is no limit on the number of application attempts. A fee of EUR 30 for the aptitude assessment must be paid by 10 March 2026 and is not refunded. Documents: CV, proof of university entrance qualification, proof of payment and, for minors, parental consent.
Painting, sculpture, photography, graphics and stage design: 20 to 25 original works in a portfolio no larger than DIN A0 and 5 kg. Film and video: at least 2 artistic works as mp4 files uploaded in the portal, plus up to 15 further samples. Baukunst: at least 20 samples with an emphasis on architectural design. Frames, stretched canvases, boxes, tubes and data carriers are not accepted in the portfolio.
International applicants are those who did not obtain their entrance qualification at a German-language institution. Documents (all with German translation): CV, university entrance qualification (or school certificate), last school report, entrance examination and training certificates where available, university transcripts (and degree certificate if completed), proof of German where available, and an APS certificate for applicants from China, Mongolia and Vietnam (without APS, a review of outstanding artistic talent applies). German language: B2 for Freie Kunst and Baukunst (Goethe-Zertifikat B2, DSH 1, TestDaF TDN 3, telc Deutsch B2); C1 for Lehramt Bachelor and Master (Goethe-Zertifikat C1, DSH 2, TestDaF TDN 4, telc Deutsch C1). Only these certificates are accepted. A certificate not older than six months at submission is recommended; applicants without one receive a conditional admission and must submit it by 16 August 2026 (final date in the 2026 round). No German courses are offered. The certificate must not be more than 12 months old on the last day of enrolment.
The Master of Education requires a teaching-related Bachelor for Gymnasium/Gesamtschule, completed by 30 September of the application year, with certificate and transcript of records. The Aufbaustudiengang Baukunst requires a first degree (Bachelor) in architecture with certificate and transcript, plus proof of the entrance qualification; the review covers design ability, artistic conception and intensity, and knowledge of German. There is no postgraduate course in the artistic subjects other than Baukunst.
Individual doctorates (Dr. phil.) are possible in art history/art studies, education, didactics of the visual arts, philosophy, sociology and educational sciences in Fachbereich 2; there is no structured doctoral programme or graduate college. Admission requires the general higher education entrance qualification and a scholarly degree of at least eight semesters (Magister, Diplom, Staatsexamen for Gymnasium/Gesamtschule or Master) with a grade of at least good (2.0), a research proposal agreed with the supervisor and a supervision commitment from a professor of Fachbereich 2. The procedure comprises a dissertation and an oral examination (Disputation), governed by the Promotionsordnung.
Facilities include 13 artistic workshops (life drawing, audio-video, stage design, printing and graphics, photography, plaster, wood, art casting, plastics, painting technique, metal, modelling and stone sculpture), the library with research computers, reading places, copiers, scanners and colour printers, a special art archive on the history of the academy and its teachers and students, a Mensa, and a university sports programme.
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