University in Germany
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
University profile
weißensee kunsthochschule berlin (Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee) is an autonomous art and design school in the Weißensee district of north-east Berlin, founded in 1946 by artists close to the Bauhaus. It was conceived as an alternative to the traditional academy and has a class-free teaching system: students do not belong to a single professor's class but work across the school's departments and workshops. It teaches more than 800 students from Germany and abroad.
Every undergraduate course begins with a one-year interdisciplinary foundation programme in artistic and design fundamentals (Künstlerisch-gestalterische Grundlagen). It is followed by eight-semester Bachelor degrees (240 ECTS) in Fashion Design (Mode-Design), Product Design (Produkt-Design), Textile and Material Design (Textil- und Material-Design) and Visual Communication (Visuelle Kommunikation), each continuing to a two-year Master (120 ECTS). The Fine Art programmes, Painting (Malerei), Sculpture (Bildhauerei) and Stage and Costume Design (Bühnen- und Kostümbild), lead to a Diplom (300 ECTS) after ten semesters. Theory and History (Theorie und Geschichte) provides research-based teaching alongside the studios.
Two further Master programmes complete the offer: Raumstrategien (Spatial Strategies), a four-semester, fee-charging course, and Kunsttherapie (Art Therapy), a three-year part-time postgraduate programme taught with the Park-Klinik Weißensee. All courses and lectures are taught in German.
Nineteen workshops and studios support the departments, covering printmaking (screen printing, lithography, intaglio), bronze casting, ceramics, bookbinding, weaving, knitting, dyeing, digital embroidery, metal and wood model-making, photography, sound and video, and digital fabrication. The school has research laboratories including greenlab (sustainable design strategies), eLab (interactive technologies) and DiGiTal, and its library holds about 40,000 media items. The Mensa is run by the studierendenWERK Berlin and seats 115 people.
More than 30 per cent of students come from other countries. The school keeps Erasmus+ partnerships with 85 higher-education institutions and 24 further cooperations worldwide. Weißensee participated in the Berlin Excellence Cluster Matters of Activity (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin). Its listed main campus buildings, designed in the 1950s, are protected monuments.
No tuition fees are charged for the Bachelor, Diplom and Master design programmes. Students pay the semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag, not tuition) of 376.80 EUR per semester, which covers enrolment/administration fee, social contribution, student union (ASTA) and the Deutschlandsemesterticket for public transport. The fee-charging Master Raumstrategien costs 1,250 EUR per semester plus the semester contribution; part-time study is possible. The Master Kunsttherapie costs 5,640 EUR in the first year (470 EUR per month) and 5,880 EUR in each of the second and third years (490 EUR per month), plus 147 EUR per semester for the administration fee, social contribution and ASTA.
Gifted students receive 300 EUR per month for at least two semesters, funded half by the federal government and half by the mart stam stiftung für kunst + gestaltung. Selection looks at achievement in the artistic or design programme as well as social commitment, sense of responsibility and personal, family or social circumstances. Applicants submit a CV, a motivation letter and a portfolio of up to 12 pages (PDF, up to 10 MB) through the school's Moodle platform; the 2026 call ran from 4 May to 9 June 2026. Contact: [email protected]. Details: Mart Stam / Deutschlandstipendium.
The Lucia-Loeser-Stiftung awards two scholarships for the 2026/27 academic year of 550 EUR per month for two semesters, with the option of one extension. Applicants are enrolled in the Bachelor/Master design or Fine Art Diplom programmes, under 27 at the start of funding, in regular study time and in the second study phase (from the fifth semester) or in the first Master semester, and have a low income (no more than the BAföG maximum available for living costs). Application is made through the Mart Stam / Deutschlandstipendium process. See the Lucia-Loeser-Stipendium page.
The Mart Stam Prize (since 1997) honours outstanding Bachelor, Master and Diplom final projects with a catalogue and group exhibition. The Joachim-und-Frauke-Baumgarten-Preis (1,000 EUR) goes to the best Art Therapy graduate. Further awards promoted by the school include the Bernhard-Heiliger-Stipendium for sculptors (1,000 EUR one-off), the Dorothea-Konwiarz-Stipendium for women painters and the Elsa-Neumann-Stipendium (NaföG) for graduates in art and design (2026 deadline 8 October 2026). See Prizes and scholarships.
The school's scholarship adviser ([email protected], +49 30 47705-246) advises on funding, including DAAD final-degree scholarships, BAföG, the Studentische Darlehenskasse and the thirteen federal Begabtenförderungswerke; awards by external foundations are decided solely by them. Semtix grants towards the semester ticket are available from the student social fund (applications January/February and June/July). The Mensa is run by the studierendenWERK Berlin. The school also offers a Erasmus+ exchange route through its International Office ([email protected]).
Mart Stam / Deutschlandstipendium at weißensee kunsthochschule berlin →
DAAD STIBET Studienabschluss-Stipendium (final-phase scholarship for international students) →
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View scholarships for Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee →Admission requires proven artistic aptitude, shown in a two-stage procedure: a portfolio pre-selection (for Fashion, Product Design and Visual Communication with an additional take-home task) followed by a two-day on-site entrance examination consisting of design and artistic tasks and an interview. Applicants also need a university entrance qualification for the Bachelor design programmes; for Painting, Sculpture and Stage and Costume Design a secondary school-leaving certificate is sufficient. Under § 1 para. 3 KunstHZVO applicants without formal entrance qualification can be admitted on proof of exceptional artistic talent. Fashion Design applicants also supply proof of a practical placement of at least six weeks (can be submitted by the start of study).
Admission is to the winter semester only. The application window opens on 1 November and closes on 5 January at 12:00 (for winter semester 2027/28: 5 January 2027); entrance examinations for that intake are scheduled for 15 to 19 February 2027. Applications are submitted online through the CampusCore portal (cms.kh-berlin.de), directly to the school rather than through uni-assist. Originals of certificates are submitted between 1 and 31 March after a successful examination. A passed entrance examination remains valid for three years.
All courses are taught in German. International applicants upload a German certificate at least at A2 level (or confirmation of the current language course) with the application for Bachelor programmes, and B1 for Master applications and transfers; the full certificate is due by the start of study. For all Bachelor programmes, Painting, Sculpture and the Master Raumstrategien: telc B2, TestDaF 3, DSH 1, DSD I or the Goethe-Institut B2 certificate. For the Master design programmes and Stage and Costume Design: TestDaF 4, DSH 2, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule, DSD II or the Goethe-Institut C1 certificate. Exemptions apply, for example for a German Abitur, ten years of schooling in Germany, a passed Feststellungsprüfung at a German Studienkolleg, or a Bachelor degree from a German higher-education institution.
Entrance qualifications and degrees must be recognised in Germany (checked against anabin or the DAAD admissions database) and, unless in German or English, accompanied by officially certified translations; certified paper copies are submitted on admission. Applicants from China, Vietnam and India must provide an APS certificate. A residence permit copy is required on admission.
The application window for the Master design programmes and Raumstrategien runs from 1 March to 30 April (winter semester); for 2026/27 the Raumstrategien deadline was extended to 31 May.
The two-year course is open to graduates of universities and academies, artists, architects, cultural and media scholars, designers, sociologists, natural scientists and others who have at least one year of professional experience relevant to the course after their first degree. Documents: portfolio of recent work, a 3 to 4 page exposé with study goals and a proposed project, certified degree certificate, proof of relevant professional experience, CV. International applicants upload a B1/B2 language certificate with the application and a C1-level certificate for final admission.
The part-time postgraduate Master (three years, 120 ECTS) admits students for the summer semester only, with applications from 1 March to 1 September. Requirements: at least a three-year completed university degree or equivalent (or, exceptionally, vocational qualification with five years' relevant work), normally one year of professional experience, a portfolio of at least 20 recent works with a short commentary, a motivation letter and a CV. Selected applicants pay a 150 EUR examination fee and attend an entrance examination (23 to 25 October 2026 for the current round). International applicants need C1-level German (TestDaF 4, DSH 2, telc C1 Hochschule or Goethe C1) on admission.
Applications for a higher semester (Hochschulwechsel) are accepted from 1 December to 5 January for the summer semester and from 1 to 31 May for the winter semester; the periods can vary.
Facilities: library (about 40,000 media items, reference use free for everyone, lending for members of the school and the Mart Stam Gesellschaft, closed on Wednesdays), 19 workshops and studios, Computerstudio, Mensa (Monday to Friday 8 to 15 Uhr) and the Aula.
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