University in Germany
Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
University profile
The Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe (Kunstakademie Karlsruhe) is a small state art academy in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, founded in 1854. It concentrates exclusively on two courses of study: the Diplom in Freie Kunst (Fine Art) and the artistic teacher-training degree Künstlerisches Lehramt mit Bildender Kunst (Bachelor of Fine Arts followed by Master of Education). Just over 300 aspiring artists and art teachers study here.
Teaching is organised around the class system. Students work in the studio of a professor throughout their studies, in 16 classes covering painting, graphic art and sculpture as well as film, photography, performance, installation and media art. Classes are formally assigned to the specialisations Malerei/Grafik or Bildhauerei, although the transition between genres is fluid. Workshops for materials and techniques, among them wood, metal, stone, ceramics, lithography, etching and screen printing, photography, video and digital media, complement the studio work.
Theoretical teaching in art history, art theory and philosophy, art didactics and educational science accompanies the practical programme, and a Professorship in Artistic Research supports research-led teaching. The Academy holds the right to award doctorates in the theoretical subjects (Dr. phil.). Further study options are the Meisterschüler*innenstudium and the Kontaktstudium. For the teacher-training sub-programme Intermediales Gestalten (IMG), the Academy cooperates with the Faculty of Architecture at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
The Academy's buildings are spread across the Weststadt district of Karlsruhe, with an outlying site at Schloss Scheibenhardt. The Lichthof in the main building is the central exhibition space, and the Kalinowski-Raum is a student-run exhibition room. The Academy library holds just under 56,000 publications on art and art studies.
International guest students are integrated into the studio community of a professor and present their work in an exhibition once per semester. Exchange partnerships exist through Erasmus+ with academies across Europe and, outside Europe, with partners in Kumasi (Ghana), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Mexico City and Minneapolis. Applicants from non-EU countries pay tuition fees, as set out under funding below.
There are no tuition fees in regular programmes for German and EU students at the Academy. Students from outside the EU pay EUR 1,500 per semester, and a second degree costs EUR 650 per semester; Meisterschüler*innen and guest students also pay fees. This is separate from the Semesterbeitrag, which consists of the Verwaltungskostenbeitrag of EUR 80 (from summer semester 2025) and the contribution to the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe.
Under section 6(5) of the Landeshochschulgebührengesetz, particularly gifted non-EU/EEA students can be exempted wholly or partly from tuition fees for the standard period of study plus two semesters, awarded by talent and achievement, origin, social engagement and personal, family and economic circumstances. The 2026 application deadline was 18 May 2026, 12:00. Details.
EUR 300 per month, half from the federal government and half from a private sponsor, awarded by talent and achievement regardless of nationality, age or programme; sponsors include the Riemschneider-Stiftung, Sparkasse Karlsruhe and the Herbert und Laura Regner Stiftung. The next application round is spring 2027. Details.
Overview: Fördermöglichkeiten. The scholarship office is open Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 12:00.
Deutschlandstipendium (Kunstakademie Karlsruhe) →
DAAD-Preis für internationale Studierende (Kunstakademie Karlsruhe) →
Studiengebührenbefreiung für internationale Studierende (Kunstakademie Karlsruhe) →
Graduierten- und Auslandsstipendien des Landes Baden-Württemberg (Kunstakademie Karlsruhe) →
Browse the scholarships listed for Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe →Admission to Freie Kunst (Diplom, ten semesters) and Künstlerisches Lehramt (Bachelor, eight semesters) requires the Allgemeine or a permitted fachgebundene Hochschulreife plus proof of artistic aptitude. Applicants without a Hochschulzugangsberechtigung may be admitted to Freie Kunst through the Begabtenprüfung, which tests exceptional artistic talent and sufficient general education. For the teaching degree, applicants with a Fachhochschulreife or non-permitted subject-specific qualification can qualify through a supplementary Aufbauprüfung (Delta-Prüfung). The Academy has no Numerus Clausus and no lottery; the artistic selection procedure has absolute priority.
The procedure has a pre-selection based on the digital application, an artistic-practical test (a studio work of at least five hours, made on site in the chosen specialisation) and an oral examination of about 15 minutes. The application consists of a CV, a motivation letter (maximum two A4 pages, PDF up to 1 MB) and digital work samples (PDF up to 10 MB); applicants invited to the oral examination bring a portfolio of at least 20 original works, maximum size DIN A0 (90 x 125 cm), and sculpture applicants add one or two three-dimensional objects. Teaching-degree applicants also provide the participation certificate of the online self-test Career Counselling for Teachers. A passed aptitude test remains valid for two years. Applications to several programmes at the same time are not permitted.
Applications are made only through the HISinOne application portal of the Academy, and for first-year programmes admission is possible only for the winter semester. The application period for winter semester 2026/27 was 31 March to 20 April 2026. Internal applications for the Master (Lehramt) and the Meisterschüler*innen-Studium run 31 March to 20 April for winter semester and 2 to 16 December 2026 for summer semester 2027.
The same admission requirements apply. Applicants with a school qualification from outside Germany or Austria must have its equivalence confirmed before applying, and non-German-speaking applicants must prove German by TestDaF (TDN 3 in all four parts), DSH-1, a Goethe/Europa certificate at level B2, or a comparable recognised certificate. For enrolment a residence permit allowing study and proof of health insurance are required.
Internal applicants need the Bachelor in the teaching degree and are not re-tested. External applicants need the Bachelor in Bildende Kunst (or a current transcript), an aptitude-test admission notice from an art academy, an orientation internship and teacher career conversation, the Career Counselling for Teachers certificate, CV and motivation letter.
Doctorates are possible only in Kunstgeschichte/Kunstwissenschaften, Kunsttheorie, Bildungswissenschaften and Fachdidaktik. A supervision commitment from a professor at the Academy is required first (contacts: Prof. Dr. Carolin Meister, Prof. Dr. Rainer Metzger, Prof. Dr. Christina Griebel, Prof. Dr. Fabian Goppelsröder). The application goes through the Rectorate with CV, dissertation outline, doctoral agreement or supervisor confirmation and certified educational records, and may be made at any time.
The Meisterschüler*innenstudium (two semesters, after the Diplom) and the Kontaktstudium (usually two semesters, certificate of participation only) are open to applicants through the portal.
The library (about 56,000 publications and about 20 subscribed journals, with a reading room holding catalogues raisonnés) and 14 specialised workshops support study; two exhibition spaces allow students to practise exhibiting and curating.
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