University in Germany
Freiberg, Sachsen, Germany
University profile
TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF) is a technical university in Freiberg, Saxony, that describes itself as the Resource University. Founded as a mining academy in 1765, it is regarded as the oldest university of mining sciences in the world. Teaching and research follow the whole raw materials value chain, from exploration, extraction, preparation and processing to recycling, and are organised around the profile fields GEO, MATERIALS, ENERGY and ENVIRONMENT, with Economics as a further scientific field.
Study runs through six faculties, all located on the Freiberg campus: Mathematics and Computer Science (Faculty 1); Chemistry, Physics and Bioscience (Faculty 2); Geosciences, Geotechnics and Mining (Faculty 3); Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering (Faculty 4); Materials Science and Technology (Faculty 5); and Economics (Faculty 6). Faculties 1 to 5 contain institutes, while the sixth faculty houses the professorships that map its structure. The university offers 68 Bachelor's, Master's and Diploma degree programmes, including the teaching-optimised STEM programmes Applied Computer Science and Applied Natural Science and the orientation programme WIN.
In the academic year 2024/2025 the university had 4,389 students (as at 1 May 2025), of whom 83 per cent studied STEM subjects, 33 per cent were women and 52 per cent were international students. By subject group, 47.8 per cent studied engineering, 26.5 per cent mathematics and natural sciences and 25.8 per cent economics. Students come from all continents, with India, Iran, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Morocco, Ghana, Mongolia, Mozambique and Ukraine among the main countries of origin. The university reports 184 active partnerships, including 76 Erasmus agreements, and double degree agreements with partners in China, France, Ghana, Italy, Poland, Thailand, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Ukraine.
Freiberg is a town of around 40,000 people in the foothills of the Eastern Ore Mountains, about half an hour by train from Dresden and Chemnitz, in the UNESCO World Heritage region Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří. Halls of residence run by the Studentenwerk Freiberg stand directly on campus; each furnished room has a network connection and a TV connection, and each house has a launderette and bicycle rooms. The university also operates guest houses (Lomonosov House and Chile House) for visiting scholars. Student life includes the Collegium musicum, the BigBand and VocaVox, the TUBAF-Festival, the International Day, International Student Evenings and the University Sports Olympics.
The International University Centre Alexander von Humboldt (IUZ) supports international students with German courses at B2 and C1 levels, a buddy programme and arrival services. TUBAF is a member of the German Research Foundation (DFG), being the first East German university to join, and has used the name Technical University since 1993.
The semester contribution is 107.00 EUR per semester (97.00 EUR for the student union plus 10.00 EUR student body membership); this is a contribution, not tuition. A second degree fee of 300 EUR per semester applies to students who already hold a Master's, Diplom or Magister degree or equivalent, including those beginning a Bachelor's programme; it is not charged to holders of a Bachelor's degree only. Fees for postgraduate courses are 350 EUR for Environmental Process Engineering and 250 EUR for Business Administration.
The Deutschlandstipendium pays 300 euros per month, independent of income, up to the end of the standard period of study; half comes from the federal government and half from private donors. It is open to first-degree students in Bachelor's, Master's and Diploma programmes and to applicants for a first degree, selected on academic or school performance, special achievements, professional experience, social commitment and personal circumstances such as family or migration background. Applications are made online with CV, motivation letter (maximum one A4 page), transcripts and certificates; the call for winter semester 2026/27 ran from 1 July to 9 August 2026. TUBAF has taken part since April 2011. Deutschlandstipendium at TUBAF
The university and private donors, companies and associations award further scholarships and prizes, and the association Freunde und Förderer der TU Bergakademie Freiberg e.V. supports students, including field trips and internships. The Studentenwerk offers BAföG advice (maximum funding of 992 euros following the 29th amendment, plus a 1,000 euro study start-up grant for eligible low-income households) and short-term loans. The PROMOS scholarship supports study stays abroad. Student financing at TUBAF
Browse the scholarships listed for TU Bergakademie Freiberg and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for TU Bergakademie Freiberg →Applicants need a school leaving certificate that qualifies for university study in Germany (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung); the general entrance qualification (Abitur) is the standard. Whether a foreign certificate is sufficient is checked against the DAAD admissions database and the ANABIN database. Applicants whose certificate is not sufficient must pass the Feststellungsprüfung, for which they can prepare alone or at a Studienkolleg. The Diplom is equivalent to a Master's degree. International applicants apply for Bachelor's and Diplom programmes through uni-assist (handling fee 75.00 EUR for the first programme and 30.00 EUR for each additional one); applicants already enrolled at a German university apply directly through the TUBAF university portal free of charge.
Deadlines for Bachelor's and Diplom programmes: with study preparation (preparatory college and German language training), 1 April to 15 June for the winter semester and 1 October to 15 December for the summer semester; without study preparation, 1 April to 15 September for the winter semester and 1 October to 15 March for the summer semester. German applicants apply between 1 April and 30 September for the winter semester and 1 October and 31 March for the summer semester.
All Bachelor's and Diplom programmes are taught in German. Admission requires the DSH-2 or an equivalent certificate (DSH-1 is not sufficient), and German at level B1 (CEFR) must be proven at the time of application. Exempt from the DSH are applicants with a German Abitur, the German part of the Feststellungsprüfung, the German Language Diploma (Level II) of the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education, the Goethe-Zertifikat C2 (GDS), TestDaF with TDN 4 in all four sections, or telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule graded very good, good or satisfactory. English at B2 level is recommended. The IUZ offers intensive German courses at B2 and C1, ending with the DSH.
A Bachelor's degree or equivalent is required; most German-taught Master's programmes are consecutive and build on the matching Bachelor's programme. German-taught programmes require the same German proof as the Bachelor's. Admission requirements for English-taught Master's programmes are set on each programme page, with the Bachelor's certificate and proof of English proficiency uploaded in the online application. English-taught programmes include Advanced Mineral Resource Development, Applied Geoscience, Chemical Engineering, Computational Materials Science, Geomatics for Mineral Resource Management, Groundwater Management, International Business and Resources in Emerging Markets, Mathematics for Data and Resource Sciences, Mechanical and Process Engineering, Metallic Materials Technology, Sustainable Mining and Remediation Management, Sustainable and Innovative Natural Resource Management and Technology and Application of Inorganic Engineering Materials. Applications go through the TUBAF university portal as PDF uploads, in German or English or with certified translations. Deadlines: German-language Master's programmes 1 January to 15 September (winter) and 1 July to 15 March (summer); English-language Master's programmes 1 January to 15 April (winter) and 1 July to 15 October (summer).
Once the faculty has approved the declaration of intent for the doctorate, candidates enrol for doctoral studies through the university portal; enrolment covers the doctoral period set in the declaration and may be extended with the approval of the supervising professor and the faculty council. Applications for the doctoral programme are possible at any time. The Graduate and Research Academy supports doctoral candidates.
Required documents include certified copies of certificates with certified translations where not in German or English, proof of German or English language skills, and a photograph for the student card. Applicants from India, China and Vietnam must submit an APS certificate from the Academic Evaluation Centre in their country. Non-EU applicants need a study visa, which is usually issued for three months, followed by a residence permit, and must prove sufficient funds, for example with a blocked account; around 11,208 euros per year is cited as the usual amount. Health insurance is required for enrolment.
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