University in Germany
Trier, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
University profile
The University of Trier (Universität Trier) is a public university in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, with a research and teaching profile centred on people and their relationship to society, law, economy and the environment. It places strong emphasis on digitalisation, interdisciplinarity and diversity, and describes its location in the heart of Europe and its cross-border projects and cooperations as distinguishing features. In winter semester 2024/25 it had 10,465 students, about 60 per cent of them women, and around 2,000 employees.
The subjects are organised in six Fachbereiche (departments) and the Theologische Fakultät Trier, covering the humanities, social sciences, economics, law, environmental sciences and computer science. Fachbereich I covers education, philosophy, psychology and nursing science; Fachbereich II covers English, computational linguistics and digital humanities, German, Japanese, classical philology, media studies, phonetics, Romance studies, Chinese studies and Slavic studies; Fachbereich III covers history, political science, art history, classical archaeology, Egyptology and papyrology; Fachbereich IV covers business administration, economics, computer science, mathematics and sociology/ethnology; Fachbereich V is law; Fachbereich VI covers regional and environmental sciences.
The university is made up of Campus I (the main campus) and Campus II, about 2 km apart and linked by a footpath and cycle path. It describes its campus as green, with short distances between buildings, and the grounds include a university vineyard and a learning garden.
International students made up about 13 per cent of the student body in winter semester 2024/25. The university teaches in 30 subjects, offers several Master's programmes entirely in English (ETM), and allows doctorates in all subjects. Almost all Bachelor courses and most Master's courses are taught in German. International students are supported by the International Office and the Quick Start orientation seminar, and enrolled students receive the TUNIKA student card, used for the canteen, library, printing and public transport.
Student accommodation is provided by the Studierendenwerk Trier, whose halls Tarforst, Enercase and Petrisberg lie near the university. Admission to the university does not carry a right to a hall place.
Enrolment requires payment of the semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag). It is not a tuition fee but a solidarity contribution that supports the student representation and makes the Semesterticket possible; students also receive the Deutschlandsemesterticket for local buses.
The Deutschlandstipendium at the University of Trier pays 300 euros per month. Prospective and current students of all nationalities may apply, except doctoral students. Selection considers grades, social engagement and personal circumstances. The 2026/27 application round closed on 15 May 2026, with the selection committee meeting in early September. Official page.
Funded by the DAAD and the Rhineland-Palatinate foundation for gifted students and young scientists, and awarded through the International Office, these completion grants help financially needy international degree students and doctoral candidates in the final phase (expected to finish within two semesters) with good or very good results. Amounts are up to 400 euros per month for Bachelor students, up to 500 euros for Master, Magister, Diplom and Staatsexamen students and up to 600 euros for doctoral candidates, for up to 5 months. The deadline for the current round was 9 October 2026. Exchange students, BAföG recipients and holders of full DAAD or other full scholarships cannot apply. Official page.
The university also provides information on BAföG, scholarship databases, doctoral scholarships and scholarship counselling at its student funding pages.
Deutschlandstipendium at the University of Trier →
Study Completion Scholarship for International Students (Studienabschlussstipendium) →
Browse the scholarships listed for University of Trier and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for University of Trier →Applicants need a Hochschulzugangsberechtigung (HZB). International applicants who do not hold a school-leaving qualification recognised as direct entry must first complete a Studienkolleg and the Feststellungsprüfung (FSP); the University of Trier does not run its own Studienkolleg. Applicants with a passed FSP may apply for a Bachelor's programme, must meet the deadline for their nationality and pay no assessment fee. A passed German component of the FSP counts as exemption from the DSH exam and as proof of German. Most programmes are open admission (zulassungsfrei); some are restricted (NC) and allocated through an internal selection procedure. For the Bachelor in Psychology, the BaPsy-DGPs aptitude test result may be submitted voluntarily.
All applications are made online through the PORTA applicant portal; applicants upload documents as PDF and are only asked to post certified copies if the Studierendensekretariat requests them. Documents include a copy of ID, the HZB (all pages, with sworn translation into German or English if not in German), proof of German language skills and payment of the assessment fee where the HZB is not German, any previous degree with transcript, proof of payment of the enrolment fee, health insurance confirmation and a photo for the student card. After an offer of admission the applicant must accept it in PORTA within the stated deadline and then complete online enrolment.
Winter semester 2026/27: restricted programmes 5 May to 15 July 2026 (Master of Science Psychology and Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy 5 to 31 May 2026); open-admission programmes, including English-taught Master's: German and EU applicants 5 May to 15 September 2026, non-EU applicants 5 to 31 May 2026. Summer semester 2027: restricted programmes 15 December 2026 to 15 January 2027; open-admission programmes for German and EU applicants 15 December 2026 to 15 March 2027, for non-EU applicants 15 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. Some restricted programmes admit for winter semester only.
International applicants must prove German or English, depending on the programme. For German-taught programmes the DSH (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang) is held at the university after application, with written and oral parts; candidates need at least DSH-2 in the written part to be invited to the oral part, and DSH-1 is not sufficient for study at Trier. The DSH is not offered to external candidates.
Applicants need a first degree (Bachelor's or equivalent, with a final grade shown) and meet the entry requirements in section 2 of the subject examination regulations of the programme; some programmes require a minimum grade, and anyone meeting the requirements is admitted to open programmes. Restricted Master's programmes are allocated by selection. A motivation letter is required for a second degree application. Several Master's programmes are taught entirely in English, with the same application process.
Doctorates are possible in all subjects. Candidates check the Promotionsordnung of the relevant subject, find a supervising professor, submit the supervision agreement and certificates to the Dekanat of the relevant Fachbereich for admission, and may then enrol as doctoral students at the Studierendensekretariat. Visiting doctoral researchers need a professor's agreement to supervise but not Dekanat admission.
Applicants from countries requiring a visa apply to the German mission in their home country for a student visa, presenting the admission notice, or a visa for applicants if admission is not yet issued. Tourist, language-course and au pair visas cannot be converted into a student visa.
Facilities include the university library, the canteen, the Unisport arena, a green campus with an art trail and viewpoint, a learning garden and a university vineyard.
Study programmes offered at University of Trier.
Experiences shared by students of University of Trier.
Studied here? Share your experience to help other applicants.
Book a free consultation with our expert counsellors and take the first step towards your dream university.
Copyrights © 2026 StudyMapped. All rights reserved.
Enter your credentials to continue.
Join us and start your study abroad journey.
