My GUIDE - The gateway to your german university

Link switches to other language version

Ships at the museum harbour of Greifswald in the evening sun
©Wally Pruß

Studying in Greifswald

Greifswald offers you 5 degree programmes in English at 1 higher education institution.

Do you want to set sail for your studies, preferably in a port town? Greifswald offers the ideal conditions for this: In addition to the high quality of life, the young bicycle-friendly city stands out with its dynamic and open-minded way of life. You may even get a little romantic here – since the famous painter Caspar David Friedrich was born in Greifswald, the city describes itself as the "home port of Romanticism".

With a population of about 60,000, Greifswald is a small city in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the Baltic Sea coast of Germany between the islands of Rügen and Usedom. The city lies on the banks of the river Ryck, which flows into the Baltic Sea. The bay is known for its long and shallow shore and is therefore particularly popular with families and water sports enthusiasts. The beaches along the coastline around Greifswald are mostly pristine and quiet. Many well-known seaside resorts, which are only a few minutes away by car, let you and your friends relax on hot summer days.

The city streets and squares of Greifswald are largely characterised by the brick Gothic architectural style. The bright red bricks were the preferred building material for the representative houses of the merchants during the time of the German Hanseatic League and still contribute to the city's charm today.

Greifswald is small and informal, so you can quickly make friends. It's best to take your bike with you or buy a second-hand one. Thanks to the short distances, with a bike, you can reach everything easily.

Student life in Greifswald is vibrant and diverse. You will find a wide range of sports and leisure activities and a lively bar and club scene. There's always something going on day and night (the area around Arndtstraße is the best place to go).

Life in Greifswald

60,000 residents

  • High-speed train connections

    In close vicinity

  • International airport

    Berlin airport in 192 km distance

  • Coast

    Baltic Sea in close vicinity

  • Mountain range

    Harz in 300 km distance

  • Other countries

    Poland in 60 km distance

  • Attractions within 100 km

    • Jasmund National Park on Rügen island in 54 km distance

    • Eldena beach in 6 km distance

    • Caspar David Friedrich Centre in close vicinity

1 higher education institution in Greifswald

Map of Germany

Activate map

To activate the map, please click on the "Show map" button. Please note that data will be transmitted to OpenStreetMap after activation. You can find more about this in our .

Subject groups of degree programmes in Greifswald

There is a wide range of degree programmes in Greifswald. Here you can see the main subject groups. Currently, degree programmes in Greifswald are mainly offered in the subject group Teaching Degrees, followed by Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Language and Cultural Studies. Find out more information here about the subject groups and degree programmes offered in Germany.
  • 1

    Agricultural and Forest Sciences

  • 13

    Humanities and Social Sciences

  • 32

    Mathematics, Natural Sciences

  • 11

    Art, Music, Design

  • 29

    Language and Cultural Studies

  • 11

    Medicine, Health Sciences

  • 9

    Economic Sciences, Law

  • 2

    Engineering Sciences

  • 50

    Teaching Degrees

Young people congregate outside at Campus Löfflerstraße.
©Wally Pruß

The architecture at the Loefflerstrasse campus combines old and new.

The second largest sailing yacht manufacturer in the world is headquartered in Greifswald.

Do you like maties, herring, salmon or fried fish? You have come to the right place! Whether in Wieck, at the museum harbour or in the city centre, you can get fish sandwiches almost everywhere. But do keep an eye out for the seagulls! The birds are smarter than you might think and take every opportunity to get a bite of your fish.

Whether you are a fish fan or not, what you should not miss is the "Ryckhangeln" at the Greifswald Fishers' Festival in mid-July. The traditional competition is won by the person who can move hand-over-hand on a rope the fastest from one bank of the river Ryck to the other. If you’d rather not get your feet wet, that's no problem at all! Cheering on the participants is just as much fun.

In addition to the Fishers' Festival, Greifswald is also known for its numerous other events such as the Bach Week, Nordic Sound, the Polish Market or the "Cinema on Sails" which takes place in the summer.

The sole university in town, the University of Greifswald, was founded in 1456 and is one of the oldest universities in Central Europe. The city's geographical location benefits the natural sciences in particular (e.g., marsh and marine research). Furthermore, a cluster of companies and research institutions has settled here that are active in cutting-edge technological fields such as biotechnology and nuclear fusion.

Those who feel lost in huge higher education institutions and at home on the coast will find the perfect spot here. Another advantage of studying in Greifswald: the rents for flats and shared flats are below the average rents in Germany.

A young woman walks through the city
A young woman walks through the cityJan von Allwörden / DAAD

You can find more information at study-in-germany.de

For more information on living and studying in Greifswald, visit the city portraits at study-in-germany.de