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  • German required · DSH-2
  • Winter & summer intake

Informatics (Informatik) (M.Sc.)

at KIT in Karlsruhe

⚠ This programme is taught in German. DSH-2 is required before enrolment. That is university-entrance German (approximately C1). For a beginner this typically means one to two years of intensive study before enrolment.

At a glance

Language
German-taught
Duration
4 sem 120 ECTS
Intake
Winter & summer
Tuition
€1,500 per semester; see fee notes
Semester fee
€201.50

● Closed for this intake All applicants · Winter semester The window usually repeats next cycle; the full deadline table below shows every route and date.

Focus areas: IT Security · Artificial Intelligence · Robotics · Software Engineering · Visual Computing · Data-Intensive Computing · Energy Informatics · Multi-Scale Computing Systems

German-taught research master of KIT’s 50-research-group Department of Informatics, tied to the KASTEL security competence centre and the KCIST information-science centre, within KIT’s dual mandate as a research university and a national research centre. Eight optional profiles are shared with the English-taught Computer Science master; the difference is the language and the absence of a GRE requirement. Based at KIT Campus South in central Karlsruhe.

Admission requirements

Prior degree
Bachelor in Informatics or an essentially equivalent degree, at least three years and 180 ECTS
Minimum grade
Admission-restricted (Zulassungsbeschränkung: ja); ranking-based selection
English
none required
German
DSH-2, TestDaF 4x4, DSD II or Feststellungsprüfung (CEFR C1) for applicants without a German-language entrance qualification.
Prerequisite credits
  • Mathematics at least 25 CP
  • Theoretical computer science 15 CP
  • Practical computer science 30 CP
  • Computer engineering 8 CP — if three of the four are met (Mathematics 20, Theoretical 15, Practical 20, Computer Engineering 6), an aptitude interview follows
Also required
No GRE — the GRE applies only to the English-taught Computer Science M.Sc. Eight optional profiles are shared with that programme. EU and non-EU applicants alike apply directly through the KIT Online-Portal of the International Students Office; KIT performs its own foreign-degree equivalence check. No uni-assist, no VPD, no application fee. APS certificate required for applicants from China, Vietnam and India.

Deadlines & timeline

Deadlines differ by where your degree is from. Dates change every cycle, so always confirm on the official page before planning. Where no fixed calendar date exists or none is confirmed yet, the Details column explains each case.
Who Intake Deadline Details
All applicants Winter semester closed for this intake; next cycle usually repeats the same window Informatics uses 15 July (winter) and 15 January (summer) for all applicants.
All applicants Summer semester Informatics uses 15 July (winter) and 15 January (summer) for all applicants.

Fees & funding

Tuition
€1,500 per semester
Semester contribution
€201.50
Semester ticket
not included

KIT is a Baden-Württemberg state university. Non-EU/EEA students pay tuition of €1,500/semester IN ADDITION to the semester contribution of €201.50/semester (total €1,701.50/semester for non-EU students). EU/EEA students pay only the semester contribution. The contribution breaks down as €80.00 administrative charge + €109.50 Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe (including student liability insurance) + €12.00 Students Union. The semester ticket is NOT included — only about €17.50 of the Studierendenwerk charge funds a limited off-peak KVV base ticket (weekdays 18:00–06:00, all day at weekends and on public holidays); budget separately for a KVV Studikarte or Deutschlandticket. A second degree costs €650/semester. Source: https://www.sle.kit.edu/english/imstudium/703.php Confirmed exemptions from the Baden-Württemberg €1,500 non-EU tuition: EU/EEA citizens, holders of a German Abitur, Erasmus Mundus / double-degree / EUCOR / cooperation-programme students, doctoral students, Baden-Württemberg-Stiftung scholarship holders, and students grandfathered from before WS 2017/18.

Scholarships are listed per university: see KIT scholarships.

How to apply

uni-assist
not required
Application portal
bewerbung.studium.kit.edu
Official page
www.sle.kit.edu

EU applicants and holders of German degrees usually apply directly via the university's Campusportal instead of uni-assist; the deadline table above says which route applies to you.

What students say

Via StudyCheck · 2024-2026: an aggregated rating, not our own assessment, paraphrased in our own words and never quoted.

4.3 /5

Sixteen master-level reviews average 4.3 out of 5. Reviewers describe a demanding but rewarding degree whose module catalogue is unusually wide, letting students shape an individual specialization in current research areas. Facilities and professors are praised, and the digital organisation — materials online, self-service portal — works well. The consistent caveat is that the freedom cuts both ways: substantial self-direction and independent planning are essential.

Liked

  • Very broad, freely combinable module catalogue
  • Strong research reputation and expert faculty
  • Good digital organisation with materials online
  • Attractive double-degree options, for example with France

Criticised

  • Requires substantial self-initiative and independent planning
  • High workload and difficulty
  • Some organisational friction reported

Where graduates go

No alumni outcome data found yet.

External resources

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