English 
Deutsch Who can apply for the BSc Architecture at the German International University?
You need a school-leaving certificate that qualifies you for university entry in Germany, proof of English at CEFR level B2, and you must pass the faculty's aptitude assessment: you submit a portfolio of your own work and are then invited to an aptitude interview. Foreign certificates must meet the requirements of the Central Office for Foreign Education and can be checked via anabin.
What matters here is not your grade average. The faculty wants to see whether you can grasp and represent architectural and technical relationships in space – and whether those skills can realistically be developed further during the programme. A minimum grade only comes into play if applications exceed the available places.
Formal admission requirements
- Standard academic route: German Abitur, subject-restricted Fachgebundene Hochschulreife, or an equivalent foreign qualification such as A-Levels or the International Baccalaureate. Check your certificate at anabin.kmk.org before you apply.
- Transfer route: if you have completed at least two semesters at an internationally recognised university or in an accredited programme, you can apply on that basis. Up to 30 ECTS may be credited where the competencies match.
- Without a qualifying certificate: GIU admits you to your chosen programme after you complete a one-year Academic Preparatory Programme on campus.
- English proof: CEFR B2 or above. Accepted alternatives are the GIU English entrance examination, IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 86.
- Aptitude assessment: portfolio submission followed by an aptitude interview with the faculty selection committee. The entrance test fee is €80.
- Capacity: 50 places per year for the Bachelor programme.
What you should bring personally
Architecture at GIU is a design discipline with a substantial technical core. Both halves run from the first semester, and neither is optional.
- Spatial imagination – you need to assemble a building in your head from plan and section before the model exists.
- Drawing and model-making ability – freehand drawing and physical modelling start in semester one and are already part of the admission process.
- Technical interest – structural design, load-bearing systems, building physics and building services take up a large share of the curriculum and cannot be deselected.
- Tolerance for public critique – designs are reviewed openly in the studios. If you take that personally, the correction sessions will be hard work.
- Confident spoken English – you present and defend your work in English, not only write in it.
- Stamina across a dense assessment cycle – there are six examination periods a year plus continuous assessment during term.
Who this programme is built for
GIU designed the programme explicitly for students from abroad who want a German architectural education delivered in English. Three profiles fit particularly well:
- International applicants without German – the fully English-taught curriculum makes an architecture degree in Germany accessible without first reaching academic-level German.
- Applicants planning an international career – you build the professional vocabulary in English from day one, and the double-degree agreement with the German University in Cairo can add a second qualification.
- Design-and-engineering hybrids – if you do not want to commit early to either the artistic or the engineering side, the programme keeps both open.
One limit belongs at the start, not at the end: with 210 ECTS this Bachelor alone does not meet the academic requirements for entry into a German Chamber of Architects. What that means for your career is set out below. To compare structures and credit volumes across the field, see the architecture programmes at private universities in Germany, the profile of the German International University, and our guide to studying in Berlin.
What will you study in the BSc Architecture at GIU Berlin?
The programme comprises 27 modules and 210 ECTS across six fields: Design Studio, Building Technology, History & Theory of Architecture, Visual Design, Urban Subjects, and Engineering & Management. Because many modules run consecutively over two or three semesters, these break down into 42 separate teaching units. Design studios and projects account for more than half of the total workload.
From foundations to independent design
The first four semesters build breadth. Sequenced courses such as History of Architecture run across three semesters, with Theory of Architecture following in semesters two and four. In parallel you assemble the representational toolkit in the Visual Design field: freehand drawing and model making first, then CAAD/CAM fundamentals and an advanced CAAD/CAM course, closing with Working Drawings in semesters five and six.
The technical core sits in two named strands. Following the accreditation panel's recommendation, GIU separated what had previously been grouped under the broad heading Building Technology into explicit modules for structural design and load-bearing systems and for building materials, building physics and building services. Mathematics in Design and Structural Analysis runs alongside across the first three semesters.
Urban content forms its own strand: Urban Design, Theory and Development spans semesters two, four and five, supported by Basics of Urban Sociology and Urban Economics. Three two-ECTS methods modules – academic study skills, communication and presentation, and research paper writing – prepare you for scholarly work during the first three semesters.
Choosing a focus from semester five
From the fifth semester onwards your project work follows one of two directions: Architecture and Urban Design, centred on urban context and city-scale design, or Building Technology and Integrated Design, which goes deeper into construction, building services and energy performance. The same choice carries into the consecutive Master's programme.
Internship and Bachelor's thesis
An internship of at least eight weeks is mandatory and carries eight ECTS. You need a named supervisor in the host organisation, and the placement is assessed afterwards through a written report. The programme ends in semester seven with the Bachelor's thesis, worth 12 ECTS with a three-month working period. It must be based on a design project – a purely literature-based thesis is not an option. The Bachelor seminar and the study trip are assessed separately and together carry ten ECTS.
How does the campus programme work at GIU Berlin?
You study on campus at Am Borsigturm in Berlin-Tegel, in groups of at most 25 students in theory courses and 15 in practical seminars. Each semester carries 30 ECTS, and one ECTS point equals 30 hours of work. Every module is compulsory and every module is offered once a year. English is the language of instruction across the entire curriculum.
Assessment rhythm
The assessment load is noticeably heavier than at most German universities, something the accreditation panel records explicitly. There are six examination periods per year: mid-term examinations after six teaching weeks, final examinations across roughly three weeks at the end of term, and resit slots before the next term begins. Within any one period you sit no more than six module examinations.
On top of that, continuous assessment counts. Up to 40 per cent of a module grade comes from "class work" – assignments, quizzes, presentations and project components delivered during term. In the design studios that share rises to 80 per cent. One rule is worth knowing before you enrol: if you score below 30 per cent in the final examination of a module, you receive an F regardless of how well your class work went.
Campus and workshops
The building has seven floors and around 7,000 square metres: four lecture rooms, 16 seminar rooms, two examination halls, laboratories and design studios. A print workshop with a large-format plotter has been available since 2023, with a model and 3D workshop and a media lab added during the build-out. A listed former Borsig factory hall serves as group workspace and presentation venue. CAD software and the Adobe suite are available in the computer pools.
One point stands out in the accreditation report and deserves a direct question on your campus visit: at the time of assessment the on-site library holdings were limited. Standard reference works on theory, history, design and construction were not consistently available, and the panel pointed students towards Berlin's public academic libraries for print material. Acquisitions were already under way.
Double degree with Cairo
GIU was spun out of the Berlin campus of the German University in Cairo, and the partnership is still active. Exchange is possible from the second semester; three semesters spent at GUC lead to a double degree. Study trips regularly go to other European cities – Amsterdam, Venice and Vienna have all featured.
What does the BSc Architecture cost – and how can you finance it?
Tuition is €3,715 per semester for the 2026/2027 academic year, which adds up to roughly €26,000 across the seven-semester standard period. That covers all courses and administrative services set out in the study plan. A down payment secures your enrolment, after which you choose between three payment schedules.
| Item | Amount | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | €3,715 | per semester |
| Tuition, full programme (7 semesters) | approx. €26,000 | total |
| Entrance test fee | €80 | one-off |
| Semester transport ticket | approx. €176 | per semester |
University figures, 2026/2027 academic year. Living costs, health insurance and materials are additional.
For context: at roughly €7,400 a year, tuition sits well below typical international-student fees at UK or US institutions, while public German universities charge almost nothing. GIU competes on English-language delivery and small-group teaching, not on price. Budget separately for model-making materials and plotter prints – in an architecture programme that runs for seven semesters, this is a recurring cost, not a rounding error.
On financing: EU students can look at Erasmus+ mobility funding, and DAAD scholarship programmes are mainly aimed at Master's and doctoral candidates rather than first-degree students. Non-EU students on a student residence permit may work up to 140 full days or 280 half days per year alongside their studies, though design studios leave less room for this than many other subjects. Education loans from providers specialising in international students are a further route. To weigh the fees against other options, compare the architecture programmes at private universities in Germany.
Living in Berlin: costs, daily life and language
The official benchmark the German authorities apply is €992 per month, the figure behind the blocked account requirement. Berlin sits at the lower end of Germany's major cities on living costs – noticeably below Munich, broadly comparable with Hamburg – but rents in the city have risen sharply, and the €992 benchmark is a minimum rather than a comfortable budget.
The campus is in Berlin-Tegel, in the north-west of the city and away from the central student districts. That has two consequences worth planning for: rents in the surrounding area tend to be lower than in Mitte or Kreuzberg, but you should check journey times from wherever you intend to live. The semester transport ticket covers the city network. Berlin Brandenburg Airport has direct connections to most relevant departure markets.
On language: Berlin is among the easiest German cities to live in without German. Administration, tenancy contracts and the immigration office, however, largely operate in German, and the mandatory internship in a German practice will be conducted in German in most cases. Treat German as a parallel project alongside the degree, not as something you can postpone until after graduation. More on the city in our guide to studying in Berlin and an overview of private universities in Berlin.
Visa, residence permit and what to arrange before you arrive
If you hold an EU or EEA passport you need no visa – you register your address after arrival and that is largely it. Everyone else applies for a student visa at the German mission in their home country, and the single document most likely to delay that application is the blocked account.
- Blocked account (Sperrkonto): for 2026 the required deposit is €11,904 for twelve months, released to you at €992 per month after you arrive. The figure is tied to the German student support rate and is set by the Federal Foreign Office. Do not confuse it with the higher amount that applies to the job-seeker Opportunity Card.
- Timing: start the visa process at least three months before the programme begins. Appointment waiting times at some missions run longer than the processing itself.
- Health insurance: statutory student health insurance is compulsory for most students under 30 and must be in place before enrolment. Private cover is possible in specific cases. Check the current monthly rate with your insurer – it is adjusted annually.
- Admission letter: GIU issues an invitation letter on request once you have been accepted, which supports the visa file.
- After arrival: register your address at the local Bürgeramt within two weeks of moving in, then apply for your residence permit at the Berlin immigration office.
Verify current requirements against the Federal Foreign Office and the German mission responsible for your country before you book anything. Visa rules and deposit amounts change more often than study programmes do.
Is the GIU degree recognised internationally?
Yes, on both counts that matter. The German International University is a state-recognised private university; the Berlin Senate granted recognition in April 2019. The BSc Architecture itself was assessed by the accreditation agency ACQUIN in a bundled procedure together with the consecutive Master's programme. The accreditation report of 22 June 2023 confirms that both the formal and the subject-specific criteria are met.
For architecture there is a second layer that matters more than general accreditation. The curriculum was deliberately realigned during the accreditation process: it had originally been inherited from the engineering-focused Egyptian programme at GUC, and the panel asked GIU to orient it towards the European Professional Qualifications Directive instead. GIU implemented those changes. The panel also recommended that GIU pursue formal notification through the German office at the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects, which is the route to recognition under the UIA/UNESCO charter across Europe and beyond.
Practically, your 210 ECTS transfer under the standard European credit system, so a Master's at another EU university is a realistic continuation. If you plan to have the degree evaluated in the US or Canada, allow time for a credential evaluation service – a seven-semester Bachelor maps onto four-year systems differently than a six-semester one.
Career prospects: can you work in Germany after graduating?
Non-EU graduates of a German university receive an 18-month residence permit to look for work after completing their degree, and can take any employment during that period. Once you have a qualifying job offer you can move to an EU Blue Card or a regular work permit. That framework applies to GIU graduates as it does to graduates of public universities.
The constraint in architecture is professional rather than immigration-related. The titles "Architektin" and "Architekt" are legally protected in Germany and tied to registration with a regional Chamber of Architects, which requires 240 ECTS, an architecture degree of at least four years, and at least two years of practical experience. With 210 ECTS you do not reach that threshold at Bachelor level, and without registration you cannot submit building applications in your own name.
With the Bachelor alone you can work in practices as a junior designer or planner, in project development, in the construction and real estate sector, and in planning-adjacent roles. Entry salaries in Germany range roughly between €38,000 and €54,000 gross per year depending on office size and region, rising to around €60,000 to €67,000 with several years of experience. Design and technical work can be done in English in international practices; the internship and most German offices will expect German.
Is the BSc Architecture at GIU the right choice for you – and when is it not?
The programme fits if you …
- … can prove English at B2, IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 86, and want to study architecture without first reaching academic German
- … have work you can assemble into a portfolio, or the time to build one before applying
- … are planning the Master's from the outset and accept a five-year path to chamber eligibility
- … prefer small studios with close supervision to large lecture cohorts
- … can cover roughly €26,000 in tuition plus the €11,904 blocked account and ongoing living costs
It is the wrong choice if you …
- … expect to practise as a registered architect straight after the Bachelor – 210 ECTS does not permit this
- … want to shape your own curriculum through electives: the Bachelor consists entirely of compulsory modules, with choice arriving only in the Master's
- … work badly under dense, continuous assessment across six examination periods a year
- … need a large on-site library and broad journal access on your own campus
- … are looking for an established faculty with a long graduate track record – GIU began teaching in 2019 and was still building up its professorial staff at the time of accreditation
If Berlin works for you but the subject is still open, GIU also teaches Media Engineering and Technology and Information Engineering and Technology in English as Bachelor of Science programmes.
Frequently asked questions about the BSc Architecture at GIU
Yes. English is the language of instruction across the entire curriculum, including lectures, studios, assessments and the Bachelor's thesis. No German-language proof is required for admission. You will still need German for the mandatory internship in most German practices and for dealing with public authorities.
Yes. Applicants submit a selection of their previous work, and the faculty selection committee holds an aptitude interview on that basis. The assessment focuses on representational and design ability and on whether you can grasp architectural and technical relationships in space. The entrance test fee is €80.
For 2026 the requirement is €11,904 for a twelve-month period, released at €992 per month after you arrive in Germany. The amount is set by the Federal Foreign Office and tied to the German student support rate. EU and EEA nationals do not need a blocked account.
Not with the Bachelor alone. Registration with a German Chamber of Architects requires 240 ECTS, an architecture degree of at least four years and two years of practical experience. The 210 ECTS from the Bachelor plus the 90 ECTS from the consecutive Master of Science total 300 ECTS and meet the academic requirement. Individual chambers apply their own rules, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Yes. If you have completed at least two semesters at an internationally recognised university or in an accredited programme, you can apply on that basis, and up to 30 ECTS may be credited where the competencies are equivalent. Recognition follows the Lisbon Convention, and externally acquired competencies can be credited for up to half the programme.
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