HfMT Cologne is a public university and charges no tuition; students re-register each semester simply by paying the semester fee.

The semester fee depends on the campus: 354.30 EUR in Cologne, 370.30 EUR in Aachen and 351.30 EUR in Wuppertal for winter 2026/27. It covers the Deutschlandsemesterticket, the Studierendenwerk social fee, the student body (AStA), university sport and a hardship fund.

Fees for winter semester 2026/27, set each semester.

No tuition does not mean no proof of funds. For the student visa you still need to show 11,904 EUR for the year, usually in a blocked account, and that money has to be transferred months before the semester starts.

HfMT Cologne publishes one set of deadlines for all applicants; there is no separate non-EU date. Applications are online only, and every artistic programme requires a subject-specific aptitude test (audition); exam dates vary by programme. Most programmes start in winter.

No degree programme at HfMT Cologne is taught fully in English; teaching is primarily in German. The Master's programme Tanzvermittlung (Dance Education, M.A.) is taught in German and English. International students need German at level B2 by the end of the second semester in Bachelor of Music programmes, and only level A2 by the end of the first semester in Master of Music programmes.

The Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln is a public university of music and dance with 1,420 students and one of the largest music universities in Europe. It traces its roots to 1845 and has campuses in Cologne, Aachen and Wuppertal. It offers Bachelor's and Master's programmes in classical music, jazz and pop, composition, conducting, music education, church music and dance.