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How much does State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart cost for international students?
Students from outside the EU and EEA pay a tuition fee of 1,500 EUR per semester. The fee is set by the state of Baden-Württemberg and has applied at all its public universities since winter 2017/18. EU and EEA students pay no tuition. Holders of a German school-leaving qualification, students in the postgraduate Weißenhof programme and doctoral candidates are exempt; further exemptions are checked during online enrolment.
| Item | Cost for international students |
|---|---|
| Bachelor, Diplom and Master, non-EU students | 1,500 EUR per semester |
| Bachelor, Diplom and Master, EU and EEA students | No tuition fees |
| Second degree (only if exempt from the international fee) | 650 EUR per semester |
| Semester contribution (everyone) | 184 EUR per semester (80 EUR administration, 96.50 EUR Studierendenwerk Stuttgart, 7.50 EUR student body) |
Unlike at most German universities, the semester contribution does not include a transport ticket, so you need to buy one separately (for example a Deutschlandticket).
The tuition fee comes on top of the proof-of-funds requirement. For the student visa you still need to show 11,904 EUR for the year, usually in a blocked account.
What are the application deadlines?
You apply directly to the academy with a digital portfolio during a short application window, followed by an entrance examination in June or July (April for Restoration). Only one programme can be applied for per cycle, and the same dates apply to all applicants. If your school-leaving certificate is from abroad, have its equivalence checked by the ABK Studierendenbüro before you apply.
| Degree | Intake | Usual deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor and Diplom (Architecture, Design, Fine Art, Stage and Costume Design, Art Teacher Education) | Winter | 30 April |
| Architecture, M.A. | Winter | 30 April |
| Conservation and Restoration B.A. (incl. Media Restoration) | Winter | 13 February |
| Conservation and Restoration M.A., Art Teacher Education M.Ed., Weißenhof programme | Winter | 14 June |
| Architecture M.A. and Art Teacher Education M.Ed. | Summer | 12 December |
| M.F.A. Körper, Theorie und Poetik des Performativen | Winter | See the programme page |
Each window opens only about two weeks before its deadline (for example 13 to 30 April). The dates above are from the 2026 cycle; the academy sets them each year, so confirm them on the application page before you apply.
How many programmes are taught in English?
No degree programme at the ABK is taught in English. Applicants who are not German nationals must prove German at B2 level (DSH-1 or TestDaF 3); for Architecture, C1 (DSH-2 or TestDaF 4) is required.
The academy offers 22 degree programmes: Architecture (B.A., M.A.), Industrial Design, Communication Design and Textile Design (Diplom), Fine Art and Stage and Costume Design (Diplom), Art Teacher Education and Intermedia Design (B.F.A., M.Ed.), the M.F.A. Body, Theory and Poetics of the Performative, and five restoration programmes (painting and sculpture, media, objects, paper, wall painting), each as B.A. and M.A.
About State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart
The State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart (Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart, ABK) is a public art academy founded in 1761 and one of the largest art academies in Germany. It teaches on the Weißenhof campus next to the Weissenhof Estate and has more than 30 workshops, from bronze casting and printmaking to CAD and media.
It offers degrees in architecture, design, fine art, art teacher education and conservation and restoration, a postgraduate Meisterschüler programme (Weißenhof programme) and has the right to award doctorates.
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