University of Konstanz

The University of Konstanz is a public research university in Konstanz, a city on Lake Constance in the south-western German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, close to the Swiss border. Its Department of Linguistics, which hosts the MA Multilingualism, describes itself as a research-intensive department that is part of the German Excellence Initiative, with 12 professorships covering theoretical and experimental linguistics.

For South Asian students, the key cost fact is different from most German public universities: because Baden-Wuerttemberg charges state tuition to non-EU students, students from outside the EU or EEA pay 1,500 euros per semester for a first master's degree, according to the university's own Department of Linguistics page. Students from EU or EEA member states, and international students with a German Abitur, pay no tuition for a first master's degree. A semester contribution is charged on top of tuition, but its current amount was not stated on the Konstanz pages checked.

Konstanz is a smaller lakeside university city, and the university's Deutschlandstipendium, worth 300 euros per month, is open to students of all subjects and nationalities within the standard period of study, with citizenship playing no role in selection.

Full tuition detail (verified): Students from European Union (EU) member states or from the European Economic Area (EEA) are not required to pay tuition fees for their first MA degree in Germany, according to the University of Konstanz Department of Linguistics MA Multilingualism page. This also applies to international students who have a German Abitur. Students from countries outside of the EU or EEA are required to pay 1,500 euros in tuition fees per semester. Further information about tuition fees and scholarships is given on the university's central website, linked from the programme page. The current semester contribution amount charged on top of tuition was not stated on the Konstanz pages checked, so no semester-contribution amount is given here.

Applications for the MA Multilingualism are made through the university's online application form, with deadlines of 15 January for the April intake and 15 May for the October intake. Applicants need an above-average bachelor's degree in linguistics, education, psychology, speech and language therapy or a related discipline, with a grade point average at least corresponding to the German grade 2.5, plus an application letter of at most one page. Applicants in the final year of their bachelor's degree may apply with documentation of their examination results so far.

Applicants from China, India and Vietnam must provide an APS certificate (original) issued by the German Embassy of their home country. English proof at B2 level is required, and applicants who obtained a BA or MA in an English-taught programme may submit a Medium of Instruction certificate instead of a test certificate. Outcomes are communicated four to six weeks after the application deadline.

Full English requirement detail (verified): No university-wide IELTS minimum was confirmed on the official Konstanz pages checked; English requirements are set per programme. Example from the University of Konstanz Department of Linguistics MA Multilingualism page: IELTS band 6.0 or higher (B2 level), with TOEFL 80 or higher, Cambridge B2 First (FCE) grade C or higher, or a Medium of Instruction certificate for an English-taught BA or MA programme also accepted.

The University of Konstanz offers bachelor's and master's programmes across the humanities, sciences, law and economics, with bachelor's teaching mainly in German and a set of English-taught master's programmes.

An English-taught master's example verified on the university's own department page is the MA Multilingualism, a two-year programme of 120 ECTS taught in English, with a third-semester study-abroad visit or a 21-week internship, and a fourth semester dedicated to research and the MA thesis. It suits graduates in linguistics, education, psychology, cognitive science or speech and language therapy. Other English-taught master's programmes at Konstanz set their own subject and language requirements, so check the programme page.

The University of Konstanz takes part in the Deutschlandstipendium, integrated into the Konstanzer Stipendienfonds (Konstanz scholarship fund). The scholarship funds talented and community-engaged students with 300 euros per month, usually as a yearly scholarship of 3,600 euros, half funded by the Federal Republic and half by private donors. Students in all undergraduate and graduate programmes, including Bachelor of Arts, Education and Science and Master of Arts, Education and Science, can receive funding, while doctoral, visiting and non-degree students cannot, and citizenship does not play a role.

Selection is based first on accomplishment and ability, with community involvement and special personal or family circumstances, such as overcoming educational obstacles, also taken into account. Students needing full funding before arrival should also check the DAAD scholarship database.