37 Best universities for Special Education in Germany

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Germany ranked based on their research performance in Special Education. A graph of 124K citations received by 2.56K academic papers made by 37 universities in Germany was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Munich

Bavaria | Munich

For Special Education

#37 in Europe

#118 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Enrollment: 52,418
Founded: 1472

2. University of Freiburg

Baden-Wurttemberg | Freiburg im Breisgau

For Special Education

#54 in Europe

#166 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 23,938
Founded: 1457

3. University of Erlangen Nuremberg

Bavaria | Erlangen

For Special Education

#57 in Europe

#175 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 39,658
Founded: 1743

4. University of Tubingen

Baden-Wurttemberg | Tubingen

For Special Education

#62 in Europe

#190 in the World

Enrollment: 28,238
Male:Female: 41:59
Founded: 1477

5. Heidelberg University - Germany

Baden-Wurttemberg | Heidelberg

For Special Education

#68 in Europe

#212 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Enrollment: 28,413
Male:Female: 45:55
Founded: 1386

6. Charite - Medical University of Berlin

Brandenburg | Berlin

For Special Education

#107 in Europe

#321 in the World

Enrollment: 9,340
Founded: 1710

7. Technical University of Munich

Bavaria | Munich

For Special Education

#108 in Europe

#322 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 44,000
Male:Female: 63:37
Founded: 1868

8. University of Cologne

North Rhine-Westphalia | Cologne

For Special Education

#109 in Europe

#323 in the World

Enrollment: 52,204
Founded: 1388

9. Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main

Hesse | Frankfurt

For Special Education

#121 in Europe

#350 in the World

Enrollment: 43,461
Founded: 1914

10. University of Bonn

North Rhine-Westphalia | Bonn

For Special Education

#123 in Europe

#362 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 38,043
Founded: 1818

11. University of Hamburg

Hamburg State | Hamburg City

For Special Education

#126 in Europe

#367 in the World

Enrollment: 43,957
Founded: 1919

12. University of Koblenz-Landau

Rhineland-Palatinate | Koblenz

For Special Education

#128 in Europe

#371 in the World

Enrollment: 15,757
Founded: 1990

13. Dresden University of Technology

Saxony | Dresden

For Special Education

#132 in Europe

#385 in the World

Enrollment: 31,517
Founded: 1828

14. Ruhr University Bochum

North Rhine-Westphalia | Bochum

For Special Education

#134 in Europe

#393 in the World

Enrollment: 42,954
Founded: 1962

15. University of Bielefeld

North Rhine-Westphalia | Bielefeld

For Special Education

#147 in Europe

#416 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 23,342
Founded: 1969

16. University of Duisburg - Essen

North Rhine-Westphalia | Essen

For Special Education

#148 in Europe

#417 in the World

Enrollment: 43,281
Founded: 2003

17. Kiel University

Schleswig-Holstein | Kiel

For Special Education

#149 in Europe

#418 in the World

Enrollment: 27,468
Founded: 1665

18. University of Gottingen

Lower Saxony | Gottingen

For Special Education

#152 in Europe

#422 in the World

Enrollment: 31,619
Founded: 1734

19. University of Wurzburg

Bavaria | Wurzburg

For Special Education

#174 in Europe

#476 in the World

Enrollment: 27,149
Male:Female: 41:59
Founded: 1402

20. University of Munster

North Rhine-Westphalia | Munster

For Special Education

#198 in Europe

#524 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 43,728
Founded: 1780

21. University of Potsdam

Brandenburg | Potsdam

For Special Education

#199 in Europe

#526 in the World

Enrollment: 20,406
Founded: 1991

22. Free University of Berlin

Brandenburg | Berlin

For Special Education

#200 in Europe

#536 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 15%
Enrollment: 37,908
Founded: 1948

23. Saarland University

Saarland | Saarbrucken

For Special Education

#204 in Europe

#546 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 16,250
Founded: 1948

24. University of Marburg

Hesse | Marburg

For Special Education

#208 in Europe

#559 in the World

Enrollment: 22,612
Founded: 1527

25. TU Dortmund University

North Rhine-Westphalia | Dortmund

For Special Education

#215 in Europe

#576 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Enrollment: 34,616
Male:Female: 54:46
Founded: 1968

26. University of Ulm

Baden-Wurttemberg | Ulm

For Special Education

#219 in Europe

#585 in the World

Enrollment: 10,164
Founded: 1967

27. Leuphana University of Luneburg

Lower Saxony | Luneburg

For Special Education

#223 in Europe

#593 in the World

Enrollment: 9,620
Founded: 1946

28. Humboldt University of Berlin

Brandenburg | Berlin

For Special Education

#245 in Europe

#654 in the World

Enrollment: 36,232
Founded: 1809

29. University of Lubeck

Schleswig-Holstein | Lubeck

For Special Education

#248 in Europe

#659 in the World

Enrollment: 5,968
Founded: 1964

30. Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Rhineland-Palatinate | Mainz

For Special Education

#259 in Europe

#678 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Enrollment: 33,132
Founded: 1946

31. RWTH Aachen University

North Rhine-Westphalia | Aachen

For Special Education

#261 in Europe

#686 in the World

Enrollment: 47,521
Founded: 1870

32. University of Wuppertal

North Rhine-Westphalia | Wuppertal

For Special Education

#274 in Europe

#713 in the World

Enrollment: 22,601
Founded: 1972

33. University of Mannheim

Baden-Wurttemberg | Mannheim

For Special Education

#283 in Europe

#731 in the World

Enrollment: 11,532
Founded: 1907

34. Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg

Lower Saxony | Oldenburg

For Special Education

#285 in Europe

#740 in the World

Enrollment: 15,899
Founded: 1973

35. Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf

North Rhine-Westphalia | Dusseldorf

For Special Education

#291 in Europe

#754 in the World

Enrollment: 37,473
Male:Female: 42:58
Founded: 1965

36. University of Giessen

Hesse | Giessen

For Special Education

#292 in Europe

#758 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 27,184
Founded: 1607

37. University of Leipzig

Saxony | Leipzig

For Special Education

#298 in Europe

#780 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 31,088
Founded: 1409

The best cities to study Special Education in Germany based on the number of universities and their ranks are Munich, Freiburg im Breisgau, Erlangen, and Tubingen.

Psychology subfields in Germany

Child Psychology97

Clinical Psychology86

Cognitive Science120

Education Majors107

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution52

Neuroscience148

Occupational Therapy46

Organizational / Business / IO Psychology28