Colleges and Universities in Germany Higher education institutions in Germany are mostly of the following types:

• Universities (in German: sg. Universität, pl. Universitäten), offering degree courses of nominally four years' duration in most cases (actual duration of study varies). Universities also offer study for a doctorate after the first degree. Eligibility is by school graduation with Abitur, after 13 or 12 years of school according to state. Some universities are technical universities (abbreviated TU or in the case of Aachen TH)
• Technical/business colleges (in German: sg. Fachhochschule, pl. Fachhochschulen, abbrev. FH). They have usually adopted "University of Applied Sciences" as their English-language designation but are not called universities in German. Their degree courses are usually of three years' nominal duration. In most cases they are not authorized to confer doctorates. Qualification for FH study is by achieving Fachhochschulreife at school, which takes about a year less than Abitur.
  On nomenclature of the Fachhochschulen this category follows a resolution of the HRK (Hochschulrektorenkonferenz) in using the German name of the institution with the addition of "University of Applied Sciences"

There are also other types of universities and colleges, such as musical or theatrical colleges, civil service colleges, armed services universities, and, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Berufsakademien. When they are not called Universität or Fachhochschule they usually have ...hochschule as part of their name. Must colleges and universities are supported by the federal state (Land) where they are situated but there are also private institutions of higher education. The universities and colleges are to be found in the category of the German state where they are situated. If you do not know what state an institution is in please refer to the letter categories where they are cross-referenced by locality, English-language name and also German name (except where the German name ist just "Universität X" for an English name of "University of X"). If you can read German you find more comprehensive information in the German-language category World/Deutsch/Wissen/Bildung/Hochschulen/Europa/Deutschland.