Types of Higher Education Institutions in Germany

Basically there are three types of higher educational institutions in Germany.

1. Universities/Universities of Technology (Universitäten/Technische Universitäten)
These are 'full' universities focusing strongly on research and development. Most of them offer courses in practically all subject areas. The universities of technology mainly focus on engineering oriented subjects. These universities can be further categorized (in an unofficial sense) into specialist subject areas, e.g. some universities are leading in structural engineering while others in medicine or nanotechnology. Since there is no official ratings available, one can only rely on information from popular culture. However, all universities must maintain a certain minimum standard to stay in business - which fortunately is quite high! If you are a foreign student, it is advisable to choose a university from the western part of Germany due to its greater economical and political stability. (This is strictly a personal point of view and should not be considered as legitimate data).

2. Universities of Applied Science (Fachhochschulen - FH)
These universities primary target is to prepare students for career prospects in companies and firms. They don't indulge into research in a scope compared to the general/traditional universities. Equally the chances of entering the professional world after attending such an institution is higher than their traditional counterpart. On the down side the opportunities of continuing studies into doctorate and post doctorate level is low. In many cities the universities of applied science usually branch out from the traditional 'parent' university. The courses are more practical oriented with strong focus on application of the respective skills rather than research. One can expect extensive use of Computer aided programs (in engineering field), field training and the like.

3. Colleges of Art, Film and Music (Kunst-, Film- und Musikhochschulen)
The third and smallest group is the art and music colleges. These colleges offers courses in creative arts, design, fine arts, fashion design, photography, media broadcast, professional film making, etc. These are comparatively less popular among the international students specially those coming from Asia and Asia Pacific. However there is a growing number of students coming from Europe and North America, many under the Erasmus Mundus program.

Recently all the three category of universities (specially the first two) started offering international degree programs at bachelor and master level. The language of instruction at such courses are either in English or a mixture of English/German. When the language of instruction is a mix of both, then a student must take German language courses upto the intermediate level prior to attending subjects that are taught in German. The language courses are usually arranged by the respective universities and are free of cost. Please note: some international programs may be offered in other languages (e.g. Spanish or French) as well.

If you are the type who enjoys reading everything in excruciating details :), you can always find the fine prints at the original sources.
www.daad.de
www.bmbf.de
www.hrk.de
www.bologna2009benelux.org