Technical University of Munich (TUM) vs Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

Technical University of Munich (TUM) vs Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) — at a glance

	Technical University of Munich (TUM)	Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)
Country / City	Germany, Munich	Germany, Munich
QS World rank	#22	#59
Tuition (intl)	≈€150/sem (no tuition)	≈€150/sem (no tuition)
IELTS	6.5	6.5
TOEFL	88	85
GRE	Required (many)	Recommended
Acceptance rate	8%	15%
Intl students	32%	30%
Intakes	Winter (Oct), Summer (Apr)	Winter (Oct)
Top programs	MSc Informatics, MSc Data Engineering & Analytics, MSc Management	MSc Computer Science, MSc Data Science, MSc Statistics

Which should you choose?

Choose Technical University of Munich (TUM) if you want a more selective brand name and value Engineering & Informatics. Choose Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) for Statistics & Economics. The best choice depends on your target program, budget and post-study plans — run both through the free predictor.

Technical University of Munich (TUM) or Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) — reading the differences

• Rank. Technical University of Munich (TUM) sits 37 places above Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) (#22 against #59). Treat that as a coarse signal: QS rank is built largely from institution-wide research output and reputation surveys, so a gap of this size says very little about the department you would actually join, and nothing at all about teaching on your specific programme.
• Selectivity. About 8% at Technical University of Munich (TUM) against 15% at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) — Technical University of Munich (TUM) is the harder admission of the two. These are institution-level figures, so a competitive department inside the more accessible university can still be tighter than the headline gap suggests.
• English requirement. Both ask for IELTS 6.5, so one preparation target covers both applications and the English test is not a factor in choosing between them.
• Fees. ≈€150/sem (no tuition) at Technical University of Munich (TUM); ≈€150/sem (no tuition) at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). Compare these over the full length of the programme rather than per year, and check what each excludes — bench fees, materials, compulsory insurance and placement costs vary enormously by subject and are rarely in the headline number.

Both are in Germany, so visa route, post-study work rights and living costs are broadly common to the two and drop out of the decision. That is useful: it means the choice really is about programme, department and cost, rather than about country — and those are things you can investigate directly by reading the module lists and emailing the departments.

The comparison that actually decides it. Rank, acceptance rate and fees are the numbers that are easy to publish, which is why every comparison page leads with them. The things that determine whether you finish the degree well are the specific module list, who teaches it, whether there is a placement or industry link where you want to work, and the total cost to a work permit. None of those are in a ranking table, and all of them are answerable in an afternoon by reading two programme pages and sending two emails.