At a university one can study the most different sciences. Often research is practiced here also seriously, and not rare with success. There are universities in Europe since the high Middle Ages. The knowledge monopoly of the cloisters was broken by the universities. Before cloisters provided the knowledge. Monks and nuns taught the pupils according to the often wrong opinions of the church. Important feature is that a university has a very great autonomy. In the 19th century the Humboldtsche Modell of the unit of research and lesson asserted. This model says that the teachers are supposed to practice also research next to the instruction. Through that the level is supposed to be received and to be broadened. Technical universities do not have any great difference to normal universities, here the emphasis lies on engineer sciences. Civil universities are not correct universities, but they describe actions which the university work is supposed to familiarize the normal citizen with. Technical colleges form a special feature. These work indeed as universities (however with the emphasis professional practice), do not have, however, any graduation right. This problem can, and is gone around also, through cooperation with classical universities. Sometimes also sport colleges call themselves sport universities, which, however, is not correct.

A course of studies at a university only keeps up in principle a school-leaving examination, or a comparable foreign end, to be begun. In Germany the academic year is divided into two semesters (Half-years), in winter and summer semesters. Between the two semesters the Lecture-Free Time lies. It is not a question, however, of vacations, written examinations are made also in this time. The division of the academic year into terms (for example university of the German Federal Armed Forces) is rather uncustomary. Lectures are the most important at a university. Here an university lecturer reports on topics from his field. Everyone can be university lecturer, on condition of, that one owns the so-called "venia legendi", therefore a teaching-authorization. To be able to cooperate actively and must the students in the classes, where the Dozierte thing is deepened practically. So for example students of the natural science must work in the lab. After a certain time, mostly to half of the study, the student must put aside a Zwischenprüfung. Finally the main study is finished through another examination then. According to kind of the study this examination state examination, diploma examination, can be called Magisterprüfung, and so forth. So that one may pass the examination anyway, one must receive in the classes and exercises achievement proofs, the so called appearances. The examination consists normally of a written and verbal examination, as well as from a written work that is to be created selfcontinuously. The course of studies theology forms a special feature. Here the graduate is qualified for the ecclesiastical career by an ecclesiastical service examination. The studying was formerly reserved to people from prosperous families, so does today with the aid of scholarships and dormitories in which students can live economically a lot, that everyone, regardless from which one social shift it comes, at a university can study. In the student cafeteria Essen is distributed in the lecture time very favorably at students. The student work sees to all interests of the students, for example it offers consultations of all kind at.