Graduate Trainee Programs by Location 2026

Q: Do the locations refer to headquarters or the place of work?

The location refers to the company's headquarters. Actual places of work may differ.

Q: In which states can you currently apply for graduate trainee programs?

Currently 70 of 181 programs are open, spread across all 9 states.

Which states of Germany have the most graduate trainee programs?

Overview of all 181 graduate trainee programs from 9 states in Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Hesse

Bavaria

Baden-Württemberg

Berlin

Lower Saxony

Hamburg

Bremen

Rhineland-Palatinate

North Rhine-Westphalia leads with 38 graduate trainee programs, followed by Hesse (36), Bavaria (32) and Baden-Württemberg (32). Together, these four states account for 138 of the 181 programs. The remaining 43 graduate trainee programs are in Berlin, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Bremen.

In which states of Germany do graduate trainees earn the most?

Median gross annual salary by state, based on 52 graduate trainee programs from 8 distinct states

Baden-Württemberg

€63,000

Hesse

€62,000

North Rhine-Westphalia

€61,000

€59,750

€58,000

€57,000

€54,000

€53,000

Graduate trainee programs in Baden-Württemberg pay the highest median annual salary at €63,000, followed by Hesse with €62,000 and North Rhine-Westphalia with €61,000. At the lower end are Berlin with €53,000, Rhineland-Palatinate with €54,000 and Bavaria with €57,000. The gap between the highest and lowest state median is €10,000.

Which industries are significantly represented in which states?

Distribution of industries across 181 graduate trainee programs in 9 states of Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Hesse

Management consulting→

Bavaria

Mechanical engineering→

Insurance→

Automotive manufacturers→

Energy technology→

Mobility services

Baden-Württemberg

Technology→

Mechanical engineering→

Management consulting→

Fastening technology→

Grocery retail→

Berlin

Management consulting→

Energy→

Energy technology→

Financial services→

Healthcare

Lower Saxony

Food manufacturing→

Automotive manufacturers→

Automotive suppliers→

Drugstore retail

Hamburg

Rhineland-Palatinate

DIY retail

Bremen

Bavaria has the broadest range of graduate trainee programs, with 21 different industries. Hesse shows the strongest regional concentration, with 19 of 36 programs in the financial services industry alone. However, graduate trainee programs in the food manufacturing industry are the most widely spread, as they are present in 8 states.

States you might be interested in

North Rhine-Westphalia

38 graduate trainee programs

Hesse

36 graduate trainee programs

Bavaria

32 graduate trainee programs

Baden-Württemberg

32 graduate trainee programs

Berlin

11 graduate trainee programs

Lower Saxony

11 graduate trainee programs

Hamburg

10 graduate trainee programs

Rhineland-Palatinate

6 graduate trainee programs

Bremen

5 graduate trainee programs

Frequently asked questions about graduate trainee program locations

Which state of Germany has the most graduate trainee programs?

With 38 programs, most graduate trainee programs are located in North Rhine-Westphalia, followed by Hesse with 36, Bavaria with 32 and Baden-Württemberg with 32. These four states are home to around 76% of all graduate trainee programs of Trainee Insider.

Which city has the most graduate trainee programs?

Frankfurt leads with 25 programs, followed by Munich with 14, Düsseldorf with 12 and Berlin with 11. In total, the 181 graduate trainee programs are spread across 64 cities, from the financial center Frankfurt to hidden champion locations such as Bad Homburg, Bad Wimpfen or Bielefeld.

Which industries are especially strong in which states?

In Hesse, 19 of 36 graduate trainee programs come from the financial services industry, 16 of them in Frankfurt. In Bremen, food manufacturing dominates with 4 of 5 programs. Bavaria is the most diversified with 21 different industries, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 18 industries and a focus on grocery retail and energy.

Do the locations refer to headquarters or the place of work?

The location refers to the headquarters of each company in Germany. Graduates' actual workplaces may differ depending on the graduate trainee program and rotation, especially at groups with several distinct German locations or international rotations. Details on work locations are in each program description.

In which states can you currently apply for graduate trainee programs?

You can currently apply to 70 of the 181 graduate trainee programs, which are spread across 9 states. The application status changes constantly, as many graduate trainee programs have fixed application windows. Each program page indicates the current status and, if applicable, lets you sign up for a notification when applications reopen.

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Trainee Insider

Provided by Trainee Insider, a data-driven platform for graduate trainee programs in Germany. All data is derived from official career pages and verified insider contributions.

The platform is expanding continuously. Corrections may be reported via our .

Verified graduate trainee program locations by state, with top industries, as of 2026-11-08
State	Graduate programs	Top 3 industries
North Rhine-Westphalia	38	Grocery retail (6); Energy (4); Chemicals (3)
Hesse	36	Financial services (19); Aviation (4); Pharmaceuticals (4)
Baden-Württemberg	32	Technology (5); Mechanical engineering (4); Management consulting (4)
Bavaria	32	Mechanical engineering (4); Insurance (4); Automotive manufacturers (2)
Berlin	11	Management consulting (2); Energy (1); Energy technology (1)
Lower Saxony	11	Food manufacturing (4); Automotive manufacturers (1); Automotive suppliers (1)
Hamburg	10	Financial services (2); Consumer goods (2); Aviation (2)
Rhineland-Palatinate	6	Chemicals (2); DIY retail (1); Food manufacturing (1)
Bremen	5	Food manufacturing (4); Logistics (1)

Graduate trainee programs by location in
Germany 2026

Which states of Germany have the most graduate trainee programs?

In which states of Germany do graduate trainees earn the most?

Which industries are significantly represented in which states?

States you might be interested in

Frequently asked questions about graduate trainee program locations

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Which states of Germany have the most graduate trainee programs?

In which states of Germany do graduate trainees earn the most?

Which industries are significantly represented in which states?

States you might be interested in

Frequently asked questions about graduate trainee program locations

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