A valid question: Uni vs TU vs FH

All those applying to Germany will at one point come across the above acronyms. Uni stands for University, TU is for Technical Universities and FH are for applied universities.
I will try and give a few pointers here about what differentiates the three.
A University and a Technical University are the same for all students pursuing technical studies. Universities are larger, simply because they are made up of all the other branches as well, such as law, medicine, social studies and languages. One can only pursue a Ph.D at a university. The Professors are required to invest more time on research than on lectures. The lectures themselves are more theoretical in nature paving a way for a career in research.
Applied universities are universities where the primary goal is to make you fit for an career in the industry. It is not possible to automatically start a Ph. D with a degree from an applied university. You will be asked to complete a few more fundamental courses at the university, before you are allowed to enroll as a Ph.D student. The curriculum in applied universities is oriented more to the demands of the industry. As such the applied universities have very strong ties with their respective industries. Many of the labs are more modern and well-funded when compared with the universities. The professors are required to spend more time on lectures.
An interesting question is how this difference influences your starting salary in the industry. Previously when there was still the German Diplom, many industries had different pay scales for the two, with the Diplom from an applied university labeled “Diplom (FH)”. Now after the Bologna Process, with the introduction of Bachelors and Masters, this divide is reducing, but has not yet vanished. This difference is, as I have already, mentioned much more pronounced if you decide to stay at an academic institute.
So before you decide to apply, take a moment to decide where you want to be after you get your degree.