Akaflieg is an abbreviation for Akademische Fliegergruppe, groups of aeronautical engineering students from individual German universities of technology and Technische Hochschulen, pre and postwar, who design aircraft, often gliders.

These informal beginnings caused the formation of groups of engineers at Technische Hochschulen with the aim of scientific and practical education.

During the Nazi period some Akafliegs escaped regulation for a while through the patronage of the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt (DVL), a forerunner of the present-day German Aerospace Center (DLR), however shortly before World War II the akafliegs were forced to integrate into the NS-Deutsche Studentenbund (Nazi-students-federation).

The aim of the Akafliegs is the development, design and construction of aeroplanes, especially gliders and scientific research into flight.

There are also academical gliding clubs with other focus than building aircraft, like the Akaflieg Frankfurt which is devoted on research of thermals, mountain wave and flight safety.