Medicine, Natural Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Law
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf has its origin in the Düsseldorf Academy for Practical Medicine, founded in 1907. It became a university in 1965, when a combined faculty of natural sciences and arts and humanities was added to the existing medical faculty. In 1969 the combined faculty split into a Faculty of Arts and Humanities and a Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The university took the name of the poet Heinrich Heine, who was born in Düsseldorf, in 1989. A Faculty of Business Administration and Economics opened in 1990, and a Faculty of Law followed in 1993.
The campus lies in the southeast of the city, in the Bilk district, and has a roughly triangular shape. It covers about 130 hectares. The university hospital campus lies to the north and forms a unit with the university campus, so students of medicine and the sciences share the same grounds.
The university counts 36,569 students, and more than 36,000 of them study full time. It employs 2,252 academic staff and 1,403 administrative staff, which makes about 3,600 employees. The budget is 279 million euros. The rector, Anja Steinbeck, has led the university since November 2014.
Five faculties teach. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities is the largest, with about 8,000 students in the winter semester of 2011 and 2012, followed by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences with about 6,500 students. The Faculty of Medicine had over 3,000 students then, the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics about 1,100, and the Faculty of Law completes the list.
Researchers linked to the university include the botanist Günter Theißen, the neuroscientist Bernhard Sabel, the linguist Monika Schmid and the politician Moritz Körner. As in most German public universities, the state does not charge tuition fees for most programmes, and students pay a semester contribution. Check the current tariff. Teaching is mainly in German, and some master’s programmes are taught in English.
The Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics are the newest of the five faculties, and all of them share the campus with the university hospital.
Domains taught:
Chemistry, Data Analytics, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Physics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
University Hospital Düsseldorf on the adjoining campus, and exchange agreements with universities worldwide.
Research:
Medicine, mathematics and natural sciences, arts and humanities, business administration and economics, and law.
Famous Alumnis:
Günter Theißen, Bernhard Sabel, Monika S. Schmid, Moritz Körner
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3600
Current students***:
36569
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Compact campus in the Bilk district with the university hospital next to it, five faculties, a state capital location, low tuition.
Cons
Most courses taught in German, large humanities faculty, Düsseldorf housing costs.
Best For
Students who want a campus university in a major Rhineland city, with a university hospital and a wide range of faculties.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz offers a comparable education in microbiology and genetics, chemistry and physics: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers software engineering as well.
University of Regensburg overlaps with this university on microbiology and genetics, chemistry and physics, so the two are easy to compare, and it covers software engineering as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 21,088 students against roughly 36,569 here.
Dresden University of Technology takes a similar route through chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it is slightly smaller, at about 29,000 students against roughly 36,569 here, and is also a public institution.
A good alternative in the same country is Universität zu Köln, which likewise covers microbiology and genetics, chemistry and statistics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers astroscience and bioinformatics as well.
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg shares the core fields of this institution, namely microbiology and genetics, chemistry and statistics; it is slightly smaller, at about 29,000 students against roughly 36,569 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Looking internationally, University of Turin in Italy is where finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry get a comparable treatment; it covers agriculture as well, and is larger, enrolling about 81,200 students against roughly 36,569 here.
The closest overseas parallel on finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry is University of Vienna, located in Austria; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and is larger, enrolling about 85,243 students against roughly 36,569 here.
Beyond national borders, University of Valencia stands out as a comparable school for finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers engineering as well.
Complutense University of Madrid offers an international parallel to this institution, with finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry as common ground; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
If this institution is on your list for microbiology and genetics, chemistry and statistics, Université Paris Cité in France deserves a comparison, because it is larger, enrolling about 64,100 students against roughly 36,569 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Heinrich Heine University?
In the Bilk district, in the southeast of Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Who is it named after?
The poet Heinrich Heine, born in Düsseldorf, since 1989.
When was it founded?
Its origin is the Düsseldorf Academy for Practical Medicine of 1907, and it became a university in 1965.
How many faculties does it have?
Five: Arts and Humanities, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Medicine, Business Administration and Economics, and Law.
When did the Faculty of Law open?
In 1993.
How many students does it have?
36,569.
How many staff does it have?
2,252 academic and 1,403 administrative staff.
How large is the campus?
About 130 hectares, with the university hospital campus to the north.
Who is the rector?
Anja Steinbeck, since November 2014.
What does it cost?
Most programmes charge a semester contribution rather than tuition. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Chemistry, Innovation, Physics, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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