Founded in 1870, RWTH Aachen is one of Germany’s largest and most prestigious technical universities, renowned for its engineering programs, especially mechanical engineering, and its strong industry connections.
RWTH Aachen University is the largest technical university in Germany, with about 47,000 students and 9,000 staff, and around 30 percent of students from abroad. It started in 1870 as a polytechnic school and now covers engineering, natural sciences, medicine, architecture, economics and the humanities. The old city of Aachen lies at the border with Belgium and the Netherlands, so students often cross into Maastricht or Liège for a weekend.
The university is spread between the city centre, the Melaten campus for medicine and engineering clusters, and the Westpark. Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, materials and energy technology are the best-known fields, and the Institute of Aerodynamics goes back to Theodore von Kármán, who led it in the early twentieth century. Many graduates go into the automotive industry, aerospace or mechanical engineering firms of North Rhine-Westphalia.
RWTH is a University of Excellence and takes part in JARA, a research alliance with Forschungszentrum Jülich, one of the largest research centres in Europe. The Fraunhofer institutes and the Cluster of Excellence on sustainable fuels and electrical systems make Aachen a centre for energy and production technology. The university also built the RWTH Campus, a business park where companies and institutes work side by side on new technologies.
There are no tuition fees for most students at public universities in North Rhine-Westphalia, but students pay a semester contribution that covers administration and a regional transport ticket, usually a few hundred euros. Bachelor’s programmes are mostly in German, while many master’s programmes are in English. Technical subjects may have admission limits, and international applicants often need to pass an assessment.
Aachen is a student city with cheaper housing than Munich or Frankfurt. About a fifth of the population is connected to the university. Many of the large employers in the region recruit directly from the campus, so internships in industry are easy to arrange.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Logistics, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of TU9, IDEA League, CESAER, T.I.M.E. Strong collaborations with industry (e.g., Bosch, Siemens, Ford) and research centers (e.g., Fraunhofer Institutes, Forschungszentrum Jülich).
Research:
Advanced Manufacturing & Robotics, Automotive Engineering & Mobility, Energy Systems & Materials, Information & Communication Technology, Medical Technology.
Famous Alumnis:
Theodore von Kármán, Peter Debye, Bodo von Borries
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
9000
Current students***:
47000
Foreign students***:
30%
Cumulative former students***:
200000
Pros
Leading technical university in Germany, particularly strong in mechanical engineering, excellent industry links and research opportunities, large international community.
Cons
Very large and can be impersonal, highly competitive, Aachen is a smaller city focused on the university.
Best For
Premier German technical university for engineering, especially mechanical and automotive, with strong industry ties.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of aerospace, transportations and bioinformatics can consider Technische Universität München, and it covers food science as well, and has almost the same size, at about 48,000 students.
Also strong in logistics, aerospace and transportations, Technische Universität Berlin makes a sensible second look at home; it is slightly smaller, at about 35,000 students against roughly 47,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Also strong in aerospace, transportations and bioinformatics, Technische Universität Darmstadt makes a sensible second look at home; it is smaller, enrolling about 25,000 students against roughly 47,000 here, and is also a public institution.
For students who like the aerospace, transportations and bioinformatics focus of this school but want another option nearby, Fachhochschule Aachen fits well: it is far smaller, with about 15,000 students against roughly 47,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Also strong in logistics, aerospace and transportations, Technische Hochschule Köln makes a sensible second look at home; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers sound engineering and metrology as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
For aerospace, transportations and bioinformatics outside the home country, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China is a natural reference; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is slightly larger, at about 58,000 students against roughly 47,000 here.
Students considering a move abroad can look at SJTU in China, where aerospace, transportations and bioinformatics also form the core, and it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
Politecnico di Torino brings a Italy setting to the same core fields, aerospace, nanotechnologies and fluid dynamics, and it is slightly smaller, at about 38,000 students against roughly 47,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven in the Netherlands pursues a similar profile in bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics, and it is far smaller, with about 14,000 students against roughly 47,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Waseda University, based in Japan, is built around aerospace, transportations and bioinformatics much like this institution, and it covers astroscience as well, and has almost the same size, at about 50,000 students.
*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 RWTH Aachen?
The main address is Templergraben 55 in Aachen, in North Rhine-Westphalia near the Belgian and Dutch borders.
How large is it?
About 47,000 students and 9,000 staff, with around 30 percent of students from abroad.
When was it founded?
In 1870 as a polytechnic school.
What is RWTH best known for?
Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, materials and energy technology.
Is RWTH a University of Excellence?
Yes.
What is JARA?
A research alliance between RWTH Aachen and Forschungszentrum Jülich.
Are there tuition fees?
Most students at public universities in North Rhine-Westphalia pay no tuition. A semester contribution applies, which includes a regional transport ticket. Check the current tariff.
In which language are courses taught?
Mostly German at bachelor level, with many master's programmes in English.
Who developed aerodynamics research at Aachen?
Theodore von Kármán led the Aerodynamic Institute in the early twentieth century.
Is Aachen affordable?
Housing is cheaper than in Munich or Frankfurt, and the city has a large student population.
*: 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.
Innovation.world is not affiliated with this school/university. We recommend to contact them directly on their website for any special request.
To complete or correct any information here or share your opinion, please comment below or > send us a direct message <.
