Teaching and research at the University of Bayreuth began in 1975, when the Bavarian state opened a new university in the city of Bayreuth. The university was founded to advance interdisciplinary research and teaching, and that aim still shapes its organisation, with groups of related disciplines gathered in a small number of faculties rather than in many separate departments.
There are seven faculties: Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science; Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; Law, Business and Economics; Languages and Literature; Cultural Studies; Engineering Science; and Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health. The last of these is based at Campus Kulmbach, a satellite site away from the main campus in Bayreuth.
The university’s research profile includes the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, which studies Africa across disciplines, and polymer and colloid research, which the university describes as a driver for future-oriented materials. More than 11,000 students were enrolled in the winter semester 2025/26. Study programmes, admission rules and fees are described on the university’s official pages.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Strong interdisciplinary research focus. Collaborations with Max Planck Institutes and industry.
Research:
Advanced materials and polymer science, African studies and intercultural relations, Ecology and environmental change, Biofabrication and health technology.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1500
Current students***:
13000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Interdisciplinary and research-oriented university, strong in polymer science and ecology, modern campus.
Cons
Located in Bayreuth (smaller city in Bavaria).
Best For
Interdisciplinary research university strong in polymer science, ecology, and engineering science.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg is a public university in Bavaria whose profile combines materials science and engineering with chemical and bioengineering.
Universität Augsburg, another public university in Bavaria, lists materials science and engineering together with computer science.
Universität Ulm is a public university with physics, quantum science and engineering, similar in its science-and-technology focus.
Universität Konstanz is a public university in Konstanz whose specialties include chemistry, nanoscience, physics and materials science.
Universität Bremen is a public university with marine and environmental sciences alongside materials science.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Université de Fribourg (Switzerland) is a public university listing materials science, biology and chemistry, a compact science profile like Bayreuth's.
Universiteit Twente (Netherlands) is a public university in nanotechnology, biomedical engineering and robotics.
Université de Mons (Belgium) is a public university combining materials science, engineering and computer science.
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (Italy) is a public university with materials science, computer science and environmental fields.
Universiteit Antwerpen (Belgium) is a public university whose profile includes drug discovery and environmental sciences.
*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
In which year was Bayreuth founded as a university?
It was founded in 1975, with the declared aim of advancing interdisciplinary research and teaching. It is a state university of Bavaria.
How many faculties are there?
The university has seven faculties, ranging from mathematics, physics and computer science to law, business and economics, languages and literature, cultural studies, and engineering science. One faculty, for life sciences in food, nutrition and health, sits on Campus Kulmbach.
What is Campus Kulmbach?
It is a satellite campus of the university, located away from the main campus in Bayreuth. It hosts the faculty of life sciences covering food, nutrition and health.
What is the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence?
It is the Cluster of Excellence "Africa Multiple: reconfiguring African Studies" (EXC 2052), hosted by the University of Bayreuth and established in January 2019 through the German Excellence Strategy. Most of its projects take an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary approach.
What is the current enrolment at Bayreuth?
More than 11,000 students were enrolled in the winter semester 2025/26. The first teaching term in 1975 started with 632 students.
What does the university research in materials science?
Its profile highlights polymer and colloid research, presented as a driver for new materials.
Where can I find admission requirements?
The university's English website describes degree programmes and the application procedure. As rules differ by programme and by degree level, check the specific programme page.
*: 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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