RWTH Aachen University

About RWTH Aachen University

RWTH Aachen University is one of Germany's leading technical universities. Founded in 1870, it is a member of the TU9 group of top German technical universities and has been funded as a German "University of Excellence" since 2007.

RWTH has about 44,000 students, including more than 7,000 international students, in 10 faculties. It is world-famous for mechanical, electrical and production engineering, and it works closely with industry. Nobel laureate Peter Debye studied there.

Founded

1870

Type

Public

Students

44,000+ (2025/26)

International students

7,000+

Group

TU9, University of Excellence

Rankings & recognition

RWTH Aachen is ranked 105 in the QS World University Rankings 2026 and 92 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, sixth in Germany in both.

Location: Aachen, Germany

Aachen, Germany

RWTH is in Aachen, Germany's westernmost city, right next to the borders with the Netherlands and Belgium. Aachen is a lively student city with a famous cathedral, and Cologne is about an hour away by train.

For international students

RWTH welcomes students from Pakistan, mainly for English-taught master's programmes in engineering and computer science. Entry is competitive, and many programmes ask for a strong bachelor's degree in a closely related subject and sometimes a GRE score. Most programmes start in October.

Public universities in North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland do not charge tuition fees for most degree programmes, including for students from Pakistan; you only pay a semester contribution (usually a few hundred euros per semester), which often includes a public transport ticket. For the German student visa you will need your admission letter, proof of funds (usually a blocked account, "Sperrkonto", covering one year of living costs) and health insurance.

Frequently asked questions