University of Cologne

Founded in 1388, the University of Cologne is one of the oldest and biggest German universities. Our heritage goes hand in hand with a thoroughly modern outlook and a compelling and ambitious agenda in higher education. Our greatest resource is an exceptionally broad subject base and our excellent and talented people. The University of Cologne is one of the leading German research universities with an increasing international outreach. 

The University of Cologne’s core mission is to create, preserve and disseminate knowledge, to provide high-quality education and training for students and young academics and to encourage and support top-level research with the specific aim of addressing changing societal challenges.

The University of Cologne is set on a large urban campus in the heart of the lively and thriving city of Cologne. Cologne is one of the oldest and biggest cities in Germany and the surrounding Rhineland is one of Europe’s most developed economic regions. Open, friendly and with an international outlook, Cologne is a great place to live, work and study. 

TEACHING:

The University of Cologne is organized into six faculties: i) Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, ii) Faculty of Law, iii) Faculty of Medicine, iv) Faculty of Arts and Humanities, v) Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and vi) Faculty of Human Sciences. The University of Cologne currently offers around 100 quality-assured degree programs, with a total of over 300 subject and teaching combinations to choose from including various bi-national study programs. The cross-faculty research and teaching centers ensure the high reputation of Cologne’s graduates for both research and the wider market

Studying at University of Cologne is free of tuition fees. Instead, enrolled students have to pay a social contribution fee (which amounts about 300€) each semester. This fee enables students - among other things - to use public transport within the whole Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia at no cost. Furthermore, it entitles them for student discounts at various cultural and public institutions and places.

RESEARCH:

Among many internationally renowned research units the University of cologne has several large, internationally competitive research areas, including four Clusters of Excellence: Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-associated Diseases (CECAD), ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy, Plant Sciences – SMART Plants for Tomorrow’s Needs (CEPLAS) and Matter and Light for Quantum Computing (ML4Q) funded within the German Excellence Strategy. The University of Cologne closely cooperates with Cologne University Hospital as well as numerous research institutions of the Max Planck Society and the Helmholtz Association in the Cologne metropolitan area. Knowledge transfer and support for start-ups is particularly important to the university.

Some highlights:

• Outstanding research structures in the fields of health and ageing, such as the Cologne Cluster of Excellence on Aging Research (CECAD), a world-leading research center that explores the molecular basis of the aging process and age associated diseases, and the Cologne Center for Ethics, Rights, Economics and Social Sciences of Health (ceres), a highly interdisciplinary center that facilitates novel approaches to generate knowledge about health-related issues on a trans-disciplinary, widespread basis.

• The Centre for Teacher Education (Zentrum für LehrerInnenbildung, ZfL), an exemplary training structure for future teachers, working together with more than 800 schools in the Rhineland region.

• The Global South Studies Center (GSSC), an interdisciplinary research unit bringing together a wide array of disciplines collaborating with multiple partners from the Global South, furthering understanding of global transitions, networks, inequalities, and aspirations.

• The European University of Well-Being (EUniWell) uniting eight European universities and presenting an action-oriented response to well-being, grounded in research expertise, educational leadership and civic engagement to meet the challenge set out by the Council of the European Union and the OECD.

• Gateway helping members of the university put their business ideas into practice. The high density of enterprises in the region creates the perfect environment for these efforts to succeed.

INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK:

The international network of the University of Cologne is well-established, and unifies 18 Strategic Research Partnerships, roughly 100 university-wide-level partners and about 500 faculty-level partnerships on all continents. The University of Cologne maintains liaison offices in China, India and North America and is a member of the prestigious European COIMBRA Group.