# Data Science (MSc) at RWTH Aachen

RWTH's English-taught Data Science M.Sc. sits at the intersection of computer science and mathematics, covering data management, machine learning and large-scale analysis with the rigour of a top-tier German CS faculty. Around 60 ECTS of foundations plus roughly 30 ECTS of specialization and the thesis let students shape their own profile. Not to be confused with 'Data Analytics & Decision Science' at the private, fee-based RWTH Business School - this is the public, tuition-free programme.

University: RWTH Aachen University (Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen) (https://studygermany.dev/universities/rwth-aachen.md)
City: Aachen (https://studygermany.dev/cities/aachen.md)
HTML page: https://studygermany.dev/programmes/rwth-aachen-msc-data-science/

## At a glance

- Degree: MSc
- Language of instruction: English
- English requirement: TOEFL iBT 95 / IELTS 6.5. Certificate must be under 2 years old; institutional TOEFL (ITP) rejected. Medium-of-Instruction certificates are NOT accepted - the only exemption is an undergraduate degree completed in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia.
- German requirement: not required for admission
- ECTS: 120
- Duration: 4 semesters
- Intake: Winter & summer
- Tuition: €0 per semester (public university)
- Semester contribution: not confirmed
- Semester ticket included: yes (Deutschland-Semesterticket)

Fee notes: €0 tuition for all students including non-EU/EEA - NRW public universities charge no tuition (contrast: TUM in Bavaria charges non-EU Master's students €4,000-6,000/semester). Semester contribution is approx. €330/semester: components are confirmed (ticket portion €208.80 from WS 2025/26) but the exact WS 2026/27 total is not yet verified on the AStA page, so no hard number is published here. It includes the Deutschlandsemesterticket, delivered digitally via the naveo app - valid Germany-wide on regional transport plus Zuid-Limburg in the Netherlands (Maastricht, Parkstad, Sittard-Geleen), with specific AVV cross-border lines into Belgium.

## Admission requirements

- Prior degree: Bachelor in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or a closely related field (the programme is built on Mathematics + Computer Science foundations)
- Minimum grade: not confirmed
- Prerequisite credits: Sufficient prior ECTS in mathematics and computer science, matched against RWTH's CS/Mathematics/Physics module profiles (specific credit-point minima apply)
- Also required: Standard open admission (no NC) - meeting the module, ECTS and language requirements essentially guarantees a place; you compete against the module handbook, not other applicants. The real filter RWTH is candid about: demanding first-semester exams. GRE is REQUIRED for applicants without EU/EEA citizenship or a German Abitur: Quantitative Reasoning 160 or above (Verbal and Analytical Writing are disregarded). Admission hinges on the Module Matching Form (Formblatt zur Überprüfung der fachlichen Zugangsvoraussetzungen): you map your bachelor's ECTS and syllabus against RWTH's required modules - rejections are administrative and objective (too few ECTS in a named subject), and incomplete files can be discarded without notice. Master's applicants apply directly via RWTHonline - uni-assist is NOT used for RWTH master's applications (it applies to bachelor's applicants). No application fee. APS certificate required for applicants from India, China and Vietnam.

## Application deadlines

- Non-EU applicants, winter semester: 2026-03-01 (PASSED as of the last site build; the window usually repeats next cycle). Final deadline for WS 2026/27 (portal opens ~January). Late or incomplete applications are not considered; decisions typically issue 4-8 weeks after the deadline.
- EU / German-degree applicants, winter semester: 2026-07-15 (PASSED as of the last site build; the window usually repeats next cycle). EU/EEA citizens, current RWTH students and holders of a German degree (portal opens 4 May 2026).
- Non-EU applicants, summer semester: 2026-09-01. Final deadline for SoSe 2027 (portal opens ~July).
- EU / German-degree applicants, summer semester: 2027-01-15. EU/EEA citizens and holders of a German degree.

## How to apply

- uni-assist required: no
- Application portal: https://online.rwth-aachen.de
- Official programme page: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/cms/root/studium/vor-dem-studium/studiengaenge/liste-aktuelle-studiengaenge/studiengangbeschreibung/~pzpc/data-science-m-sc/?lidx=1

## External resources

- [Official programme page](https://www.rwth-aachen.de/cms/root/studium/vor-dem-studium/studiengaenge/liste-aktuelle-studiengaenge/studiengangbeschreibung/~pzpc/data-science-m-sc/?lidx=1)
- [Faculty admission page](https://sc.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/en/studium/master/master-data-science/)
- [DAAD listing](https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programmes/en/detail/7636/)
- [StudyCheck reviews](https://www.studycheck.de/studium/informationswissenschaft/rwth-aachen-23486)
- [Apply via RWTHonline](https://online.rwth-aachen.de)



## Provenance

Last checked: 2026-07-10

- RWTH Aachen - Data Science M.Sc. official programme page (ECTS, intake, admission, GRE confirmed): https://www.rwth-aachen.de/cms/root/studium/vor-dem-studium/studiengaenge/liste-aktuelle-studiengaenge/studiengangbeschreibung/~pzpc/data-science-m-sc/?lidx=1
- RWTH Aachen - international master's application framework (RWTHonline route, deadlines, module matching): https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bqrn
- AStA RWTH Aachen - semester contribution (€0 tuition; Deutschlandsemesterticket bundled): https://www.asta.rwth-aachen.de/en/semester-contribution/
- DAAD International Programmes - Data Science (RWTH): https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programmes/en/detail/7636/