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  • English-taught
  • Winter semester intake

Software Systems Engineering (M.Sc.)

at RWTH Aachen in Aachen

At a glance

Language
English-taught
Duration
4 sem 120 ECTS
Intake
Winter semester
Tuition
€0 public university
Semester fee
not confirmed

● Closed for this intake Non-EU applicants · Winter semester The window usually repeats next cycle; the full deadline table below shows every route and date.

English-taught software engineering master run by RWTH's Faculty 9, one of Germany's strongest computer science departments. The curriculum is unusually free-form - software-project management is the only compulsory module - and leans theoretical, with strong formal-methods and systems options alongside plentiful paid student-assistant roles.

Admission requirements

Prior degree
Bachelor in Computer Science or a closely related field
Minimum grade
Minimum bachelor GPA of 65% (RWTH conversion)
English
IELTS / TOEFL (RWTH working standard IELTS 6.5 / TOEFL iBT 90) or RWTH Language Center placement test at B2 (MK7).MOI certificates are not accepted; exemption only for degrees from UK/IE/US/CA/NZ/AU.
German
not required for admission
Prerequisite credits
  • Substantial computer-science and mathematics background: calculus, discrete mathematics, linear algebra, probability, algorithms, automata theory, complexity, logic
  • Two advanced undergraduate computer-science courses
Also required
Standard open admission (no NC) - meeting the module, ECTS and language requirements essentially guarantees a place; the real filter is RWTH's demanding first-semester exams. GRE is REQUIRED for applicants without EU/EEA citizenship or a German Abitur: Quantitative above the 75th percentile, Verbal above the 15th percentile, Analytical Writing 3.5 or above. Admission hinges on the Module Matching Form: you map your bachelor's ECTS and syllabus against RWTH's required modules - rejections are administrative and objective, 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. No application fee. APS certificate required for applicants from India, China and Vietnam.

Deadlines & timeline

Deadlines differ by where your degree is from. Dates change every cycle, so always confirm on the official page before planning. Where no fixed calendar date exists or none is confirmed yet, the Details column explains each case.
Who Intake Deadline Details
Non-EU applicants Winter semester closed for this intake; next cycle usually repeats the same window Final deadline for WS 2026/27 (winter intake only; portal opens ~January). Late or incomplete applications are not considered.
EU / German-degree applicants Winter semester closed for this intake; next cycle usually repeats the same window EU/EEA citizens, current RWTH students and holders of a German degree (portal opens 4 May 2026).

Fees & funding

Tuition
€0 per semester
Semester contribution
not confirmed
Semester ticket
included (Deutschland-Semesterticket)

€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.

Scholarships are listed per university: see RWTH Aachen scholarships.

How to apply

uni-assist
not required
Application portal
online.rwth-aachen.de
Official page
www.rwth-aachen.de

EU applicants and holders of German degrees usually apply directly via the university's Campusportal instead of uni-assist; the deadline table above says which route applies to you.

What students say

Via StudyCheck · 2024-2026: an aggregated rating, not our own assessment, paraphrased in our own words and never quoted.

4.1 /5

A small sample (4 StudyCheck reviews, 4.1/5, 75% would recommend - treat as provisional). Reviewers value the wide course selection - only software-project management is compulsory - and professors who are recognised experts in their fields, plus plentiful paid student-assistant roles at RWTH. The main criticism: the curriculum leans heavily theoretical, and some students wanted more directly job-relevant, applied content. Digital tooling is rated as strong.

Liked

  • Wide course selection; software-project management is the only compulsory module
  • Professors are recognised experts in their fields
  • Plentiful paid student-assistant roles at RWTH
  • Strong digital tooling

Criticised

  • Curriculum leans heavily theoretical
  • Some students wanted more directly job-relevant, applied content
  • Only 4 reviews - a small, provisional sample

Where graduates go

No alumni outcome data found yet.

External resources

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