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RWTH Aachen

in Aachen · official site · International Office

RWTH Aachen is a founding member of TU9 and one of Germany's largest and most prestigious technical universities, funded under the national Excellence Strategy. It is a global leader in engineering and the natural sciences - consistently top in Germany for mechanical engineering and materials science - with exceptionally deep industry ties, Europe's largest research campus (RWTH Aachen Campus) and the Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA). More than 30% of its roughly 45,000 students are international, drawn from over 130 countries, and its location at the German-Belgian-Dutch tripoint gives it a distinctive cross-border character. As a North Rhine-Westphalia public university it charges no tuition - including for non-EU students, the clean contrast with Bavaria - only a semester contribution that bundles the Deutschlandsemesterticket (valid Germany-wide plus Dutch Zuid-Limburg). Master's applicants apply directly via RWTHonline, not uni-assist.

The glass facade of the SuperC, RWTH Aachen’s central student services building

Photo: Svoud, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Master's programmes here

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Services for international students

Your first stop for almost everything is the International Office: admission letters, visa questions, enrolment, and orientation weeks all run through it.

  • International Office (Incoming Student Services)

    First stop for international students: arrival support, the dorm-quota application route, and guidance for the on-campus SuperC residence-permit branch. A separate Welcome Center serves international researchers. Official page

  • Zentrale Studienberatung (ZSB)

    Central student advising: programme choice, study organisation and switching, before and during your degree.

  • Psychological Counseling

    Free psychological counselling for students - usually much faster than the statutory-insurance therapy queue; go here first if you need support.

  • Career Center

    Jobs, internships and employer events - backed by the unusually deep industry network around the RWTH Aachen Campus.

  • Language Center (Sprachenzentrum)

    German at all levels plus other languages. RWTH-specific perk: after you complete B1, the German course fee is refunded on presenting the completion certificate.

  • University Library (UB)

    Central library and branch libraries across campus. Official page

  • IT Center

    University accounts, WiFi, software and the service desk behind RWTHonline and RWTHmoodle access. Official page

  • Hochschulsport (HSZ)

    Large subsidised university sports programme, Sportkarte-based - one of the cheapest ways to meet people.

  • Studierendenwerk Aachen

    Dining (Mensa), the dorm system and BAföG administration - a separate organisation from RWTH itself. Official page

Scholarship directory

  • Deutschlandstipendium at RWTH

    €300/month (half federal, half private sponsor), one year and renewable. Rewards achievement plus personal commitment, and connects holders to sponsor companies.

  • German-course fee refund (Language Center)

    Confirmed RWTH-specific support: complete level B1 at the RWTH Language Center and the German course fee is refunded against the completion certificate.

  • DAAD scholarship database

    The definitive searchable database for international-student funding in Germany. Official page

  • External funding RWTH students commonly use

    Stipendium Plus (the 12 Begabtenförderungswerke, including KAS, which has a strong Aachen community), the Bayer Foundation, and mystipendium.de. Honest note: some 'tuition-reduction' awards you may see advertised belong to the private RWTH International Academy - RWTH's public master's have no tuition to reduce.

Amounts, windows and eligibility rules change every cycle; verify on the official pages before planning your budget around any of them.

Campus systems you'll actually use (RWTHonline · RWTHmoodle · Prüfungsamt / Examination Matters)

German universities split "one student portal" into several systems, and nobody tells internationals which is which. At RWTH Aachen:

RWTHonline
The central campus portal: application, course registration, exam registration, grades and official certificates (Studienbescheinigung, Notenspiegel, address changes). Also where you pull the enrolment certificate and transcript needed for the SuperC residence-permit appointment - and enter your German address by ~March so the BlueCard student ID can be posted. online.rwth-aachen.de
RWTHmoodle
The learning platform: course materials, lecture recordings and assignments. Distinct from RWTHonline - you will use both. The old L²P platform is retired - RWTHmoodle replaced it; ignore outdated guides that mention L²P. moodle.rwth-aachen.de
Prüfungsamt / Examination Matters
Exam registration (separate from course registration), credit recognition and extensions. The module handbook and Prüfungsordnung (PO) are the binding references. Exam registration has strict deadlines - miss one and you cannot sit the exam. Culture note RWTH is candid about: first-semester exams in the flagship open-admission programmes are brutal and thin large cohorts - plan the first two semesters accordingly.