Academic Index Last updated: June 22, 2026

29 Best Universities in North Rhine-Westphalia

Exploring the academic landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia, our index provides a definitive ranking of the top 29 higher education institutions. By assessing 719.6K research papers and their 18.81M citations, we reveal the most impactful research centers.

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1

Cologne

University of Cologne

#11 in Germany #57 in Europe

33% Acceptance

52,204 Enrollment

1388 Founded

2

Aachen

RWTH Aachen University

#12 in Germany #59 in Europe

35% Acceptance

47,521 Enrollment

1870 Founded

3

Bochum

Ruhr University Bochum

#21 in Germany #91 in Europe

28% Acceptance

42,954 Enrollment

1962 Founded

4

Essen

University of Duisburg – Essen

#31 in Germany #156 in Europe

51% Acceptance

43,281 Enrollment

2003 Founded

5

Dusseldorf

Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf

#32 in Germany #157 in Europe

51% Acceptance

37,473 Enrollment

1965 Founded

6

Dortmund

TU Dortmund University

#41 in Germany #193 in Europe

59% Acceptance

34,616 Enrollment

1968 Founded

7

Wuppertal

University of Wuppertal

#54 in Germany #304 in Europe

40% Acceptance

22,601 Enrollment

1972 Founded

8

Paderborn

University of Paderborn

#58 in Germany #321 in Europe

60% Acceptance

19,110 Enrollment

1972 Founded

9

Siegen

University of Siegen

#59 in Germany #322 in Europe

54% Acceptance

17,805 Enrollment

1972 Founded

10

Witten

Witten/Herdecke University

#68 in Germany #457 in Europe

50% Acceptance

2,894 Enrollment

1982 Founded

11

Cologne

Cologne University of Applied Sciences

#85 in Germany #637 in Europe

51% Acceptance

27,000 Enrollment

1971 Founded

12

Dusseldorf

University of Applied Sciences Dusseldorf

#94 in Germany #732 in Europe

32% Acceptance

11,170 Enrollment

1971 Founded

13

Sankt Augustin

Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences

#104 in Germany #818 in Europe

51% Acceptance

8,000 Enrollment

1995 Founded

14

Dortmund

University of Applied Sciences and Arts

#121 in Germany #889 in Europe

68% Acceptance

14,373 Enrollment

1971 Founded

15

Bielefeld

Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences

#122 in Germany #892 in Europe

60% Acceptance

8,633 Enrollment

1971 Founded

16

Essen

University of Applied Sciences for Economics and Management

#139 in Germany #1006 in Europe

43% Acceptance

47,098 Enrollment

1993 Founded

17

Cologne

Cologne Business School

#153 in Germany #1121 in Europe

33% Acceptance

1,123 Enrollment

1993 Founded

18

Kleve

Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences

#161 in Germany #1195 in Europe

68% Acceptance

6,723 Enrollment

2009 Founded

19

Iserlohn

University of Applied Sciences Europe

#200 in Germany #1613 in Europe

56% Acceptance

2,906 Enrollment

2000 Founded

20

Krefeld

Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences

#208 in Germany #1662 in Europe

68% Acceptance

14,511 Enrollment

1971 Founded

21

Bochum

Bochum University of Applied Sciences

#223 in Germany #1701 in Europe

19% Acceptance

6,047 Enrollment

1972 Founded

22

Alfter

Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences

#236 in Germany #1729 in Europe

38% Acceptance

914 Enrollment

1973 Founded

23

Dusseldorf

Robert Schumann University of Music Dusseldorf

#245 in Germany #1746 in Europe

43% Acceptance

923 Enrollment

1935 Founded

24

Paderborn

University of Applied Sciences

#256 in Germany #1777 in Europe

56% Acceptance

2,102 Enrollment

1993 Founded

25

Bruhl

European University of Applied Sciences

#276 in Germany #1898 in Europe

35% Acceptance

1,599 Enrollment

2001 Founded

26

Dusseldorf

IST University of Applied Sciences

#291 in Germany #1954 in Europe

19% Acceptance

1,134 Enrollment

2013 Founded

27

Bochum

Protestant University of Applied Sciences Rhineland-Westphalia-Lippe

#316 in Germany #2125 in Europe

40% Acceptance

2,000 Enrollment

1971 Founded

28

Hamm

University of Applied Sciences, Hamm

#352 in Germany #2437 in Europe

44% Acceptance

495 Enrollment

2005 Founded

29

Sankt Augustin

College of Philosophy and Theology, St. Augustine

#360 in Germany #2583 in Europe

36% Acceptance

104 Enrollment

1925 Founded