Academic Index Last updated: June 22, 2026

18 Best Universities in North Rhine-Westphalia for Literature

We ranked the top 18 universities for Literature in North Rhine-Westphalia based on strict academic metrics. Our methodology evaluated 1.03M subject-specific papers and 28M citations to find the strongest faculties. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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1

Cologne

University of Cologne

For Literature

#8 in Germany #87 in Europe

33% Acceptance

52,204 Enrollment

1388 Founded

2

Bonn

University of Bonn

For Literature

#10 in Germany #109 in Europe

36% Acceptance

38,043 Enrollment

1818 Founded

3

Aachen

RWTH Aachen University

For Literature

#12 in Germany #125 in Europe

35% Acceptance

47,521 Enrollment

1870 Founded

4

Munster

University of Munster

For Literature

#15 in Germany #149 in Europe

14% Acceptance

43,728 Enrollment

1780 Founded

5

Bochum

Ruhr University Bochum

For Literature

#20 in Germany #162 in Europe

28% Acceptance

42,954 Enrollment

1962 Founded

6

Dortmund

TU Dortmund University

For Literature

#41 in Germany #291 in Europe

59% Acceptance

34,616 Enrollment

1968 Founded

7

Essen

Folkwang University of the Arts

For Literature

#72 in Germany #625 in Europe

46% Acceptance

1,506 Enrollment

1927 Founded

8

Cologne

German Sport University Cologne

For Literature

#69 in Germany #588 in Europe

30% Acceptance

6,000 Enrollment

1947 Founded

9

Aachen

Aachen University of Applied Sciences

For Literature

#83 in Germany #747 in Europe

51% Acceptance

13,671 Enrollment

1971 Founded

10

Hagen

University of Hagen

For Literature

#63 in Germany #499 in Europe

43% Acceptance

71,351 Enrollment

1974 Founded

11

Siegen

University of Siegen

For Literature

#51 in Germany #339 in Europe

54% Acceptance

17,805 Enrollment

1972 Founded

12

Paderborn

University of Paderborn

For Literature

#48 in Germany #321 in Europe

60% Acceptance

19,110 Enrollment

1972 Founded

13

Wuppertal

University of Wuppertal

For Literature

#45 in Germany #307 in Europe

40% Acceptance

22,601 Enrollment

1972 Founded

14

Bielefeld

University of Bielefeld

For Literature

#28 in Germany #215 in Europe

50% Acceptance

23,342 Enrollment

1969 Founded

15

Dusseldorf

Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf

For Literature

#25 in Germany #194 in Europe

51% Acceptance

37,473 Enrollment

1965 Founded

16

Dusseldorf

University of Applied Sciences Dusseldorf

For Literature

#99 in Germany #987 in Europe

32% Acceptance

11,170 Enrollment

1971 Founded

17

Essen

University of Duisburg – Essen

For Literature

#34 in Germany #247 in Europe

51% Acceptance

43,281 Enrollment

2003 Founded

18

Cologne

Cologne University of Applied Sciences

For Literature

#93 in Germany #891 in Europe

51% Acceptance

27,000 Enrollment

1971 Founded