University of Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and, as many people know, one of Germany’s most important trade fair cities. Düsseldorf Heinrich Heine University is one of the youngest universities in the state and has a modern campus. As we are used to from young universities, it is located a bit out of the city and is a communal campus. If I remember correctly, we took a 20 minute metro ride from the main train station. The last stop is the university. There was a subway every five minutes.
The university was founded in 1965. You can understand this from the style of the campus buildings which are reminiscent of the 60s and 70s. Even though the university is not the oldest or the most beautiful university in NRW, when we visited it, we felt a different kind of warmth “because we were of age and it gave us nostalgia”. In the meantime they are building new buildings and expanding the campus.
The university has managed to find a place in the 750-800 band in the QS Ranking. Although it is not very good on a German scale, if you compare it with the rankings of good schools in your country, I am sure you will see that it is not bad. (See University Rating Organizations and Their Importance)
Of the more than 36,000 students enrolled at the university, about 3800 are foreigners. Many of the students are attracted to the city because of the good city life and amenities, but the university also offers excellent research and collaboration opportunities. The city is a center for many foreign companies and the headquarters of many German companies.
DÜSSELDORF UNIVERSITY IN NUMBERS
| Date of foundation | 1965 |
| Total Number of Students | 36.575 |
| Semester Fee (includes public transportation ticket) | 309€ |
| Tuition Fee | Free |
Düsseldorf University Applications
The University of Düsseldorf requires a VPD from international applicants. (See What is VPD?) Once you have your VPD, you can apply to the university. Proof of knowledge of German at level C1 is required to apply for undergraduate programs. If you have an A2 level of German (a certificate is not required), you can take the preparatory school exam to enter the school’s German courses.
The preparatory school exam takes place in mid-March and a VPD from UniAssist is required before entry. The exam is held online due to the Covid pandemic in the last period, but I don’t know how it will be in the following years. If you pass the exam and get accepted, you enroll in the course (450 Euro + Book) and the university and pay the semester social contribution (309 Euro social contribution includes the public transportation ticket for the whole semester). The preparatory school offers intensive courses at 3 different levels (B1+, B2+ and C1). Each course includes a total of 300 hours of intensive program. If your knowledge of German is limited, consider that the preparatory school can last up to 1.5 years before you start university.
You can find the school’s website here.
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