University in Germany
Duisburg und Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
University profile
The University of Duisburg-Essen (Universität Duisburg-Essen, UDE) is a state university in the central Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia, with two campuses, one in Duisburg and one in Essen, plus the University Hospital Essen. It was founded on 1 January 2003 through the merger of the Gerhard-Mercator-Universität Duisburg and the Universität-Gesamthochschule Essen, and describes itself as one of the youngest universities in Germany. Its guiding line is "Offen im Denken" (open-minded thinking), with a commitment to educational equity, diversity and sustainability.
Teaching and research are organised in faculties including Humanities, Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Economics and Business Administration, the Mercator School of Management, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, Computer Science and Medicine. The university offers 315 study programmes, 184 of them teacher-training courses, in German, English and bilingual formats. There were 37,298 students at the end of 2025, of whom 21 per cent were international, and 2,851 doctoral candidates.
Research is concentrated in four strategic research areas: Water Research (Centre for Water and Environmental Research, ZWU), Biomedical Sciences (Centre for Medical Biotechnology and the Erwin L. Hahn Institute for magnetic resonance imaging), Nanoscience (Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen, CENIDE, with the NanoEnergieTechnikZentrum and the Interdisciplinary Center for Analytics on the Nanoscale) and Transformation of Contemporary Societies. The university also hosts several DFG Research Training Groups.
UDE belongs to the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) with Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University, and to the Aurora university network, and maintains partnerships with more than 100 universities worldwide. The University Library runs branch libraries on both campuses and at the University Hospital, and the Studierendenwerk Essen-Duisburg provides canteens, cafeterias, BAföG processing and social counselling. Student life includes sport, music, theatre, a campus radio station, student associations and university congregations.
International students are supported by the International Office, which advises on admission and enrolment, and by a buddy programme, language tandems, German courses for incoming students and summer courses. Most teaching is in German, with English-language and bilingual programmes in a number of subjects. The university does not charge tuition fees; every student pays the semester contribution each term.
The University of Duisburg-Essen does not charge tuition fees. Every student pays the social and student body contribution (Sozial- und Studierendenschaftsbeitrag, a semester contribution, not tuition) at enrolment and each re-registration. For the winter semester 2026/27 it is 367.80 euros, made up of the Mobilitätsbeitrag (Deutschlandsemesterticket) of 226.80 euros, the Sozialbeitrag for the Studierendenwerk of 125.00 euros and the Studierendenschaftsbeitrag of 16.00 euros. For the summer semester 2026 it was 349.80 euros. Students in financial hardship can apply to the AStA for the Mobilitätsbeitrag to be covered. Guest, part-time secondary and continuing-education students pay separate fees.
The UDE scholarship supports gifted and high-achieving students. It is awarded under the NRW and Germany scholarship programme and funded half by private donors and half by the state and federal government. Each holder receives 300 euros per month for one year (1,800 euros from private sponsors matched by the same amount from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research). Main criterion is academic performance, with commitment and social circumstances also considered. Details: UDE-Stipendium.
The university points students to DAAD scholarships, the Begabtenförderwerke, BAföG (processed by the Studierendenwerk Essen-Duisburg) and social counselling from the Studierendenwerk and AStA. Scholarships from the home country should be applied for before arrival. See Funding, Grants & Scholarships and International Admissions.
Browse the scholarships listed for University of Duisburg-Essen and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for University of Duisburg-Essen →Applicants need a university entrance qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung, HZB) recognised for admission to a German university. If the qualification is equivalent to the German Abitur, access is direct; otherwise a Studienkolleg is required, which UDE does not itself offer. The university checks the HZB and the other admission conditions.
Applicants with a foreign certificate from outside the EU/EEA, or who completed a German Studienkolleg, apply through the International Admissions office: Bachelor programmes (including Medicine) via the uni-assist portal; most Master programmes via the UDE application portal, with a list of programmes (such as Betriebswirtschaftslehre, Informatik, Software Engineering, Volkswirtschaftslehre, Wirtschaftsinformatik and several Psychology and Medizinmanagement Masters) handled first through uni-assist. Applicants with German or EU/EEA certificates apply to the Registration/Admissions Office; one-subject Bachelor programmes run through the Dialogorientiertes Serviceverfahren and require prior registration at hochschulstart.de, while teacher-training programmes apply directly through the UDE portal.
Winter semester: 1 May to 15 June for programmes with admission restrictions (NC), 1 May to 31 July for programmes without. Summer semester: 1 November to 15 December for NC programmes, 1 November to 31 January for programmes without. The Master Development and Governance accepts applications from 1 to 31 March.
Most teaching is in German. Most applicants from abroad must show German at DSH-2 level before starting, evidenced by DSH with an overall grade of DSH-2 or higher, DSD II, telc C1 Hochschule (at least ausreichend), TestDaF at TDN-4 in all parts, the Goethe-Institut Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung, KDS or GDS, the Studienkolleg Feststellungsprüfung, or a German studies degree from the EU or a CIS country. DSH-3 applies to Medicine (state examination), Business Administration in Duisburg (M.Sc.) and German as a Second or Foreign Language (dual-subject M.A.). Applicants to programmes without admission restrictions who lack the German level can be admitted for a preparatory German course; this is not possible for NC programmes. Subject-specific additional languages are listed for each programme in the study-course descriptions.
For the ISE (International Studies in Engineering) programmes, English proficiency at CEFR B1 is expected for Bachelor and B2 for Master programmes, evidenced by a certificate such as TOEFL or IELTS or a medium-of-instruction certificate.
Admission to Master programmes depends on eligibility for university admission and subject-specific aptitude for the chosen programme; programme-specific conditions are set out in each course description.
Doctoral applicants must find their own academic supervisor and propose a research topic; if accepted, the supervisor issues a letter of acceptance. The doctoral procedure follows the faculty doctoral regulations (Promotionsordnungen). Structured programmes and advice are provided through GC Plus.
After the notice of admission (Zulassungsbescheid), applicants apply for a study visa at the German embassy in their country; a tourist visa cannot be converted. Enrolment requires proof of health insurance: statutory insurers send a digital M10 notification to the university (sender number H0000277), and applicants who are privately insured, family-insured or over 30 need an M10 notification of exemption.
A bus shuttle connects the campuses. Canteens and cafeterias are run by the Studierendenwerk, and the myUDE campus app provides navigation. The Universitätsbibliothek also serves interested members of the public from the region.
Study programmes offered at University of Duisburg-Essen.
Experiences shared by students of University of Duisburg-Essen.
Studied here? Share your experience to help other applicants.
Book a free consultation with our expert counsellors and take the first step towards your dream university.
Copyrights © 2026 StudyMapped. All rights reserved.
Enter your credentials to continue.
Join us and start your study abroad journey.
