Ruhr University Bochum

Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) is a public university in Bochum in the Ruhr region of western Germany, with its International Office at Universitatsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum. Most of its courses are taught in German, but it also publishes an international course catalogue of courses taught in English, and exchange students are expected to have good language skills at least at B1/B2 level.

For South Asian students, RUB's biggest advantage is cost: the university states clearly that there are no tuition fees. Students pay only a social contribution of about 330 euros per semester, which includes the semester ticket for public transport throughout Germany, excluding ICE and IC trains. RUB's own fact sheet estimates monthly living costs including a university dormitory room at 325 to 420 euros, a private apartment at 350 to 650 euros, food at about 200 euros, health insurance at about 144 euros and personal expenses at about 150 euros.

RUB enrolment takes place online, and the International Office supports incoming students through the process. Before every semester RUB also offers an orientation course including a language course and social activities, costing between 160 and 240 euros depending on programme and scope.

Full tuition detail (verified): There are no tuition fees at Ruhr University Bochum. Each student must pay a social contribution fee of approximately 330 euros per semester, according to RUB's 2026/27 fact sheet, which includes the semester ticket for public transportation throughout Germany (no ICE/IC trains). RUB's fact sheet estimates monthly living costs as: accommodation between 325 and 420 euros in a university dormitory or between 350 and 650 euros in a private apartment, TV licence fee 18.36 euros, food approximately 200 euros, academic expenses approximately 40 euros, personal expenses approximately 150 euros, and health insurance approximately 144 euros; the social contribution fee is listed separately at approximately 360 euros per semester in the fact sheet's living-cost table, so the per-semester amount should be rechecked at enrolment as the fact sheet gives both approximately 330 euros and approximately 360 euros.

There are no standard deadlines for international study programmes at RUB, so only the deadlines published on the programme page are binding. For the MSc Computer Science, non-EU applicants, meaning applicants from outside the EU or with a bachelor's degree from outside the EU, always start in the winter semester, with the next application deadline 15 December 2026 for winter semester 2027/28. Applications are submitted electronically through the programme's own graduate applications portal, with transcripts, module descriptions, a motivation letter of at most two pages and the contact details of two university teachers for recommendations.

Applicants from India, China and Vietnam should also expect to need an APS certificate, as at other German universities, and should confirm this on their programme page. Because most RUB courses are taught in German, applicants for German-taught programmes need recognised German proof such as DSH or TestDaF, while English-taught master's programmes set their own English requirements, given below.

Full English requirement detail (verified): No university-wide IELTS minimum was confirmed on the official RUB pages checked; English requirements are set per programme. Examples from RUB's Faculty of Computer Science: MSc Computer Science requires IELTS Academic 7.0 total or better (CEFR C1); MSc Applied Computer Science requires IELTS Academic 6.0 or more. A certificate may be unnecessary for applicants with a German Abitur with five or more years of English instruction, native English speakers, or applicants whose degree was taught entirely in English in residence in Australia, Ireland, Canada (English-speaking regions), New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States.

RUB offers degree programmes across its faculties, with most teaching in German and a growing set of English-taught master's programmes, particularly in computer science and engineering. English-taught examples verified on RUB's own faculty pages include the MSc Computer Science and the MSc Applied Computer Science, both requiring a bachelor's degree of at least six semesters and 180 credit points, with set amounts of computer science and mathematics credit.

Other English-taught master's fields at RUB include IT security and computational engineering. Because deadlines and language requirements differ by programme, and non-EU applicants to some programmes can only start in the winter semester, always check the programme page first.

RUB's International Office awards scholarships to international students every semester, including scholarships for international students with and without a refugee background. The Deutschlandstipendium at RUB has, since 2011, funded outstanding students who show social commitment with 300 euros per month for a maximum of 12 months, and it is open to German and international students alike, with annual selection before the winter semester.

The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) also funds international students in Germany, in most cases from the master's phase onwards, and RUB advises students to start scholarship research about a year in advance using the DAAD scholarship database.