University of Duisburg-Essen

The University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) is a public university with campuses in the two Ruhr cities of Duisburg and Essen in western Germany. It is a large comprehensive university offering bachelor's and master's programmes across engineering, natural sciences, computer science, economics, social sciences, humanities and medicine, with a set of English-taught master's programmes alongside mainly German-taught bachelor's degrees.

For South Asian students, UDE charges no tuition fees. All students, including exchange students, pay a social contribution each semester, which covers the Deutschlandticket semester ticket for local public transport in Germany, a contribution to the Studierendenwerk Essen-Duisburg student services organisation and a contribution to the AStA student union. UDE's official exchange page gives this social contribution as approximately 367.80 euros per semester, and typical student residence rent at 330 to 430 euros per month.

UDE's two-city campus gives students access to two Ruhr cities, with student residences run by the Studierendenwerk, although demand for dormitory places is high and a place cannot always be guaranteed. Students are advised to apply for housing as soon as admission letters are sent.

Full tuition detail (verified): Although there are no tuition fees at the University of Duisburg-Essen, all students, including all exchange students, have to pay a social contribution of approximately 367.80 euros each semester, according to UDE's official exchange-students page. The social contribution is neither a tuition fee nor a registration fee: it pays for the semester ticket for public transport in Germany (Deutschlandticket, for local public transport), a contribution to the Studierendenwerk Essen-Duisburg student services organisation and a contribution to the AStA student union. UDE's Development and Governance programme page advises students to allow for regular living costs of about 950 euros per month including accommodation and insurance, plus travel costs to and from Germany.

International applicants apply through UDE's application portal and, for many bachelor's and master's tracks, through uni-assist. For the MA Development and Governance, the first formal round requires a certified copy of the bachelor's degree and a complete transcript, with certified translations into German or English, plus proof of English proficiency. Successful applicants in the first round are then asked for a CV, a letter of motivation, a certified school-leaving certificate and two letters of recommendation.

Applicants from China, India and Vietnam are required to provide an APS certificate, according to UDE's Development and Governance application page. German-taught programmes require German proof such as DSH-2 or TestDaF, while English-taught programmes set their own English requirements, with the Development and Governance example given below. Students should allow about 950 euros per month for regular living costs including accommodation and insurance, according to the same UDE programme page, plus travel costs to and from Germany.

Full English requirement detail (verified): No university-wide IELTS minimum was confirmed on the official UDE pages checked; English requirements are set per programme. Example from UDE's MA Development and Governance application page: IELTS minimum score 6.5, and an official Medium of Instruction (MOI) from the applicant's university is alternatively accepted if the bachelor's programme was taught entirely in English. Check the individual programme page, as other UDE English-taught programmes may set a different minimum.

UDE offers bachelor's and master's programmes across engineering, natural sciences, computer science, economics, social sciences, humanities and medicine. Bachelor's programmes are mainly taught in German, while a set of master's programmes are taught in English.

English-taught master's examples verified on UDE's own pages include the MA Development and Governance, which requires a bachelor's degree, an APS certificate for applicants from China, India and Vietnam, and IELTS 6.5 or an official Medium of Instruction certificate. Other English-taught master's programmes at UDE cover engineering, computer science, environmental science and economics, and applicants should check each programme page for its subject and language requirements.

The UDE Scholarship is part of the Germany Scholarship programme and awards students at the University of Duisburg-Essen 300 euros per month for outstanding achievements, for a funding period of one year starting in October, funded by private sponsors and regional companies together with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

UDE also runs PROMOS and DUE-Mobil scholarships for study visits abroad by enrolled UDE students, with PROMOS applications usually in November and December and DUE-Mobil applications usually in April. Students needing a full scholarship before arrival should apply through the DAAD scholarship database about a year before starting.