Bonn: Relaxed excellence

Bonn is proof that you don't need to sacrifice quality of life to study at a top-tier international university. Once Germany's capital, this peaceful city on the banks of 'Father Rhine' boasts a small-town feel and more than 35,000 post-secondary students.

Bonn at a glance

Old Town Hall, Photo: Presseamt Stadt Bonn

No matter how you wind up in Bonn, the city's charms are impossible to miss. Located on the banks of the Rhine, it is the gateway to the romantic Middle Rhine Valley, a region dotted with castles and surrounded by the beautiful Siebengebirge, a landscape shaped by myths, sagas and fairy tales. Bonn boasts baroque buildings and an age-old charisma, yet remains solidly part of the modern world: More than a dozen United Nations agencies and 170 international organizations call it home, as do Deutsche Telekom (a global telecoms and IT services leader with operations in more than 50 countries) and Deutsche Post (one of the world's largest logistics companies and owner of DHL).
Many of Bonn's historic sites are more than remnants of the past. While tourists marvel at the baroque edifice of the Poppelsdorf Palace - a must-see on every sightseeing tour - it is also home to the University of Bonn's Mineralogical-Petrological Institute, the Institute of Zoology, as well as the Mineralogical Museum Bonn. With 361 buildings spread throughout the city, the university is an integral part of life in Bonn, a city of culture and leisure that was chosen as the provisional capital of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.
Since the government's move to Berlin in 1990, Bonn has become one of Germany's top university towns, a rich center of cultural and intellectual life where one in every ten residents today is a student.

Universities - Overview

University of Bonn (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University)

Bonn University, Photo: Presseamt Stadt Bonn

The University of Bonn was established in 1818 in accordance with the vision of the great educator and philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt. Traditionally one of Germany's leading institutions of higher education, it has a strong international focus, with students from over 130 countries now enrolled, accounting for over 15 percent of the student body. With 30,000 students, the University of Bonn ranks as the third-largest university in the state of North Rhine-Westfalia. Since there is no such thing as a centralized campus, its students are scattered all over the city, filling the cafés, pubs and lawns of the historic downtown area.
As relaxed as that setting may seem, serious studying goes on behind the uni's walls: Bonn is one of Germany's leading research institutions, a fact underscored by its success in luring money from major funding agencies including DFG (the German Research Foundation), DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service) and the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation.

Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences
This state-accredited private university is nestled in an ancient castle, where it teaches philosophy, aesthetics, art history, literature, education science, psychology, the social sciences and business management using a unique interdisciplinary approach.
Some 400 students are now studying at Alanus, which is named after the French theologian and poet Alanus ab Insulis (1114-1203 A.D.), who taught 'the seven free arts' in what the school's founders claim was the first true multidisciplinary program.
Degrees awarded at Alanus are recognized as equivalent to those from state universities and academies.

University of Applied Sciences Bonn Rhein-Sieg
Founded in 1995, the university is the youngest in the federal state of North Rhine-Westfalia. The school's 5,000 students are spread out over three campuses, one each in Sankt Augustin, Rheinbach and Hennef. Some 120 professors teach 15 degree programs in business administration, computer science, engineering, applied sciences and social security management.
Bonn Rhein-Sieg places a heavy emphasis on experience in the form of both exchange programs with its extensive network of foreign partners and through practical internships at major regional, national and international corporations.

Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology
B-IT offers an international master's program in applied IT, summer/winter schools for qualified computer science students - and a unique view. The magnificent university building is located on the banks of the Rhine River, and if that's not enough, students can take pride in the fact that they're next door to the former office of the German Chancellor.
B-IT was established as a joint venture between academic powerhouses including the University of Bonn, RWTH Aachen University, the University of Applied Sciences Bonn Rhein-Sieg, and the Fraunhofer Institute Centre Birlinghoven Castle (IZB).

Recreation in Bonn

Beer garden at the 'Old Customs', Photo: Presseamt Stadt Bonn

In summertime, the Rheinaue is where you want to be. When the weather is nice, hundreds of people relax on the lawns of this park.
The Museumsmeile is Bonn's cultural heart. Four museums form this institution, including the Bonn Art Museum, the Art and Exhibition Hall, the Alexander König Zoological Research Institute and Museum and the Haus der Geschichte.
Then, of course, there is Ludwig van Beethoven: Regarded by many as the most important German composer ever, he is undoubtedly the most respected son of Bonn. His birthplace has been nicely kept and restored and is now a museum.
At night there's a lot to explore, too: Clubs like the 3Raumwohnung where you can dance on funk and dance music, the Fameclub and the Opium invite to party the night away.

Interview with Meri from Georgia

Meri Rogava from Georgia studies „Life and Medical Science“ (MA) at the University of Bonn. She shared her experiences with study-in.

Meri, Photo: private

What made you decide to study in Bonn?
That was a totally spontaneous decision: After I had finished my studies in Georgia, I was looking for a degree course that combined medicine and molecular biology. I found a degree course just like this in Bonn. When I got to know that I would also receive a scholarship from the University of Bonn I thought that it was simply my destiny to study here.

Have your expectations been met regarding your degree programme?
Absolutely! One of the things I like most about my degree programme is that so many people from different scientific fields get together. Medicals, biologists and chemics work together and share their knowledge. This cooperation offers you a lot of interesting possibilities.

What do you like about Bonn?
Bonn is a relatively small, but international town. When I uploaded pictures from Bonn on my facebook-page, all my friends were enchanted by the beauty of the town and the surroundig landscape.

Did you find it difficult to get settled in Bonn?
No. I instantly felt like being at home. This was surely also due to the fact that all the people from my degree course were so nice and helped me whereever they could. At the university we speak English, but sometimes it would be nice to talk to people in their mother tongue. Therefore I was very happy when my coordinator proposed to establish ''German fridays''. On this day all of my fellow students talk to me in German.

What do you do in your free time?
Due to my studies I don't have that much free time. But whenever I don' t need to lern anything I love to take walk in the Rheinaue. Besides I like to spend my time in the International Club of the University of Bonn, where German and foreign students get together to sing in choir or to undertake anything else.