Established in 1388 and re-established as a 'Neue Universität' in 1919 by the citizens of Cologne, the University of Cologne is committed to the unity of research, teaching, and transfer, as well as to the cooperation of its members in order to drive the development of the arts, sciences, and academic education. Aware of its history, the university realises academic freedom and recognizes its social responsibility. It sees itself as the place of lifelong learning and a driver for innovation and is aware of the constantly changing needs as well as challenges and opportunities of today’s world. To fulfil this mission, the university promotes a culture of renewal, cooperation and understanding.
Drawing on the broad disciplinary spectrum of its six Faculties and the excellence of individual and collaborative research, the University of Cologne strives to create, preserve and impart knowledge, empower a scientific habitus, and disseminate academic skills to make an impact on society.
| Motto / Slogan | Pro civitate et scientia (For the city and science - traditionally used). |
| Colour | Blue and White |
| Founded | 1388 |
| Location | Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Address | University of Cologne Albertus-Magnus-Platz 50923 Köln |
The University of Cologne creates and transfers knowledge, educates global citizens, advances scientific methods, and drives innovation to meet scientific and societal challenges and opportunities.
"Inspiring people, connecting minds and shaping the future". The university aims to foster an environment where members can develop freely, acting with creativity in research and learning.
We support students and employees of the university in the compatibility of family, study, and career in all forms of life and situations - from becoming parents to caring for relatives. The compatibility of studies or professions with illnesses or disabilities is also an important concern of the university, so that all people can participate equally in the everyday life of the university.
The University of Cologne offers a wide range of degree programmes in almost every academic discipline. Depending on the programme, combinations and elective options are possible. Our interdisciplinary learning programmes, such as those in artificial intelligence and languages, will give you valuable additional qualifications to complement your educational journey.
Our degree programmes equip you with future-oriented skills such as AI/data literacy, digital education, co-creation, entrepreneurship, well-being, and sustainability for a successful future, both personally and professionally. Help shape the future!
Our service-orientated contact points offer you professional guidance and personal support in all life and learning situations, mental health, equal opportunities, student financing, and career guidance, as well as information for start-ups and innovation.
We are committed to diversity, varied perspectives, and equal opportunities. We foster a culture in which the individual, social, and cultural diversity of our students and staff is valued as a strength and a marker of quality.
To apply for an undergraduate degree programme, you must possess a formal university entrance qualification to German universities (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung) and sufficient proficiency in the German language.
a. University Entrance Qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung)
A University Entrance Qualification makes you eligible to apply to a German university. You can check whether your foreign secondary school diploma (or university education) is recognized in Germany at Check: university admission (uni-assist).
b. German-language proficiency
The teaching language of all Bachelor's programs at the University of Cologne is German. The same applies to the courses of study with state examination as well as the course of study with 1. Prüfung (law).
In order to study at the University of Cologne, you must therefore demonstrate very good German language skills. We recognize the following German certificates:
* Only DSH of higher education institutions with registered examination regulations in accordance with the provisions of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK).
According to the current DSH regulations, certain international school-leaving certificates, e.g. from German-speaking regions, are recognised as exceptions or as equivalent. If you have any questions, please contact us via our contact form.
c. Special application requirements
Special application requirements apply to certain fields of study. Please consult the relevant websites for more information
Your bachelor's degree (either from EU/EAA or not EU/EAA countries) must be recognized in Germany. This is the case when you have earned your degree from an officially recognized foreign university.
View the international students Master's degree admission requirements.
Further application documents are necessary. Please consult the websites of the respective Master's programmes.
UNDERGRADUATE:
online application portal of uni-assist e.V.
POSTGRADUATE:
You can apply online via the UzK's application portal Klips 2.0. To do so, you absolutely need the VPD from uni-assist e.V. that you applied for in advance.
Email: [email protected]
Phone : +49 221 470 7797
The successful system accreditation enables the University of Cologne to have the right to self-accreditation, i.e. the right to award the seal of the Accreditation Council to its degree courses.
Professor Dr Mukherjee was President of JLU Giessen from 2009 to 2023. Prior to this, he was already a member of the Executive Board as First Vice President. From 2012 to 2019, he also held the office of Vice President of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and has been Honorary President of the DAAD since 2020. He is a member of a number of academic advisory boards and boards of trustees, including of various non-university research institutions.
In 2002, she began managing a research group at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC). Following the establishment of the Cologne Excellence Cluster on Aging and Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), she became a Principal Investigator in 2007, and has been a professor at the Faculty of Medicine since 2008, leading the Department of Skin Cell Biology at CECAD since 2019.
In addition to her scientific work, Niessen has taken on numerous coordination and management functions in third-party funded collaborative projects. From 2007 to 2018, she led Research Platform B at CECAD, which was dedicated to the promotion of early-career researchers, gender equality and public relations, and she initiated the Cologne Graduate School of Ageing Research. From 2015 to 2021, she was spokesperson for Collaborative Research Centre 829 “Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Skin Homeostasis”, and has been the speaker for the CECAD Cluster of Excellence since 2019.
The University of Cologne was established in 1388 as the fourth university in the Holy Roman Empire, after the Charles University of Prague (1348), the University of Vienna (1365) and the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (1386). The charter was signed by Pope Urban VI. The university began teaching on 6 January 1389, and operated for several hundred years.
In 1798, the university was abolished by the Fr... read more
In 1919, the Prussian government endorsed a decision by the Cologne City Council to re-establish the university. This was considered to be a replacement for the loss of the University of Strasbourg on the west bank of the Rhine, which contemporaneously reverted to France with the rest of Alsace. On 29 May 1919, the Cologne Mayor Konrad Adenauer signed the charter of the new university.
At that point, the new university was located in Neustadt-Süd, but relocated to its current campus in Lindenthal on 2 November 1934. The old premises are now being used by the TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences.
Initially, the university was composed of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences (successor to the Institutes of Commerce and of Communal and Social Administration) and the Faculty of Medicine (successor to the Academy of Medicine). In 1920, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Arts were added, from which the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences was separated in 1955 to form an independent Faculty. In 1980, the two Cologne departments of the Rhineland School of Education were attached to the university as the Faculties of Education and of Special Education. In 1988, the university became a founding member of the Community of European Management Schools and International Companies (CEMS), today's Global Alliance in Management Education.
The university is regularly ranked at the top of national and international law and business rankings (see Rankings).