Study in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany): All private universities at a glance

  • 13UAS
  • 1University
  • 2Art schools
  • 16Private
 · Last updated 10.07.2023

Contents

There are a total of 68 higher education institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia. Of these 68 universities, 42 are state-owned, 8 are church-owned and 18 are private universities.

All 18 private universities in Cologne, Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Bochum and other cities are presented here. In addition, there are some private universities such as IU and Hochschule Fresenius that operate campuses in larger cities in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). You can find out exactly which universities they are here.

All private, state-approved universities in North Rhine-Westphalia at a glance

We have a total of 16 providers in our database.

  • Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 6203 Students
  • Medicine, Mechanical Engineering, Legal Sciences, Media Management, Business Administration, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Media Design, International Management, Enginee…
  • Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Laws, Master of Engineering, Master of Business Administration
  • 26 Courses in directory
RH Cologne – University of Applied Science The RH Cologne – University of Applied Science (RH) is a state-recognised university of applied sciences (UAS) in private, non-profit sponsorship based in Cologne. The university is part of the Rhineland Education Foundation network and supports aroun…
  • Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 45611 Students
  • Health Education, Business Psychology, Health Management, IT Management, Business Informatics, Marketing, MBA, Social Work, International Management, Business Administration, Finance, Computer Science…
  • Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws, Bachelor of Engineering
  • 28 Courses in directory
FOM. The University. For Professionals. With more than 42,000 students, FOM is one of the largest private universities in Germany. FOM is supported by the non-profit foundation BildungsCentrum der Wirtschaft, based in Essen. It offers working professionals the opportunity to academically qualify pa…
  • Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 2475 Students
  • Finance, Human Resources, Health Education, Health Management, Medicine, General Management, Social Work, Business Psychology, IT Management, Childhood Education, MBA, Marketing, Pedagogy, Internation…
  • Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration
  • 51 Courses in directory
CBS University of Applied Sciences CBS University of Applied Sciences offers practice-oriented teaching concepts that prepare students specifically for the demands of the professional world. As a digital presence university, it combines on-campus lectures, online formats, and self-study into a fle…
  • Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 5497 Students
  • Journalism, Sustainable Management, Pedagogy, Media Management, International Management, Psychology, Childhood Education, Nursing Science, Business Administration, Tourism and Event, Film, Physiother…
  • Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Master of Education, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Bachelor of Engineering, Master of Business Administration
  • 42 Courses in directory
The University of Applied Sciences of the Middle Class (FHM) is a private, state-recognised university based in Bielefeld. It was founded in 2000 by several trade organizations and is now part of the Education & Craft Foundation based in Paderborn. With currently around 5,700 students, over 250 …

University · Private

  • Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 2617 Students
  • Medicine, Nursing Science, General Management, Humanities, Psychology
  • Staatsexamen, Master of Science, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Science
  • 6 Courses in directory
The University of Witten/Herdecke (UW/H) is a private, state-recognized university located in Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was founded in 1982, making it one of the oldest private universities in Germany. The university places particular emphasis on a holistic education that promotes both acad…
  • Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 1184 Students
  • Civil Engineering, Real Estate Management, Architecture
  • Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science
  • 5 Courses in directory
The EBZ Business School is a state-recognised, private university based in Bochum. It offers the following degree programmes: B.A. Real Estate  B.A. Municipal Real Estate Management B.A. Digitalization and Real Estate Management B. Sc. Sustainable Energy and Real Estate Man…
  • Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 2781 Students
  • Data Science & AI, Human Resources, Logistics, Tourism and Event, Sustainable Management, Marketing, Sports, International Management, Finance, General Management, Fashion, Computer Science, Business …
  • Master of Science, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Master of Business Administration, Master of Laws
  • 49 Courses in directory
As a private and state-recognised university, we take care to prepare students in the best possible way and individually for their careers in the global economy. They benefit from the international orientation, practical teaching content, dedicated university lecturers and the focus on their profess…
  • Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 2059 Students
  • Business Administration, Business Informatics, Computer Science, MBA
  • Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration
  • 43 Courses in directory
The FHDW University of Applied Sciences is a private, state-recognised university  based in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was founded in 1993, making it one of the first private universities of applied sciences in NRW. For the winter semester 2024/2025, 2,059 students were enrolled at the FHDW. Th…
  • Alfter, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 1750 Students
  • Art, Architecture, Art Therapy, Pedagogy, Humanities, Special Education, Business Administration, Childhood Education
  • Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Education, Bachelor of Fine Arts
  • 17 Courses in directory
The Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences is a state-recognized independent art academy in Alfter near Bonn. Since August 2014, it has also had a study center in Mannheim. Young people at Alanus University are encouraged to take the development of their personality and society into their own…
  • Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 2538 Students
  • Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Management, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering
  • Bachelor of Engineering, Master of Science, Master of Engineering
  • 11 Courses in directory
  • Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 878 Students
  • Finance
  • Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science
  • 5 Courses in directory
Anyone who aspires to a career in the financial sector will find the right study opportunities at the University of Applied Sciences - Bonn. The unique selling point of the state-recognised university is its Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes, which are tailored to financial practice and offe…
  • Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 3957 Students
  • Tourism and Event, Sports, Health Management, Media Management, General Management, Nutritional Science, Communication Sciences, Business Administration
  • Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts
  • 32 Courses in directory
The state-recognised IST University of Management offers Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes as well as university certificates in the future-oriented sectors of "Sport & Management", "Fitness & Health", "Tourism & Hospitality" and "Communication and Management". The distance-learn…
  • Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 1925 Students
  • Health Education, Childhood Education, Medicine, Nursing Science, Social Work
  • Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science
  • 14 Courses in directory
The Fliedner University of Applied Sciences Dusseldorf is a private, state-recognized university of applied sciences that has been in existence since 2011. Its courses of study are rooted in the educational tradition of the Kaiserswerther Diakonie for professions in the health, social and educationa…

Art school · Private

  • Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 338 Students
  • Art
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts
  • 3 Courses in directory
  • Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 75 Students
  • Health Management, Social Work, Nursing Science, Childhood Education
  • Bachelor of Arts
  • 4 Courses in directory
The social and health sectors of society are changing. This creates new challenges, such as digitalisation and demographic change and thus an increasingly ageing society. The Kolping University prepares students for challenges in their professions and lets them actively shape the change already duri…
  • Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
  • Business Psychology, International Management, Psychology
  • Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts
  • 3 Courses in directory

Private universities with campuses and study centres in NRW

Officially, there are 18 private universities in NRW, i.e. state-approved universities with their headquarters in NRW. In addition, some universities maintain branches in North Rhine-Westphalia and offer corresponding degree programmes in NRW's larger cities, such as Cologne and Dusseldorf.

Here are the most important private universities with a branch in NRW:

Logo IUIU International University of Applied Sciences: IU International University is the largest university in Germany, with over 100,000 enrolled students. The university was founded in Bad Honnef in 1998. Today, the university still operates a campus in Bad Honnef with numerous Bachelor's and Master's programmes in the fields of economics. In addition, there are numerous university centres of the IU in NRW where attendance courses and dual study programmes are offered, for example in Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Essen and Cologne.

Logo FreseniusFresenius University of Applied Sciences: Fresenius University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest private universities in Germany. In the winter semester 2019/2020, a total of 12991 students were enrolled at the university. Although the main location of the university is Idstein in Hesse, the university operates study centres in Dusseldorf and Cologne. At the Dusseldorf location, for example, the B.A. Business Administration, MBA General Management and many others are offered.

Logo WHUWHU Otto Beisheim School of Management: WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management is a private university with its headquarters in Vallendar and campus in Dusseldorf. The university is very exclusive, with just 1371 students enrolled in the 2019/2020 winter semester. WHU offers Bachelor's, Master's and MBA programs in the fields of economics.

Logo MacromediaMacromedia University of Applied Sciences: Macromedia University of Applied Sciences is a university in the field of media and communication sciences and has its headquarters in Stuttgart. As a media university, Macromedia University of Applied Sciences naturally also maintains a campus in Cologne. In the winter semester 2019/2020, a total of 3833 students were enrolled at the university.

Logo HMWKUniversity for Media, Communication and Business. The University for Media, Communication and Business offers degree programmes in design, journalism and communication, psychology and economics/management. In the winter semester 2019/2020, 2207 students were enrolled at the university. In addition to its campuses in Berlin and Frankfurt/Main, the University for Media, Communication and Business naturally also maintains a campus in the media city of Cologne.

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Study Business Administration and Management in NRW: Interesting degree programmes in the field of economics

In addition to the larger private universities that offer degree programmes in several subject areas, there are some smaller and more exclusive business schools in cities like Cologne that offer high-quality management degree programmes.

Here is an overview of some interesting Business Administration degree programs in NRW. You can find more degree programmes here: Business Administration, Management, Economics: A comparison of all degree programs at German business schools

CourseUniversityDurationFees

On-campus program
6 Semesterfrom 17964 € total
from 499 € monthly

On-campus program
6 Semesterfrom 30600 € total
from 850 € monthly

Part-time program
8 Semesterfrom 19320 € total
from 495 € monthly

Part-time program
7 Semesterfrom 12390 € total
from 295 € monthly

On-campus program
36 Monthsfrom 26960 € total
from 735 € monthly
Campus of the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences in Cologne.

Something with media: Interesting degree programmes in the Department of Media Studies

Cologne is the media city par excellence in NRW. No wonder that a number of media universities are located here and that some universities, such as the Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, maintain campuses in NRW.

Here is an overview of the most interesting degree programmes in the field of media studies in NRW: More of them: Study Media Sciences privately: 87 top Academic Programs compared

CourseUniversityDurationFees

On-campus program
7 Semesterfrom 26100 € total
from 725 € monthly

On-campus program
6 Semester

On-campus program
36 Monthsfrom 18320 € total
from 495 € monthly

On-campus program
6 Semesterfrom 19764 € total
from 549 € monthly

On-campus program
6 Semester

On-campus program
7 Semesterfrom 26100 € total
from 725 € monthly

On-campus program
7 Semesterfrom 28770 € total
from 685 € monthly

Something with people: Interesting degree programmes from the fields of medicine, psychology and pedagogy

NRW has one big advantage for all those who want to study in the field of health and social affairs: The University of Witten/Herdecke is a private university where you can study medicine for the state examination. Witten is located in the south-eastern Ruhr region near Bochum.

There are also several other universities with psychology or business psychology degree programmes and with education degree programmes.

Here is an overview of the most interesting degree programmes:

CourseUniversityDurationFees

On-campus program
10 Semesterfrom 99300 € total

On-campus program
12 Semesterfrom 62880 € total

On-campus program
6 Semesterfrom 14364 € total
from 399 € monthly

On-campus program
6 Semesterfrom 27072 € total

On-campus program
6 Semesterfrom 25488 € total
from 708 € monthly

On-campus program
6 Semesterfrom 19620 € total
from 545 € monthly
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