Contents
- Private universities with campuses and study centres in NRW
- Study Business Administration and Management in NRW: Interesting degree programmes in the field of economics
- Something with media: Interesting degree programmes in the Department of Media Studies
- Something with people: Interesting degree programmes from the fields of medicine, psychology and pedagogy
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.
RH Cologne – University of Applied Science (RH)
UAS · Private
- 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
FOM University of Applied Sciences
UAS · Private
- 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
CBS University of Applied Sciences (CBS)
UAS · Private
- 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
FHM University of Applied Sciences (FHM)
UAS · Private
- 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
Witten/Herdecke University
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
EBZ Business School (EBZ)
UAS · Private
- 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
International School of Management (ISM)
UAS · Private
- 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
FHDW University of Applied Sciences
UAS · Private
- 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
Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences
Art school · Private
- 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
Georg Agricola University of Technology
UAS · Private
University of Applied Sciences - Bonn
UAS · Private
- Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia
- 878 Students
- Finance
- Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science
- 5 Courses in directory
IST University of Management (IST)
UAS · Private
- 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
Fliedner University of Applied Sciences Dusseldorf
UAS · Private
- 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
University of Fine Arts Essen
Art school · Private
- Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia
- 338 Students
- Art
- Bachelor of Fine Arts
- 3 Courses in directory
Kolping University of Applied Sciences
UAS · Private
- Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
- 75 Students
- Health Management, Social Work, Nursing Science, Childhood Education
- Bachelor of Arts
- 4 Courses in directory
INU - International University of Applied Sciences
UAS · Private
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:
IU 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.
Fresenius 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.
WHU 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.
Macromedia 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.
University 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.
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
Course | University | Duration | Fees | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | RH Cologne – University of Applied Science | 6 Semester | from 17964 € total from 499 € monthly | |
Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | Fresenius University of Applied Sciences | 6 Semester | from 30600 € total from 850 € monthly | |
Business Administration - Online Marketing und E-Commerce, Bachelor of Arts Part-time program | FHDW University of Applied Sciences | 8 Semester | from 19320 € total from 495 € monthly | |
International Management, Bachelor of Arts Part-time program | FOM University of Applied Sciences | 7 Semester | from 12390 € total from 295 € monthly | |
Marketing Management, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | FHM University of Applied Sciences | 36 Months | from 26960 € total from 735 € monthly |

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
Course | University | Duration | Fees | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Journalism, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | Macromedia University of Applied Sciences | 7 Semester | from 26100 € total from 725 € monthly | |
Journalism and Business Communication, Bachelor of Science On-campus program | University of Europe for Applied Sciences | 6 Semester | ||
Media Communication & Journalism, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | FHM University of Applied Sciences | 36 Months | from 18320 € total from 495 € monthly | |
Media Design, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | RH Cologne – University of Applied Science | 6 Semester | from 19764 € total from 549 € monthly | |
Media Management, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | RH Cologne – University of Applied Science | 6 Semester | ||
Media Management, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | Macromedia University of Applied Sciences | 7 Semester | from 26100 € total from 725 € monthly | |
Mediadesign, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | Mediadesign University of Applied Sciences | 7 Semester | from 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:
Course | University | Duration | Fees | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine, Staatsexamen On-campus program | Witten/Herdecke University | 10 Semester | from 99300 € total | |
Human Medicine, Staatsexamen On-campus program | Witten/Herdecke University | 12 Semester | from 62880 € total | |
Medical Economics & Digital Management, Bachelor of Science On-campus program | RH Cologne – University of Applied Science | 6 Semester | from 14364 € total from 399 € monthly | |
Psychology, Bachelor of Science On-campus program | Witten/Herdecke University | 6 Semester | from 27072 € total | |
Psychology, Bachelor of Science On-campus program | University of Europe for Applied Sciences | 6 Semester | from 25488 € total from 708 € monthly | |
Social Work, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | Fresenius University of Applied Sciences | 6 Semester | from 19620 € total from 545 € monthly |
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