In short
Bochum has 4 universities and colleges offering 346 degree courses (137 Bachelor's, 192 Master's), and 29% of them are taught in English or bilingually. A student flat costs about €448 a month (30 m² flat incl. utilities, MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026). Tuition for non-EU students: €0 — Public universities in North Rhine-Westphalia charge no tuition, including for non-EU students; you pay a semester contribution that includes the Deutschland-Semesterticket.
Bochum is a compact, friendly Ruhr city with a huge student population for its size. Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) sits on a large campus in the green south of the city, and Bochum University of Applied Sciences adds engineering and business. It has the lowest student rents of any western German city in the 2026 MLP study.
Universities in Bochum
Every university and college in Bochum in our catalogue, biggest first.
- Website of Ruhr-Universität Bochum (opens in a new tab)
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
University 238 courses
- Website of Bochum University of Applied Sciences (opens in a new tab)
Bochum University of Applied Sciences
University of applied sciences 75 courses
- Website of Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola (opens in a new tab)
Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola
University of applied sciences 23 courses
- Website of Evangelische Hochschule Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe (opens in a new tab)
Evangelische Hochschule Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe
University of applied sciences 10 courses
Cost of living
What studying in Bochum costs, from the latest figures we could source.
- Rent for a student flat
- ≈ €448 / month30 m² flat incl. utilities, MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026
- Tuition for non-EU students
- €0 / semesterPlus the semester contribution every student pays. The rules are summed up in In short.
- Proof of funds for a visa
- €992 / monthThe proof of funds German missions currently ask of student-visa applicants (€11,904 a year) — confirm with the German embassy or consulate handling your application.
Good to know
- Bochum is the cheapest western German city in the MLP 2026 study: about €448 for a 30 m² flat and €386 for a shared-flat room.
- The U35 light-rail line runs from the main station to the Ruhr University campus every few minutes.
- Cyber security is a local speciality, with RUB's Horst Görtz Institute and several security start-ups.
Industries & employers
Big names that hire graduates, and offer internships and working-student jobs, in and around Bochum.
Vonovia
Real estate
Germany's largest residential landlord, headquartered in Bochum.
G DATA
Cyber security
Antivirus and security software maker headquartered in Bochum.
Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy
Research
Research institute next to Bochum's strong university security cluster.
MARK 51°7
Business park
The former Opel car plant, redeveloped as a site for tech, logistics and university research.
Culture & people
Bochum's identity comes from mining: Herbert Grönemeyer's song "Bochum" is the unofficial anthem, and VfL Bochum games are a local ritual. People are blunt, warm and unpretentious, in typical Ruhr style.
The Bermuda3eck, a block of bars and clubs near the main station, is the centre of nightlife, and the Starlight Express musical has run in Bochum since 1988. South of the campus, the Kemnader See lake is the place to cycle, row and swim.
Events & festivals
Bochum Total
Early July
One of Europe's biggest free open-air music festivals, in the Bermuda3eck.
Ruhrtriennale
Late summer
International arts festival, with shows in the Jahrhunderthalle.
ExtraSchicht
June
Night of industrial culture, with venues across the Ruhr including Bochum.
Places to see
German Mining Museum
Museum
Large mining museum with a pit-head tower and a show mine underground.
Jahrhunderthalle
Culture
A former gas-power hall turned festival venue, in the Westpark.
Kemnader See
Lake
Reservoir on the Ruhr river just south of the university.
Chinese Garden
Garden
A classical Chinese garden in the Ruhr University's botanical garden.
Getting around
Bochum's light rail, trams and buses (Bogestra) and regional trains across the Ruhr area are covered by the Deutschland-Semesterticket, included in the semester contribution at public universities. ICE trains stop at Bochum Hauptbahnhof, Essen and Dortmund are each about ten minutes away, and Düsseldorf Airport is under an hour by train.
Student experiences
First-hand posts from students in Bochum, read by our team before they appear.
Loading experiences…
Studying in Bochum: FAQ
Is Bochum cheap for students?
Yes. In the MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026, Bochum is the cheapest student city in western Germany: about €448 a month for a 30 m² flat and €386 for a shared-flat room, against a mid-range figure of about €565 across the 38 cities studied.
Which universities are in Bochum?
Bochum has 4 universities in our catalogue, led by Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) and Bochum University of Applied Sciences, plus the TH Georg Agricola and the Protestant University of Applied Sciences.
Can I study in English in Bochum?
Partly: 29% of Bochum's 346 degree courses are taught in English or bilingually, mostly Master's programmes at the Ruhr University.
Do I pay tuition fees in Bochum?
No. Public universities in North Rhine-Westphalia charge no tuition for EU or non-EU students; you pay only the semester contribution.
More guides in North Rhine-Westphalia
Sources
- MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026 (IW Köln) (opens in a new tab)
- Ruhr University Bochum (opens in a new tab)
- Bochum Total (Wikipedia) (opens in a new tab)
- University and course numbers: the Where Is My Uni? catalogue, rebuilt from official university data.
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