# Study in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia

> 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.

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## Cost of living

- Rent: ≈ €448 (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 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

- **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.

## 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.

## Sources

- [MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026 (IW Köln)](https://www.iwkoeln.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Studien/Gutachten/PDF/2026/MLP_Studentenwohnreport_2026.pdf)
- [Ruhr University Bochum](https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de)
- [Bochum Total (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bochum_Total)

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Published by [Where Is My Uni?](https://whereismyuni.com) — every German university on one map. Canonical page: https://whereismyuni.com/study-in/north-rhine-westphalia/bochum. Last updated November 2026. [How we research](https://whereismyuni.com/study-in/how-we-research).