In short
Bonn has 2 universities and colleges offering 323 degree courses (130 Bachelor's, 132 Master's), and 48% of them are taught in English or bilingually. A student flat costs about €582 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.
Bonn is a calm, green city on the Rhine that punches above its size: the former West German capital still hosts federal ministries, UN organisations and the headquarters of Deutsche Telekom and DHL. The University of Bonn is one of Germany's Universities of Excellence. Daily life is slower than in Cologne, which is 20 minutes away.
Universities in Bonn
Every university and college in Bonn in our catalogue, biggest first.
- Website of University of Bonn (opens in a new tab)
University of Bonn
University 318 courses
- Website of Hochschule für Finanzwirtschaft & Management (opens in a new tab)
Hochschule für Finanzwirtschaft & Management
University of applied sciences 5 courses
Cost of living
What studying in Bonn costs, from the latest figures we could source.
- Rent for a student flat
- ≈ €582 / 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
- Rent is a little above the middle of the 38 cities in the MLP 2026 study: about €582 for a 30 m² flat and €514 for a shared-flat room (MLP 2026).
- Bonn and Cologne share one transport network, so you can live in one and study in the other.
- International organisations in Bonn regularly advertise internships; English is the working language in many of them.
Industries & employers
Big names that hire graduates, and offer internships and working-student jobs, in and around Bonn.
Deutsche Telekom
Telecom
Europe's largest telecom group, headquartered in Bonn.
DHL Group
Logistics
The post and logistics group is headquartered in Bonn's Post Tower.
UN Campus Bonn
International organisations
Home to more than 20 UN organisations, including the UN climate secretariat.
Federal ministries
Public sector
Several federal ministries still have their main seat in Bonn.
Culture & people
Bonn is relaxed, bourgeois and international: the UN, NGOs and research institutes bring people from all over the world. The university's main building is a former prince-bishop's palace in the city centre, and its lawn, the Hofgarten, is where students meet.
Ludwig van Beethoven was born here in 1770, and the city celebrates him with a museum and an annual festival. In spring, the cherry blossoms in the old town's Heerstraße draw crowds of photographers, and the Rhine meadows are full on summer evenings.
Events & festivals
Beethovenfest
Late Aug – Sept
International classical music festival in Beethoven's home town.
Rhein in Flammen
May
Fireworks over the Rhine and a festival in the Rheinaue park.
Cherry blossom
April
Pink cherry trees fill streets in the old town (Altstadt).
Pützchens Markt
September
A large traditional funfair on the right bank of the Rhine.
Places to see
Beethoven-Haus
Museum
The house where Beethoven was born, now a museum.
Museum Mile
Museums
Haus der Geschichte, the Bundeskunsthalle and the Kunstmuseum side by side.
Rheinaue
Park
A large riverside park for festivals, flea markets and jogging.
Siebengebirge
Nature
Wooded hills across the Rhine with the Drachenfels castle ruin.
Poppelsdorf Palace
Garden
Baroque palace with the university's botanical garden.
Getting around
Bonn's light rail, trams and buses (SWB) connect directly to Cologne's network, and all of it is covered by the Deutschland-Semesterticket included in the semester contribution. Cologne/Bonn Airport is about half an hour away by express bus, and ICE trains stop at Siegburg/Bonn on the Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed line as well as at Bonn Hauptbahnhof.
Student experiences
First-hand posts from students in Bonn, read by our team before they appear.
Loading experiences…
Studying in Bonn: FAQ
Is Bonn expensive for students?
Moderately. A 30 m² student flat costs about €582 a month and a shared-flat room about €514, against a mid-range figure of about €565 across the 38 cities studied (MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026).
Which universities are in Bonn?
The main university is the University of Bonn, one of Germany's Universities of Excellence; Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences has campuses in nearby Sankt Augustin and Rheinbach.
Can I study in English in Bonn?
Yes. 48% of Bonn's 323 degree courses in our catalogue are taught in English or bilingually, one of the higher shares in Germany, mostly at Master's level.
Do I pay tuition fees in Bonn?
No. Public universities in North Rhine-Westphalia charge no tuition for EU or non-EU students; you pay only the semester contribution.
Which companies hire students in Bonn?
Deutsche Telekom and DHL Group are headquartered in Bonn, and the UN Campus, federal ministries and research institutes offer internships.
More guides in North Rhine-Westphalia
Sources
- MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026 (IW Köln) (opens in a new tab)
- University of Bonn (opens in a new tab)
- Deutschland-Semesterticket price, winter 2026/27 (Studentenwerk Leipzig) (opens in a new tab)
- University and course numbers: the Where Is My Uni? catalogue, rebuilt from official university data.
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