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Study in Kleve district

Kleve is a Lower Rhine border district with a university town, riverside communities and countryside close to the Netherlands.

Find a course in KleveJump to key facts
Panoramic view of Schloss Moyland in Bedburg-Hau
Photo: Rainer Lippert, bearbeitet durch Alchemist-hp (opens in a new tab), CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)

In short

Kleve is a rural district (Landkreis) in North Rhine-Westphalia with 322,018 people (Destatis, 31 Dec 2024). It has one university: Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (Kleve). Summers average 18.1 °C and winters 3.6 °C, with about 716 mm of rain a year (DWD, 1991–2020).

Kleve district in numbers

Population

322,018Destatis 2024 (opens in a new tab)

Area

1,232.99 km²Destatis 2024 (opens in a new tab)

People per km²

261Destatis 2024 (opens in a new tab)

Universities in the district

1Where Is My Uni? catalogue (opens in a new tab)

Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences

Typical student rent

€321 per monthSource (opens in a new tab)

Published monthly rent for a furnished single apartment at Brienerstraße 45, 45a or 45b in Kleve, on Studierendenwerk Düsseldorf’s undated residence overview, checked November 2026. This is a residence-specific example, not a private-market average.

Average temperature

10.7 °C a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

Rain

716 mm a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

Sunshine

1,636 hours a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

Frost days

55 a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

About Kleve district

Kleve district lies on the Lower Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia, beside the Netherlands. It includes communities on both sides of the Rhine, so choosing a home means considering the particular town and its transport connections, not just the district name. (District background (opens in a new tab))

Its attractions range from Kleve’s Schwanenburg castle to Emmerich’s river promenade and the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer. The Reichswald offers woodland routes for time away from studying. (Schwanenburg (opens in a new tab), Emmerich (opens in a new tab), Kevelaer (opens in a new tab), Reichswald route (opens in a new tab))

Main towns

Universities here

Universities in Kleve district, biggest first.

Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences has a campus in Kleve; check your programme’s location before renting because the university also has a campus in Kamp-Lintfort. (University campus information (opens in a new tab)) For a Kleve-based course, living locally is the simplest starting point. Goch, Weeze, Kevelaer and Geldern lie along the RE10, while studying in Krefeld or Düsseldorf would involve a substantially longer journey. (RheinRuhrBahn (opens in a new tab)) This is a good option to consider if you want campus life alongside access to smaller towns and outdoor space.

Find a course in Kleve

Housing

Start early: the university warns that finding accommodation can be difficult around the beginning of studies, and admission does not guarantee housing. (University housing guidance (opens in a new tab)) Studierendenwerk’s published table marks several Kleve accommodation types with waits exceeding nine months; treat these as indicative categories, not guaranteed allocation dates. (Residence overview (opens in a new tab))

The typical student rent we found, and what that figure covers, is in the key facts.

How to find a place

Student residences

Cost of living

Useful budget anchors are the €321 monthly single-apartment rent listed for Brienerstraße and Rhine-Waal’s €365.10 semester contribution for winter semester 2026/27. The contribution includes €226.80 for the Deutschlandticket. (Studierendenwerk rents (opens in a new tab), University contribution (opens in a new tab)) Add food, health insurance, personal expenses and any costs excluded from your tenancy. Compare actual offers before assuming that a smaller town will make your total budget cheaper than a larger city.

Jobs & employers

Local employment includes packaging machinery in Kleve, food distribution in Weeze and healthcare in Bedburg-Hau. (KHS (opens in a new tab), CHEFS CULINAR (opens in a new tab), LVR (opens in a new tab)) The district’s economic-development agency maintains a student-job board with hospitality and subject-related roles; use it to identify employers, then check their current vacancies. (Student-job board (opens in a new tab))

Typical student jobs

Major employers

Getting around

The RE10 connects Kleve with Goch, Weeze, Kevelaer, Geldern, Krefeld and Düsseldorf. Its published normal timetable gives roughly one hour from Kleve to Krefeld Hbf and about 90 minutes to Düsseldorf Hbf, before onward campus travel. (VRR timetable (opens in a new tab)) Check live departures: the operator lists cancellations and replacement arrangements affecting the route. (RheinRuhrBahn service information (opens in a new tab)) The Deutschlandticket covers participating local buses and regional trains in Germany, but generally not IC, EC or ICE services. (Deutsche Bahn (opens in a new tab)) For a village address, check the complete bus-and-train journey rather than judging by distance alone.

Main stations
Nearest airport

Airport Weeze (NRN)

Located within the district, with bus connections to Weeze, Kevelaer and Goch stations. Check the connection against your flight time. (Airport transport information (opens in a new tab))

Weather & seasons

Long-term averages from the German Weather Service station Kalkar (9 km from the district centre), 1991–2020.

Winter

3.6 °C

63 mm rain a month

1.9 h sun a day

Spring

10.3 °C

48 mm rain a month

5.6 h sun a day

Summer

18.1 °C

67 mm rain a month

6.8 h sun a day

Autumn

10.9 °C

61 mm rain a month

3.5 h sun a day

Expect cool, often damp winters and generally mild summers, with rain possible throughout the year. Waterproof clothing is useful for everyday trips, while spring and summer offer more daylight for exploring. July brings Kleve’s Kirmes, and December brings the crafts Christmas market at Moyland. (Kleve tourism (opens in a new tab), Museum Schloss Moyland (opens in a new tab))

Culture, language & food

Local traditions include Kleve’s summer Kirmes and Kevelaer’s continuing pilgrimage culture. Geldern adds an annual street-art festival with pavement painting and live performance. (Klever Kirmes (opens in a new tab), Kevelaer pilgrimage (opens in a new tab), Geldern festival (opens in a new tab)) For student evenings, start with campus contacts and the local event calendars, and check your journey home before planning a late night in another town.

English is part of university life: Rhine-Waal’s Faculty of Society and Economics offers English-taught programmes. (Faculty information (opens in a new tab)) Outside campus, learning German is a practical priority; the local student-job board includes employers asking for German and others accepting English with basic German. Requirements vary by role. (Student-job board (opens in a new tab)) The traditional local dialect belongs to the Kleverländisch group. (Dialect background (opens in a new tab))

Local food

Places & events

Places to see

Events

  • Schwanenburg castle in Kleve seen from Kloppberg

    Schwanenburg castle in Kleve seen from Kloppberg

  • Emmerich’s Rhine promenade and churches viewed from the Rhine bridge

    Emmerich’s Rhine promenade and churches viewed from the Rhine bridge

Student experiences

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Studying in Kleve district: FAQ

Is Kleve district a good place to live as a student?

It is worth considering if you want to study at Rhine-Waal’s Kleve campus and enjoy access to woodland and smaller towns. The university campus and nearby Reichswald are useful starting points when comparing locations. (University (opens in a new tab), Reichswald (opens in a new tab))

Is there a university in Kleve?

Yes. Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences has a campus in Kleve and another in Kamp-Lintfort, so confirm your programme’s campus before choosing accommodation. (University campus information (opens in a new tab))

How long is the train journey from Kleve to Düsseldorf?

The normal RE10 timetable gives approximately 90 minutes from Kleve station to Düsseldorf Hbf. Allow additional time for onward travel and check current disruption notices. (VRR timetable (opens in a new tab), Operator updates (opens in a new tab))

How much does student accommodation cost in Kleve?

Studierendenwerk Düsseldorf lists a furnished single apartment at Brienerstraße for €321 per month, checked November 2026. This is a specific residence price, not the average cost of a private room, and availability is separate. (Official rent table (opens in a new tab))

What student jobs can I look for in Kleve district?

The district’s student-job board includes hospitality work and working-student roles in engineering, logistics, HR and quality management. Check each employer’s current recruitment page and language requirements before applying. (Local student-job board (opens in a new tab))

Which airport serves Kleve district?

Airport Weeze is within the district. Its official transport information lists bus connections with Weeze, Kevelaer and Goch railway stations. (Airport Weeze (opens in a new tab))

More guides

Sources & photo credits

Last updated November 2026. Population and area: Destatis. Weather: Deutscher Wetterdienst. Universities and courses: our catalogue. Everything else was researched from the sources below and checked — how we research these guides.

Sources

Photo credits

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