RWTH Aachen University and Technical University Munich are two prominent public research universities located in the land of innovation, Germany. RWTH is one of the largest technical universities in Germany whereas TUM makes it to the list of institutes with the highest scientific impact. Mentioned below are comparisons of both the universities to help ease down the process of shortlisting your study abroad destination.
| RWTH Aachen University | Technical University Munich | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collegedunia Score | 5.9 Out of 10 | 6.2 Out of 10 | ||||||||||||
| ranking (overall) | # 90 Times Higher Education 2024 # 106 QS World University 2024 # 99 Times Higher Education 2023 | # 30 Times Higher Education 2024 # 37 QS World University 2024 # 30 Times Higher Education 2023 | ||||||||||||
| Subject Strength | # 34 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2024 # 99 for Medicine by Times Higher Education 2023 | # 22 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2024 # 30 for Medicine by Times Higher Education 2023 | ||||||||||||
| Programs | UG Programs -51 PG Programs -98 | UG Programs -14 PG Programs -73 Doctorate Programs -1 | ||||||||||||
| Exam Score | GRE updated-308 IELTS-7 TOEFL-95 | GMAT-600 GRE updated-300 IELTS-6.5 TOEFL-88 | ||||||||||||
| Cost to Study | Average Tuition Fees 22671 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 870 Per Year | Average Tuition Fees 144 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 147 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 23310 Per Year | ||||||||||||
| placement (average package) |
| Tie-ups with around 800 start-ups set up by alumni and faculty. | ||||||||||||
| application requirements | 60% in previous degree; Statement of Purpose; Resume | Applications are invited through Uni-assist, German language proficiency is required for most UG program, GRE/GATE scores are required for some masters programs. | ||||||||||||
| Campuses and B-Schools | RWTH Business School | NA |
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| General Facts | RWTH Aachen University | Technical University Munich |
|---|---|---|
| Type of University | University | University |
| Established | 1870 | 1868 |
| Male:Female | 68% Male, 32% Female | 66% Male, 34% Female |
| Location Facts | Campus is situated at the north-western part of Aachen; Main Building, SuperC Student’s Center and Karman Hall are 500 meter away from Aachen Cathedral | The university has three campuses in Bavaria: Garching, Munich (main campus), and Weihenstephan. The main campus has an Olympic park. The main campus is located in downtown Munich which is also housed by various technological industries like BMW, Allianz, Siemens, etc. |
| Library | University has three libraries: Wullnerstrabe branch having textbook collections on various subjects; Medical Library situated at university’s hospital for books and journals on medicine; Patent and Standards Center (PNZ) for patent documents, trademarks, intellectual properties, etc. | The library houses 45,000 ejournals, 160,000 ebooks, 2400 e-databases, etc. 2 million is the overall collection of books including print and digital collection. |
| Campus Life | RWTH International Academy organizes various field trips to notable companies, social events, job searching seminars, sports tournaments, get-togethers, city tours, career days, etc. Some clubs that students can join are INCAS, BeBuddy, Sport Center, etc. | The two major spring festivals receive over 150 student volunteers. The university has 14 academic orchestra’s, and 90 different sports activities to offer. There are various clubs and societies such as film clubs, etc to indulge in. |
| Hostel | #Monthly Rent - $470 | #Two-Bedroom Apartment - $15984 #Shared Living Apartment - $7326 |
| Famous Alumni | Peter Debye (Nobel Prize in Chemistry); Helmut Zahn (synthesized insulin); BJ Habibie (third President of Indonesia); Franz Josef Och (chief architect of Google Translate); Necmettin Erbakan (former Prime Minister of Turkey); Jurgen von der Lippe (television presentor, entertainer and actor) | Gerhard Ertl (German Physicist), Wolfgang Ketterle (Nobel laureate in Physics), Ernst Otto Fischer (German Chemist), Wolfgang Paul (German Physicist), Roebert Huber (German biochemist, Nobel laureate), Samantha Cristoforetti (astronaut), etc |
| City Life | Aachen is located at the border of Netherlands and Belgium, close to the center of Europe; Unemployment rate at 5%; Trade, hotel, restaurant, transport and service industry employed a maximum number of people; Students can use public transport for free with RWTH student ticket in North-Rhinewestphalia; City is famous for hot springs and spa | Munich is one of the most expensive cities in Germany, but offers a variety of transportation options (including cheap one’s) to its students. The outskirts of the city include farmlands, rivers, and lakes. The city is full of student bars, art galleries, cafes, and restaurants, Rathaus is the large pedestrian street offering from high-end stores to street shops. Treks to the Alps are something to look forward to adrenaline junkies. Austria is 2 hours train ride away from the city. The city has an unemployment rate of around 3.5%. |
| Weather |
The Technical University of Munich and RWTH Aachen University have been honored as “University of Excellence” by the German government to encourage research and both are part of TU9 which incorporates most notable technical universities of Germany.
- Over 10,455 international students from 125 countries are enrolled in RWTH University every year comprising 21.3% of the total student population. The count of international students at Technical University Munich goes up to 13,858 comprising 32% of the total student intake.
- TU Munich has an upper hand in providing exposure and internship opportunities as Munich is an industrial hub, the presence of recruiters in the area is pretty dominant compared to Aachen.
- TUM is among the best research focussed universities in Europe with 300+ partner universities and 160 university-wide partnerships, whereas RWTH has partnerships with 563 universities and university-wide agreements with 122 of them.
- RWTH International Academy provides 149 scholarships for international students that cover EUR 300,000 per month for one year. Whereas TUM awards scholarships funded through budget resources from the Bavarian government. It is a one time financial aid between €500 and €1,500.
- Both the universities demand a basic tuition charge which comes around 500 Euros, the real expense is the cost of living which is 1000 Euros per month for both the cities. So being decisive about which university to choose from comes down to the kind of specialization a student wants to pursue and meet its eligibility requirements.
Germany is one of the most sought after study abroad destinations when it comes to STEM courses. The low cost quality higher education, excellent scholarship programs, post study work opportunities make both the engineering institutes colossal options to pursue technical courses.
