University of Bonn

Overview

The University of Bonn is a modern public research university located in the federal city of Bonn, Germany. Founded more than 200 years ago, the university has an outstanding reputation, largely because of its unique research and teaching methods that have received acclaim both locally and internationally. It is one of the leading centers for education and one of Germany’s most important institutes of research, and rightly so. It has been one of eleven universities of excellence in Germany since 2019 and the only university with six clusters of excellence.

The first form of the modern university came into existence in 1818 following the decree of King Frederick William III of Prussia to establish the Rhine University. After a period of major changes, it became a fully coeducational institution and was renamed the University of Bonn in 1908. In 1933, the university ceased operation and was physically destroyed in a bombing during World War II, on October 18, 1944. In 1945, it underwent major reconstruction and growth and resumed normal operations in the winter semester of 1945/1946.

At present, the University of Bonn has over 350 buildings and architectural landmarks scattered all over Bonn, the hallmark being the Main Building in the city center. The city offers a great deal of cultural aspects and amazing outdoor recreation opportunities for students and staff alike. The university itself is made up of five main campuses or hubs, namely Campus City, Campus Poppelsdorf, Campus Endenich, Bonn-venusberg, and Campus Klein-Altendorf.

The university structure consists of seven faculties, created to fulfill research and teaching tasks. These include Protestant Theology, Catholic Theology, Law and Economics, Medicine, Arts, Mathematics and Natural Science, and Agriculture. The faculties are further divided into clinics, departments, and institutes. In addition, and to support innovative and cutting-edge research, the university has 12 collaboration research centers, eight research groups, and six research training groups. Moreover, the University of Bonn has 58 libraries stocked with more than 5,000,000 volumes of resources.

Through these faculties and campuses, the University of Bonn offers more than 220 study programs including bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. There are more than 35,000 students enrolled in these programs of study, over 5,000 of which are international students. Helping these students reach their academic goals are more than 540 professors, over 4,300 scientific employees, and about 1,700 staff in technology and administration. As a mark of its excellence, the university has had 11 Nobel Prizes and four Fields Medals awarded to its alumni and faculty members.