The University
With around 20,000 students, Paderborn University is a medium-sized, state-recognised university offering all types of degrees, including doctorates and habilitations. It offers a wide range of subjects in the following five faculties:
- Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics
- Cultural Studies
- Mechanical Engineering
- Natural Sciences
Paderborn University attaches great importance to the internationalisation of research and teaching. Around 1,500 foreign students and numerous visiting academics and lecturers create an international atmosphere on campus.
Our 200 worldwide university partnerships are the result of many years of research cooperation. Every year, around 350 Paderborn students are sent abroad and, in return, students from the partner universities come to Paderborn.

More about university
Programmes and courses for exchange students
Exchange students are free to choose most of the courses offered in their field of study at Paderborn University.
To the international graduate coursestaught entirely in English include
- Applied Neurosciences in Sports & Exercise
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- English and American Literary and Cultural Studies
- Electrical Systems Engineering
- International Economics and Management
- Materials Science
- Optoelectronics and Photonics
- Physics
These courses are open to both graduate and advanced undergraduate students with sufficient prior knowledge.
Further information can be found here.
At Paderborn University, great importance is attached to looking after your exchange students. This includes the following points:
- Accommodation organised by the university in halls of residence on campus.
- 1:1 buddy system to help students settle in and ensure a smooth transition into the "German way of life".
- Academic and non-academic orientation events.
- Comprehensive cultural semester programme with day and weekend excursions, parties, museum visits and other events organised by the student association Eurobiz.
- Semester ticket (included in the semester fee - approx. 300 €/semester) for unlimited use of local public transport in Paderborn and the entire state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Exchange students at UPB can currently choose from the following range of German courses*:
- Crash course - 4 weeks before the official lecture period / start of the semester
- Semester course - 12 weeks during the lecture period
The courses are free of charge for exchange students.
*Pleasenote that the range of German courses on offer and the course fee structure at Paderborn University are subject to regular review and may change.
Information about the city

The city of Paderborn offers an interesting, friendly and safe environment in which to study, relax and live.
Paderborn is located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia and is a modern city with a population of around 150,000. It is one of the economic centres of the East Westphalia region and home to some of the world's leading industrial companies such as 365ÌåÓý_×ãÇò±È·ÖÍø£¤Í¶×¢Ö±²¥¹ÙÍømens, Diebold Nixdorf, Benteler, dSpace, Hella and Stute.
However, the city can also look back on a long and interesting history. It was first mentioned in a document 1,200 years ago, after the founding of the Holy Roman Empire.