RWTH Aachen University Scholarships for International Students 2026

Scholarships at RWTH Aachen University are mostly for on-campus scholarships.

Both exist, but it depends heavily on the level and program type. RWTH states that Bachelor and Staatsexamen programs are in German, so German proficiency is central for most undergraduate routes. In the recipient stories, Ahmet Kadioglu summed it up simply: “For a Bachelor German and master English.” For a German-taught bachelor example, Yağmur Kaymakçı studied a bachelor “taught in German.” For English-taught pathways, Mina Farajiamiri noted RWTH “offers programs taught in English at the doctoral level.”

Usually, RWTH-related scholarships are defined by academic status (enrolled, degree-seeking, etc.) rather than age. For example, RWTH’s STIBET-based scholarships for international students focus on enrollment, academic results, engagement, and financial situation. Age is not listed as a standard eligibility condition. In the GlobalScholarships recipient stories, awardees ranged from undergraduate to PhD level (e.g., Ahmet introduced himself as “23 years old,” while Mina shared a PhD pathway), which is another sign that age is typically not the deciding factor. External funders (DAAD, foundations, governments) can sometimes set age-related rules, so always check the exact scholarship call.

RWTH spans a wide subject range, about 190 programs across engineering, natural sciences, geosciences, business/economics, humanities, and medical subjects, so scholarships connected to RWTH can appear across STEM and beyond. In recipient examples, you can see engineering and STEM strongly represented: Ahmet studied Industrial Engineering; Yağmur pursued a German-taught engineering bachelor’s; Prathiksha (Biological Engineering) and Ragini Gupta (Nanotechnology/Functional Materials) used DAAD KOSPIE for research at RWTH; Rishabh Trikha came from Architecture/Infrastructure Systems; and Mina secured a funded research assistantship in Management/Business/Economics. For medicine specifically, RWTH has medicine/dentistry Staatsexamen programs and the medicine track is listed with “Language: German,” and admissions can be nationally restricted; international eligibility exists, but the application route depends on your background. In short, engineering/STEM are common in examples, business and humanities also exist, and medicine is possible but highly regulated and typically German-taught.

It depends on the scholarship. Some RWTH-administered options are specifically for international (non-German) students. RWTH’s STIBET-based scholarships are explicitly aimed at international students at RWTH. Other RWTH-linked scholarships can be nationality-targeted: RWTH International Academy’s Global Talent Scholarship regulations list eligible citizenship groups/countries for a given intake (these can change by year), and their short-course “Country Scholarships” are designed to increase diversity by supporting a broad mix of participants. In the recipient stories, you can also see how varied funding sources map to nationality: Ahmet and Yağmur were Turkish; Mina was Iranian; Prathiksha, Ragini, and Rishabh were Indian (DAAD KOSPIE pathway).

Often yes, but it’s program-dependent. RWTH’s general rule is strict for German-taught entry points: Bachelor/Staatsexamen study is in German and typically requires C1-level German proof. In the stories, Yağmur reached C1 German and “achieved a score of 17/20 on the TestDaF exam,” while Ahmet had a German C1 certificate and emphasized: “For bachelor’s, C1 certificate is required to apply to RWTH.” For English-taught routes, you may need IELTS/TOEFL depending on the program; Muhammad said, “Yes, I took the IELTS exam to demonstrate English proficiency.” But for certain scholarship research stays, test waivers can happen if your prior education was in English: Ragini wrote, “I did not need to take standardized tests like the GRE or IELTS,” and Rishabh similarly noted that “standardized tests like the GRE or IELTS were not mandatory” for his KOSPIE setup.

There isn’t one single universal “minimum grade” because RWTH admission thresholds vary by program (and some programs are restricted-admission/NC). However, the recipient stories give you a realistic picture of what “competitive” looked like in practice: Yağmur reported her score was “converted to the German system as NC 1,3,” Ahmet listed a high school GPA of 93/100, Prathiksha had a CGPA of 9.3/10, Ragini graduated with CGPA 9.2, and Mina shared GPAs of 3.75/4 (Bachelor) and 4.0/4 (Master’s). For scholarships, minimum grades can be explicit. For instance, the RWTH International Academy Global Talent Scholarship regulations require a GPA of 2.5 or higher (German grading conversion) for eligibility, and Rishabh said KOSPIE nomination required “a minimum of 8.5 SGPA.”

A strong academic record plus a clear research/goal fit tends to show up again and again. For example, Mina tied her success to a quantitatively strong track record (3.75/4 and 4.0/4) and research alignment in renewable fuel supply chains. Prathiksha highlighted research readiness (bioinformatics/computational biology) and the practical step of securing supervision at RWTH before applying. Rishabh emphasized a focused thesis match and said he kept his documents “focused, honest, and tailored,” and Muhammad described tailoring his portfolio to show both motivation and technical direction. A “good background,” in RWTH-linked examples, usually means: high grades, relevant projects/research, strong SOP/LOI, and evidence you’ve matched your interests to a specific lab/chair/program.

The exact list depends on (1) your degree level, (2) the program, and (3) whether you’re applying for a scholarship on top. RWTH emphasizes that a successful application requires documents to be “complete and submitted on time” via RWTHonline. For scholarship examples: Prathiksha listed key DAAD KOSPIE items like “An updated CV,” “Academic transcripts and degree certificates,” “Research proposal,” and “The acceptance letter from the German professor.” Rishabh described drafting a Statement of Purpose, updating a CV, writing a research proposal, and securing recommendation letters.

For standard RWTH degree applications, RWTH explicitly states the application is “free of charge,” and applicants apply through RWTHonline. However, there are two common “exceptions” people run into: (1) if your chosen route involves uni-assist, uni-assist charges handling fees per application (e.g., a fee for the first course and additional fees for extra courses in the same semester); and (2) fee-based continuing education units can set their own fees. RWTH Business School, for example, states “Application Fee is 50 €” for its process. Separate from “application fees,”