University of Cologne

Humanities and Social Science is ranked #7 as per Shiksha Popularity Ranking, #151 by QS Rankings, #126 by THE and #51 by ARWU. Rankings for Humanities and Social Science specialised courses are given in the table below.

Business and Management specialised courses at University of Cologne is ranked #12 by Shiksha Ranking, #40 by Financial Times and #126 by Times Higher Education. Rankings for Business and Management courses by other ranking bodies is mentioned in the table below:

MS at University of Cologne is ranked #25 by Shiksha Popularity Ranking, #101 by THE, #151 by ARWU and #157 as per QS Rankings. Courses under MS specialisation are ranked by some of the top reputable ranking bodies. These rankings are mentioned in the table below:

University of Cologne is one of the top-ranked universities of Germany. The university is ranked #15 in Germany and #159 at global level as per Shiksha Popularity Ranking. ARWU has ranked the university #151. THE (Times Higher Education) has ranked the university #157 in 2025 and #160 in 2024, indicating a negative trend. US News has ranked the university #228 and #241 in the years 2025 and 2024. Apart from this, QS World University Rankings has ranked the university #272 in 2026, whereas 2025 and 2024 rankings are #100 and #91 respectively, indicating a decreasing trend.

The University of Cologne has only one intake season; hence, all applicants must be prepared with all the admission requirements in order to apply to the university with priority. Students can refer to the table below for the application deadline details of the University of Cologne:

• • Summer Semester: Jan 15, 2026
  • Winter Semester: Jul 15, 2026 

International students are required to obtain a student visa to study at the University of Cologne, as this university is situated in Germany. There is a big update on Germany visas, as the German Foreign Ministry has launched a new portal as digital.diplo.de to reduce the processing time of German student visas. Students can now apply for visas online, fill out the application form, and submit the documents. Here, the students will have to visit VFS Global only for biometrics after completing their application online. 

Due to the German public education system, SRH North Rhine-Westphalia typically charges higher tuition than the University of Cologne, a public university that charges little to free tuition for overseas students. Nonetheless, some students may find that SRH's private, practice-focused curriculum, smaller class groups, and individualised attention make up for the higher tuition. Furthermore, living expenses (housing, food, and travel) in North Rhine-Westphalia are similar to those in Cologne. The decision between the two schools may ultimately come down to personal preferences for price, curriculum, and campus life.

Public universities in Germany do not charge tuition fees, including both Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt and the University of Cologne

Therefore, the cost of studying at both universities would be similar, and the main expenses would be related to living costs such as accommodation, food, and health insurance. 

The University of Cologne requirements for international students for MSc in Business Administration are given below:

·         A bachelor’s degree which corresponds to the subject of the master’s degree

·         A minimum of 2.7 is required in the bachelor’s grade

·         C1 level of German language proficiency skills

·         B2 English language proficiency skills: TOEFL / IELTS