Jacobs University

Age:  11

Address: Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany

Ambience: Jacobs University is set about 20 minutes outside the Hanseatic city of Bremen in north-west Germany. The 30-hectare green campus is home to students from over 100 different nations around the world, making it a truly international community. The academic standard is rather high. However, with a student:faculty ratio of 11:1, a professor is easily at hand when needed.

Vital statistics:  Around 1,300 students with 75 per cent coming from outside Germany, studying for 20 undergraduate programs and 15 postgraduate programs.

Added value: A host family program will allow you to learn more about German culture in a social setting. You will not live with the family but they show you around. Transdisciplinary courses allow students to take courses outside of their program and therefore change their major after the first year of studies.

Glittering alumni: Mihai Cîrlănaru received the ‘Romanian Student of the Year’ award – currently he is at Cambridge University for his postgraduate studies.

Transport links: Local transport is free in the city of Bremen and for trains to the whole of Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg, with a valid Semesterticket for €210 per academic year

Who’s the boss? President Joachim Treusch.

Teaching: Jacobs University’s commitment to excellence and diversity is reflected in its teaching philosophy. Jacobs’ classroom instruction policies encourage interactive classroom participation, making full use of the diverse backgrounds and the interdisciplinary experience of students. The teaching at Jacobs aims not only to develop academic competencies, but also puts an emphasis on key qualifications and tries to strengthen the students’ abilities in critically questioning information and flexibly applying their knowledge to changing situations.

Nightlife: There is very lively nightlife on campus with many student parties taking place, alongside smaller get-togethers at the student bar or in the residential areas. The on-campus cinema and theatre also offer regular shows. Bremen is a very popular student city in northern Germany and thus offers great variety in nightlife with many different clubs playing anything from pop to rock music. Also there are many English-language theatre productions.

Any accommodation? Jacobs offers fully furnished single rooms sharing the bathroom facilities with a second person. Four residential colleges are located on the campus ground; these colleges provide students with a home away from home with ample spaces for living, studying, and recreation. There is a variety of common rooms which can be booked by students for conferences and meetings, playing games, practicing dance or martial arts, and watching movies or sports in hi-tech media rooms. There are also serveries in each college so getting a warm meal is never far away. Laundry facilities are in each basement and there are also special printing, scanning, and copying services available from the college offices.

Cheap to live there? Germany is generally speaking an average European country when it comes to living expenses. On-campus residential room and board is €500 per month.

Fees: Tuition €20,000 per study year

Funding support: Full and partial scholarships and financial aid available.

Prospectus: See here.