10 Reasons for Osnabrück

Since its foundation in 1974, the university has evolved into a research-intensive institution with around 14,000 students. The City Center Campus is located in the heart of Osnabrück, and all facilities are easily accessible by foot or bike. You can also get to the Westerberg Campus quickly by bike or bus.

Our selection of degree courses comprises around 180 Bachelor’s, Master’s, and doctoral programs. Especially the international orientation and the wide range of courses offered in English stand out. In addition, exchange programs and international short-term programs enable you to gain valuable intercultural experience. Osnabrück University is proud to maintain close relations with over 300 partner institutions worldwide. Our researchers are internationally and interdisciplinarily connected, allowing you to be part of extraordinary research projects.

Even if most of your studies take place in lecture halls, seminar rooms, laboratories, and libraries – it often only becomes an unforgettable experience due to the student lifestyle. Osnabrück is a big city offering everything you need – but it is still small enough for you to cross paths with people you know on a regular basis! Within short distances, you can work together in the  Student Center, participate in courses at the  University Sports Center, head to the (award-winning)  Canteen or visit the many cafés, clubs, and bars in Osnabrück. You can find idyllic spots such as the botanical garden on the Westerberg or the river Hase, which passes right through the city center.

Compared to many other university cities, renting is pretty affordable. Our Student Services Osnabrück (Studierendenwerk Osnabrück) offer rooms and apartments in numerous  Housing Complexes.

Osnabrück combines the best of both worlds: a charming small-town atmosphere and the amenities of a big city ensure that the "City of Peace" is great place to live for everyone – regardless of whether you grew up in the countryside or in a larger town. With almost 30,000 students at Osnabrück University and the University of Applied Science, Osnabrück University is young and full of energy but at the same time feels cozy and safe. Everything is easily accessible by bike.

Many of the approximately 170,000 inhabitants consider themselves to be part of a diverse and closely-knit community. Perhaps, the first time you stand on the bumpy cobblestones in front of the historic town hall with the May Week buzzing around you, you will also feel this special "Osnabrück feeling". In this picturesque setting, the citizens of Osnabrück not only celebrate their city festival, but also the Christmas market, the cultural night (Kulturnacht), the famous hobbyhorse ride "Steckenpferdreiten" to commemorate the Treaty of Westphalia and much more. In "Osnabrück’s living room" between the town hall, St. Mary’s Church, and the cathedral, the sense of togetherness is particularly tangible.

In terms of leisure activities, Osnabrück is a modern city offering festivals and concerts, cinemas, swimming pools, sport centers, rowing and riding clubs, boulder halls, the local soccer team, an ice sports center, a skate park, the museum quarter, the art gallery – just to name a few. Countless clubs and initiatives complement the offer. As for the student bar and pub scene, it is best if you explore it yourself!

Osnabrück is located in a valley between the Teutoburg Forrest and the "Wiehengebirge": beautiful landscape is right outside the front door. The "Hüggel", the Lengerich Canyon, the "Dörenberg", the "Noller Schlucht" or the fairytale-like "Dörenther Klippen" are just a few of the great excursion destinations. There are idyllic cycling and hiking trails through lush forests all around. Even within the city, you find beautiful destinations such as the Rubbenbruch Lake, the "Stichkanal" or the "Piesberg".

Osnabrück is located in Lower Saxony, in the northern half of Germany, which means you can drive to the sea in less than two hours. At the same time, the outskirts of the city border on North Rhine-Westphalia. Münster and Bielefeld are our neighboring cities and it only takes an hour by train to get to Dortmund in the Ruhr region. The Netherlands, with the border towns Enschede and Hengelo, are approximately only 80 kilometers away in linear distance. The Berlin-Amsterdam, Munich-Hamburg, and Cologne-Hamburg lines intersect at Osnabrück Central Station and from Münster-Osnabrück Airport, you can even fly to international destinations.

Diversity, cosmopolitanism, and equal opportunities are of great importance at our university. As an “open-minded university”, we are also accessible to those who do not take the traditional route into higher education via the undergraduate degree “Abitur“, which is the German school-leaving certificate. Osnabrück University with its diverse community is a proud signatory of the  Diversity Charter. Our  Equal Opportunities Office and all equal opportunities officers work tirelessly to ensure that every single person is valued and respected with their ideas and projects. Extremism, racism, and intolerance of any kind do not have a voice here!

The City of Peace, Osnabrück, is also proud of its diversity and openness. Numerous initiatives are committed to achieving a respectful coexistence of all Osnabrück residents, offering support and actively shaping cultural life.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization play a central role in teaching and research at Osnabrück University. The "AI Campus" combines the Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Information Systems, and Mathematics research groups. Our researchers are also studying the legal, social science, and ethical issues surrounding the use of AI. Our training program for students to become AI professionals rests on our many years of experience. The  The Lower Saxony DFKI Laboratory belonging to the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) is closely linked to the university’s AI Campus.

Artificial intelligence also provides valuable support in the everyday lives of teachers and students. The  Center for Digital Teaching, Information Management and Higher Education Didactics (virtUOS) ensures compliance with data protection guidelines, which puts our university in a leading position nationwide in the use of digital tools.

The importance of sustainability to the citizens of Osnabrück is not only repeatedly reflected in the election results. Numerous civil society initiatives and public institutions have also taken up the cause of environmental and climate protection.

The city has a well-developed bus network and a system of car sharing and electric cargo bike sharing. Bicycle lanes and new cycle paths are designed to make cycling safer.

Osnabrück University was the first university in Germany to adopt environmental guidelines based on the principle of sustainable development back in 1997. Numerous collaborative activities and projects in the areas of mobility, energy, construction, and nature conservation characterize the process work of  Greening the University.

Many students of our university stay in the city after their graduation; they directly enter the job market or found their own company. As an important business location in the region, Osnabrück is home to major companies in the fields of logistics, steel and metal processing, the paper industry and automotive production. In addition,  Working at the University holds a wide range of career opportunities. The university and the city also support you in  Founding innovative start-ups. Last but not least, Osnabrück is also a wonderful place for families – you can therefore come here to stay!