Incoming exchange at WiSo

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany, with over 1 million inhabitants. About 10 percent of Cologne's population are students and the city boasts more than 70 students' associations.
Apart from Cologne's landmark, the Cologne Cathedral, the city's rich history can be seen in twelve large Romanesque churches, a medieval city centre and a multitude of Roman remains.
Cologne offers plenty of green areas, with numerous public parks and landscaped gardens. The 'Stadtwald' (city forest) is a great place for recreation, long walks or jogging, and you will find various lakes in and around Cologne.
The city is home to the fourth-largest trade fair centre in the world, with 2 million visitors per year. In addition, the European headquarters of many large companies such as Ford, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Microsoft are located in Cologne.
The city has a pulsating nightlife, with over 70 clubs and party locations, in addition to countless bars, restaurants and breweries. In fact, Cologne has the highest number of pubs per capita in the whole of Germany!
Each February, Cologne celebrates its famous Carnival. More than 500,000 visitors party with the locals in pubs and line the streets to see the Carnival parade, the "Rosenmontagszug".

Nomination info for coordinators

The city of Cologne

2,000 year-old heritage, Germany's oldest major city
Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
More than 40 museums
With approximately 100,000 students at different higher education institutions, Cologne has a larger student population than any other German city
A seat of industry – major chemical, pharmaceutical, automotive, service, logistics and biotechnology companies are located in and around Cologne
Leading research institutions such as the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the European Space Agency (ESA) and four Max-Planck-Institutes are based in Cologne

The WiSo Faculty in numbers

8000 degree-seeking students
450 guest students per year
Over 50 bachelor-level and 80 master-level English-taught courses per term for incoming students
3 academic short programmes
70 student associations
500 hours of university sports offered per week in 120 disciplines

The Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences (WiSo Faculty) of the University of Cologne offers students a vast selection of study fields and specialisation options. The WiSo Faculty's interdisciplinary approach brings together its four disciplines: Management, Economics, Political Sciences and Sociology.

Following our Faculty's mission "Today's ideas, tomorrow's impact", excellent research coupled with close ties to business have resulted in top positions in a variety of rankings. The Faculty is Equis-accredited. Its central campus location and its strong focus on internationalisation, with over 450 guest students per year, make it an ideal place for an exchange term or a short-term stay.

Factsheet 2025/26 pdf

Factsheet 2026/27 pdf

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