How to Apply to RWTH Aachen

9 min read Last updated April 20, 2026 12 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • RWTH Aachen is Germany's largest technical university by engineering enrollment, with Exzellenzuniversität status and TU9 membership.
  • The vast majority of research positions are fixed-term under WissZeitVG, with a cumulative twelve-year cap on academic fixed-term contracts; understand your remaining clock before applying.
  • Compensation follows TV-L for staff and W-Besoldung for professors, modest by US and UK academic standards but with strong social insurance and pension benefits.
  • Industry partnerships with Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, Siemens, RWE, DLR, and Forschungszentrum Jülich create unusually rich applied-research opportunities.
  • Applications go through karriere.rwth-aachen.de with a German-style tabellarischer Lebenslauf, full Zeugnisse, and a single consolidated PDF named with the Kennziffer.
  • German language at B2 to C1 is essential for most permanent admin, technical, and teaching roles; English-only is workable in many international research groups.
  • Aachen's location near the Belgian and Dutch borders provides modest cost of living relative to Munich or Frankfurt and a strongly international research community.
  • Berufungen for W-Professorships are highly structured, multi-month processes governed by the RWTH Berufungsordnung and Hochschulgesetz NRW; expect Probevortrag and external Gutachten.

About RWTH Aachen

RWTH Aachen University (Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen) is Germany's largest technical university by engineering enrollment, headquartered in Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, near the Belgian and Dutch borders in the Drei-Länder-Eck region. Founded in 1870 as a Polytechnische Schule (Gewerbeschule), RWTH grew into one of Europe's leading technical research institutions and currently educates more than 47,000 students with a workforce that exceeds 9,000 academic, technical, and administrative staff. The university holds Exzellenzuniversität status under the German Exzellenzstrategie federal-state funding programme and is a founding member of TU9, the alliance of Germany's leading technical universities. RWTH is organised into nine faculties: Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences (Faculty 1); Architecture (Faculty 2); Civil Engineering (Faculty 3); Mechanical Engineering (Faculty 4); Georesources and Materials Engineering (Faculty 5); Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (Faculty 6); Arts and Humanities (Faculty 7); Business and Economics (Faculty 8); and Medicine (Faculty 10), which operates the Universitätsklinikum Aachen teaching hospital. Internationally recognised research strengths include production technology (the Werkzeugmaschinenlabor WZL, Fraunhofer IPT, and Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components PEM are world-leading), automotive engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, robotics and machine learning, hydrogen and energy-transition research, and medical engineering. The university maintains deep industry partnerships with Ford-Werke (which has historic R&D ties to Aachen alongside its Cologne plant), Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, BMW, ZF Friedrichshafen, Bosch, Siemens, Volkswagen, RWE Group, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Forschungszentrum Jülich, one of Germany's largest national research centres, sits adjacent and operates joint institutes with RWTH. The RWTH Aachen Campus and the JARA (Jülich Aachen Research Alliance) framework anchor a substantial spinout and tech-transfer ecosystem covering mobility, electric vehicles, digital manufacturing, and quantum computing. Workforce composition follows the German academic model. Academic staff include W-Professoren (W1 junior, W2, and W3 chair professors paid under W-Besoldung as Beamte civil servants in most cases), Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter (research and teaching staff, predominantly on fixed-term contracts under the WissZeitVG Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz with a roughly twelve-year cumulative cap), permanent research staff (rarer), and student assistants (Studentische Hilfskräfte, Hilfswissenschaftler). Administration and technical staff are paid under TV-L, the collective tariff agreement for the German states. Compensation is modest by US or UK academic standards but includes strong social insurance, generous leave, and pension benefits. German language ability at B2 to C1 level is essential for most permanent administrative and teaching roles; English is the working language of many research groups and international PhD and postdoctoral programmes.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Search openings at karriere

    Search openings at karriere.rwth-aachen.de, the official RWTH careers portal which lists Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter, professorship, technical, and administration roles. Faculty- or institute-specific pages may also publish vacancies separately.

  2. 2
    Read the German Stellenausschreibung carefully even if an English version exists

    Read the German Stellenausschreibung carefully even if an English version exists. Key fields include Vergütung (TV-L pay band E13 to E15 for most research roles, W1 to W3 for professorships), Befristung (fixed-term limit under WissZeitVG), Beschäftigungsumfang (full-time or part-time percentage), and Bewerbungsfrist (application deadline).

  3. 3
    Prepare a German-style application package: a cover letter (Anschreiben), a tabu

    Prepare a German-style application package: a cover letter (Anschreiben), a tabular CV (tabellarischer Lebenslauf) with month and year for every role, scanned copies of degree certificates (Zeugnisse) and transcripts, and references or letters of recommendation. International applicants should include translated or recognised equivalents of foreign qualifications.

  4. 4
    For professorship calls, expect a research statement, teaching portfolio, full p

    For professorship calls, expect a research statement, teaching portfolio, full publication list, third-party funding record (Drittmittel), and a list of supervised theses. Calls explicitly state requirements under Hochschulgesetz NRW and the RWTH Berufungsordnung.

  5. 5
    Submit applications through the karriere

    Submit applications through the karriere.rwth-aachen.de portal in the format specified in the listing, usually a single PDF. Some institutes accept email submissions to the named contact in the listing; follow the listing's instructions exactly.

  6. 6
    Expect first contact via email from the institute, faculty Dekanat, or central H

    Expect first contact via email from the institute, faculty Dekanat, or central HR (Abteilung 8.2 Personal). Initial screening often takes four to eight weeks, longer for professorships which run through Berufungskommissionen.

  7. 7
    Interviews for research roles are typically conducted by the institute director

    Interviews for research roles are typically conducted by the institute director (Lehrstuhlinhaber) and group members, sometimes with a short scientific presentation. Professorship calls require a Probevortrag (trial lecture) and a research talk before the Berufungskommission.

  8. 8
    If selected, you receive an Einstellungsangebot followed by a formal Arbeitsvert

    If selected, you receive an Einstellungsangebot followed by a formal Arbeitsvertrag under TV-L or, for professors, a Berufungsverhandlung covering W-Besoldung, startup package, and equipment. Civil-servant appointments (Verbeamtung) for W2 and W3 professors require additional health and age checks.

  9. 9
    International hires must complete visa and residence-permit steps

    International hires must complete visa and residence-permit steps. RWTH's Welcome Centre supports relocation, recognition of foreign qualifications (Anerkennung), and registration with the Ausländerbehörde Aachen.

  10. 10
    Onboarding includes an introduction to your institute, registration with the cen

    Onboarding includes an introduction to your institute, registration with the central administration, and signup for the Hochschulrechenzentrum IT services. Fixed-term contracts will state the WissZeitVG basis and remaining qualification time.

Resume Tips for RWTH Aachen

recommended

Use a German tabellarischer Lebenslauf format with month and year for each entry

Use a German tabellarischer Lebenslauf format with month and year for each entry, your photo at top right (still common in Germany although optional under AGG anti-discrimination law), and clearly labelled sections: Persönliche Daten, Ausbildung, Berufserfahrung, Publikationen, Drittmittel, Lehre, Sprachen, IT-Kenntnisse.

recommended

List academic qualifications with degree title, awarding institution, dates, and

List academic qualifications with degree title, awarding institution, dates, and final grade (Note) using the German 1.0 to 5.0 scale. For non-German degrees, include the original grade and a German equivalent if one has been recognised by the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB).

recommended

Document your publications fully: peer-reviewed journal articles, conference pro

Document your publications fully: peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, and patents. Include DOI links where available. Berufungskommissionen pay close attention to citation counts, h-index, and impact factors.

recommended

Highlight third-party funding (Drittmittel) you have raised or co-raised, naming

Highlight third-party funding (Drittmittel) you have raised or co-raised, naming agencies such as DFG, BMBF, EU Horizon Europe, ERC, or industry partners. This is decisive for senior research and professorship applications.

recommended

Detail teaching experience (Lehrerfahrung) including lecture courses, seminars,

Detail teaching experience (Lehrerfahrung) including lecture courses, seminars, lab modules, and supervised Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral theses with totals. Mention any didactic training (Hochschuldidaktik certificates).

recommended

Specify language proficiency using the Common European Framework of Reference (C

Specify language proficiency using the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels: e.g., German C1, English C2, with evidence (TestDaF, DSH, Goethe certificate, IELTS, TOEFL).

recommended

List technical skills relevant to the role: programming languages (Python, MATLA

List technical skills relevant to the role: programming languages (Python, MATLAB, C++), simulation tools (ANSYS, COMSOL, Abaqus), CAD packages, lab instrumentation, statistical software, or data-analysis frameworks.

recommended

Mention relevant memberships in professional bodies (VDI, VDE, IEEE, ASME, etc

Mention relevant memberships in professional bodies (VDI, VDE, IEEE, ASME, etc.) and any editorial, reviewer, or committee roles for journals and conferences.

recommended

Disclose Schwerbehinderung status if applicable

Disclose Schwerbehinderung status if applicable. Severely disabled candidates have priority consideration under SGB IX when equally qualified, and German public employers must report on this under the Bundesgleichstellungsgesetz.

recommended

Sign and date the CV (Ort, Datum, Unterschrift) at the bottom

Sign and date the CV (Ort, Datum, Unterschrift) at the bottom. Save the application as a single PDF named clearly, for example LastName_FirstName_RWTH_KennzifferXYZ.pdf, matching the Kennziffer (reference number) in the job posting.

ATS System: RWTH Aachen Karriereportal (custom)

RWTH Aachen runs a custom career portal at karriere.rwth-aachen.de that supports both German and English interfaces. Postings are managed centrally by Abteilung 8.2 Personal but originate from individual institutes, faculties, and central units. Each posting carries a Kennziffer (reference code) and routes applications either through the portal upload form or directly to a named institute contact. The system does not perform aggressive keyword parsing typical of large commercial ATS platforms; human reviewers (institute directors, hiring managers, Berufungskommissionen) read each application.

  • Always quote the Kennziffer in your cover letter subject line and email correspondence so your application is routed correctly within Abteilung 8.2 Personal and the originating institute.
  • Submit a single, consolidated PDF unless the listing specifies otherwise. Multiple loose attachments often get separated during internal forwarding.
  • File names matter: use LastName_FirstName_Kennziffer.pdf format. RWTH staff process many parallel calls and clear file naming reduces routing errors.
  • Do not rely on ATS keyword stuffing; the portal is not a parsing engine. Write the cover letter and CV for the actual reviewer (an institute director or Dekanat panel).
  • Respect the Bewerbungsfrist exactly. Late applications are typically rejected unrearrangeable; rolling-call exceptions are explicitly noted in the listing.
  • If you cannot upload (file size limits, regional access issues), email the contact named in the listing rather than submitting an incomplete portal entry.

Interview Culture

Interviews at RWTH Aachen reflect the formality and structure of the German academic system.

For Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter (PhD or postdoc) positions, expect to meet the institute director (Lehrstuhlinhaber) and several group members, often including senior researchers and the secretariat. The conversation typically opens with a self-introduction (Selbstvorstellung), moves into a discussion of your research background and methods, and probes your fit with current projects and funded grants. Many institutes ask candidates to deliver a short scientific talk (10 to 30 minutes) on prior work or a proposed research direction. Professorship calls follow a strictly regulated process governed by the RWTH Berufungsordnung and Hochschulgesetz NRW. The Berufungskommission shortlists candidates after evaluating the full application and external Gutachten (expert reviews). Shortlisted candidates deliver a Probevortrag (a teaching trial lecture aimed at students), a research talk, and meet with faculty leadership and the Rektorat. Final ranking (Berufungsliste) is voted on by the faculty council and approved by the Rector and the Ministry. Berufungsverhandlungen over salary (W-Besoldung), startup funds, lab space, and tenure conditions can take months. Cultural notes: punctuality is non-negotiable; arrive five to ten minutes early. Address interviewers as Herr or Frau plus surname and academic title (Herr Professor Müller, Frau Doktor Schneider) until invited otherwise. Direct, fact-based answers are preferred; over-selling or vague claims are read as weakness. Discussions of compensation, contract length, WissZeitVG remaining time, and family relocation support are normal and expected at the offer stage. Do not negotiate aggressively in early conversations; raise these topics once mutual interest is established.

What RWTH Aachen Looks For

  • Demonstrated technical or scientific excellence in the discipline, evidenced by degrees, grades, publications, and references from recognised researchers.
  • Fit with the specific institute's research agenda, ongoing third-party funded projects, and methodological toolkit.
  • For research roles: ability to contribute publications and successful funding proposals (DFG, BMBF, EU, industry).
  • For teaching-heavy roles: clear didactic concept, prior lecturing experience, and willingness to engage with German Hochschuldidaktik standards.
  • German language proficiency at B2 to C1 for permanent admin, technical, and most teaching roles; English-only is acceptable in many international research groups but limits long-term career mobility within the German system.
  • Compliance with WissZeitVG fixed-term contract eligibility (remaining qualification time on the twelve-year clock) for early-career research positions.
  • For W-Professorships: international visibility, completed Habilitation or equivalent, third-party funding track record, and supervised doctoral students.
  • Collaborative orientation toward RWTH's interdisciplinary clusters, JARA partnership with Forschungszentrum Jülich, and Aachen Campus industry consortia.
  • Willingness to relocate to Aachen and engage with the city's international research community across the Drei-Länder-Eck region.
  • Cultural fit with German academic norms: thoroughness, evidence-based argument, formal communication, and respect for institutional hierarchy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find official RWTH Aachen job openings?
All official vacancies are posted at karriere.rwth-aachen.de, the central RWTH careers portal. Some institutes additionally advertise on faculty pages or discipline-specific networks (e.g., academics.de, ZEIT Stellenmarkt, Nature Careers, EURAXESS), but the portal entry with the Kennziffer is the binding reference.
What is WissZeitVG and how does it affect research positions?
Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz is the German law governing fixed-term contracts for academic staff. It generally limits cumulative fixed-term employment in academia to roughly twelve years (six during PhD plus six post-PhD, with discipline-specific exceptions in medicine). Most Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter contracts at RWTH are befristet under this law, and remaining clock time is checked at hiring.
What does TV-L pay at RWTH look like?
TV-L (Tarifvertrag der Länder) sets pay bands for state public-sector staff. Most postdoctoral researchers are placed in E13 or E14 with experience-based step (Stufe) progression. Senior researchers and group leaders may reach E15. Actual gross monthly figures change annually and are published by Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder; check the current TV-L Entgelttabelle before negotiating.
How does W-Besoldung work for professors?
W-Besoldung is the federal salary scale for professors, with three tiers: W1 (junior professor, six-year fixed term, sometimes tenure-track), W2 (typically permanent, mid-career), and W3 (senior chair). Base salary is set by NRW's W-Besoldungsgesetz and supplemented by negotiable Leistungsbezüge (performance bonuses) for research, teaching, and special functions, agreed during Berufungsverhandlungen.
Do I need to speak German to work at RWTH?
It depends on the role. Many international research groups operate fully in English, and PhD or postdoctoral positions in English-speaking groups typically do not require German at hire. However, German at B2 to C1 is essential for most permanent administrative, technical, and teaching positions, for engagement with German students, and for long-term career progression within the German academic system.
How do I get my foreign degree recognised in Germany?
RWTH evaluates foreign qualifications during the application review, often with help from the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB) database anabin.kmk.org. For regulated professions (medicine, teaching) formal Anerkennung procedures apply. The RWTH Welcome Centre supports international hires through the recognition and visa process.
What is the application timeline for a research position?
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter calls typically run four to eight weeks from application to first interview, with offers issued within another two to four weeks. Professorship calls run six to twenty-four months, including Berufungskommission deliberations, Gutachten collection, faculty council vote, and Berufungsverhandlungen with the Rector and Ministry.
What is the relationship between RWTH and Forschungszentrum Jülich?
Forschungszentrum Jülich is one of Germany's largest national research centres, located near Aachen. RWTH and Jülich operate the JARA (Jülich Aachen Research Alliance) partnership covering joint institutes in brain research, energy, high-performance computing, and quantum information. Many RWTH staff hold joint or affiliated positions with Jülich.
What benefits come with TV-L employment?
TV-L benefits include statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung), state pension contributions, additional VBL pension scheme for state employees, 30 vacation days per year (5-day week), Jahressonderzahlung (annual bonus), parental leave under federal law, and sick pay continuation. Civil-servant professors (Beamte) receive different but generally favourable Beihilfe and Pension arrangements.
Is Aachen a good city for international hires?
Aachen is a mid-sized university city of roughly 250,000 residents at the German-Belgian-Dutch tri-border. Cost of living is modest compared to Munich or Frankfurt. The international research community is large and well-supported, with the RWTH International Office and Welcome Centre handling visa, housing, and family integration. Public transport is good, and Cologne, Brussels, and Maastricht are within an hour by train or car.
How does RWTH support equal opportunity and diversity?
RWTH publishes a Gleichstellungsplan and operates a central Gleichstellungsbeauftragte (equal opportunity officer). Severely disabled candidates (Schwerbehinderte) receive priority consideration under SGB IX when equally qualified. RWTH participates in federal programmes for women in STEM, family-friendly university certification (audit familiengerechte hochschule), and dual-career support for accompanying partners.
Are there opportunities for industry collaboration or spinouts?
Yes. RWTH operates the RWTH Aachen Campus, one of Europe's largest research campuses with industry partners co-located in research clusters (production engineering, mobility, photonics). The Innovation Factory and RWTH Innovation GmbH support spinouts and tech transfer. Many staff combine academic work with industry consulting, founding, or contract research.
What unions and associations represent RWTH staff?
Ver.di represents many administrative and technical staff. GEW (Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft) represents academic and educational staff including many Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter. The Deutscher Hochschulverband (DHV) is the principal professional association for German university academics. Personalrat and Wissenschaftlicher Personalrat are the elected staff councils within RWTH.

Open Positions

RWTH Aachen currently has 12 open positions.

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 12 open positions at RWTH Aachen

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Sources

  1. RWTH Aachen Career Portal —
  2. RWTH Aachen University official website —
  3. RWTH Aachen Facts and Figures —
  4. TU9 - German Universities of Technology —
  5. German Excellence Strategy (Exzellenzstrategie) —
  6. Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (WissZeitVG) - federal law text —
  7. TV-L Tarifvertrag der Länder —
  8. W-Besoldung Nordrhein-Westfalen (Landesbesoldungsgesetz) —
  9. JARA - Jülich Aachen Research Alliance —
  10. Forschungszentrum Jülich —
  11. RWTH Aachen Welcome Centre for International Researchers —
  12. GEW Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft —
  13. Deutscher Hochschulverband (DHV) —
  14. EURAXESS Germany - Researcher Career Portal —
  15. Anabin - Database for foreign qualification recognition —