The Humboldt Rankings 2023

Saturn-ähnliches Dekortationsbild

Contact:

Dr Meike Olbrecht
Head of Division Evaluation, Statistics
evaluation[at]avh.de

Implementation and analysis of the data:

Hannah Neppl
Division Evaluation, Statistics
Stefan Wünsche
Division Press, Communications and Marketing

During the years 2018 through 2022, Humboldtians from abroad were hosted at 130 universities (universities, universities of applied sciences, conservatories and art academies) and more than 400 non-university research institutions and other institutions in Germany. The Humboldt Rankings show the distribution of the stays undertaken during these five years and the institutions that were in particular demand by individuals who are sponsored by the Humboldt Foundation. Among outstanding foreign researchers, universities in the metropolises Berlin and Munich continue to top the rankings, but their counterparts in smaller cities such as Karlsruhe, Konstanz, Heidelberg and Göttingen are also popular. Compared to the 2020 Humboldt Rankings, the absolute number of sponsored individuals increased slightly. This is however partly due to changes in the calculation logic used for the ranking (see information on the new methodology).

 

6,480
guest stays were undertaken by Humboldtians in Germany between 2018 and 2022.
72% at a university
28% at a non-university institution

All data at a glance

During the time from 2018 to 2022, a total of 4,690 research stays were sponsored at universities and 1,790 at non-university research institutions and other institutions in Germany as listed in the following table. Besides the general overview, the rankings can be filtered by the four academic fields: humanities and social sciences, life sciences, natural sciences, and engineering.  To avoid statistical bias arising from differences in the size of the host institutions, the rankings relate the number of research stays to the number of professorships at the respective university. In addition to the weighted ranking position, the table also shows the absolute position based on the actual number of sponsored individuals who were working at the respective institutions during the reporting period. Information on the counting and weighting methods used can be found here.

 

University
1 1 Freie Universität Berlin 251 38.5 289.5 41.79
2 3 Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 236 28.5 264.5 40.04
3 13 Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) 105 15 120 38.59
4 23 Universität Konstanz 66 11 77 37.38
5 2 Universität München 226 47 273 36.34
6 5 Universität Heidelberg 162 25 187 35.69
7 4 Technische Universität München 171 34 205 35.65
8 9 Technische Universität Berlin 105 24 129 32.63
9 6 Universität Göttingen 127 22 149 28.26
10 15 Universität Freiburg 96 17 113 25.84
11 22 Universität Hannover 73 12 85 25.30
12 53 Constructor University, Bremen 12 3 15 24.86
13 25 Universität Stuttgart 56 14 70 24.22
14 27 Universität Potsdam 53 10 63 23.83
15 11 Universität Tübingen 106 21 127 23.81
16 7 Universität Münster 121 21 142 23.22
17 9 Universität Bonn 102 27 129 22.28
18 7 Universität Köln 127 15 142 22.18
19 19 Universität Würzburg 80 18 98 21.97
20 24 Universität Regensburg 56 16 72 21.49
21 32 Universität Bayreuth 45 8 53 21.03
22 12 Universität Frankfurt am Main 107 16 123 21.00
23 17 Universität Bochum 76 23 99 20.58
24 64 Hertie School, Berlin 7   7 19.81
25 28 Technische Universität Darmstadt 52 9 61 19.45
26 16 Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg 88 23 111 18.85
27 29 Universität Bielefeld 50 8 58 18.03
28 14 Universität Hamburg 104 14 118 17.70
29 21 Technische Hochschule Aachen 70 17 87 17.64
30 17 Universität Mainz 79 20 99 17.39
31 20 Technische Universität Dresden 79 9 88 15.99
32 54 Technische Universität Hamburg 13 1 14 14.58
33 33 Universität Halle-Wittenberg. Halle (Saale) 46 6 52 14.57
34 31 Universität Gießen 50 4 54 13.92
35 37 Universität Bremen 41 3 44 13.75
36 26 Universität Duisburg-Essen 59 7 66 13.24
37 59 Technische Universität Freiberg 12   12 12.86
38 39 Technische Universität Braunschweig 29 1 30 12.40
39 36 Universität Marburg 39 6 45 12.37
40 29 Universität Leipzig 44 14 58 12.08
41 48 Universität Bamberg 16 2 18 12.05
42 42 Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau 25 1 26 12.02
43 35 Universität Jena 41 7 48 11.77
44 38 Universität Düsseldorf 27 9 36 11.26
45 42 Universität Ulm 23 3 26 11.16
46 34 Universität Kiel 45 5 50 10.81
47 39 Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken 25 5 30 10.12
48 56 Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart 13   13 9.92
49 46 Universität Oldenburg 19 2 21 9.38
50 41 Technische Universität Dortmund 25 4 29 9.29
51 56 Universität Lübeck 13   13 9.01
52 50 Universität Magdeburg 15 2 17 8.82
53 66 Universität Frankfurt (Oder) 5 1 6 8.45
54 45 Universität Wuppertal 20 2 22 8.27
55 47 Universität Siegen 19 1 20 8.05
56 56 Universität Trier 11 2 13 8.01
57 50 Universität Greifswald 17   17 7.96
58 62 Universität Passau 10   10 7.87
59 48 Universität Augsburg 14 4 18 7.76
60 59 Technische Universität Chemnitz 12   12 7.50
61 44 Universität Kassel 22 1 23 7.08
62 50 Universität Paderborn 15 2 17 6.69
63 64 Universität Erfurt 4 3 7 6.56
64 59 Universität Mannheim 11 1 12 6.49
65 66 Technische Universität Ilmenau 6   6 6.19
66 71 Universität Flensburg 4 1 5 5.91
67 71 Universität Weimar 4 1 5 5.79
68 76 Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover 2 1 3 5.70
69 87 Hochschule Geisenheim University 2   2 5.36
70 76 Filmuniversität Babelsberg, Potsdam 3   3 5.26
71 73 Technische Universität Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld 4   4 5.24
72 66 Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt 6   6 5.13
73 54 Universität Rostock 13 1 14 4.92
74 98 International Psychoanalytic University Berlin 1   1 4.41
74 76 Universität Vechta 3   3 4.41
76 76 Frankfurt School of Finance & Management 2 1 3 4.33
77 87 Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg 2   2 4.26
78 98 Kühne Logistics University, Hamburg 1   1 4.22
79 63 Universität Osnabrück 8 1 9 4.13
80 76 Universität Witten-Herdecke 2 1 3 3.95
81 73 Hochschule Rhein-Waal, Kleve 4   4 3.57
82 66 Universität Lüneburg 6   6 3.50
83 98 Hochschule für Schauspielkunst, Berlin 1   1 3.49
84 76 Universität Hildesheim 3   3 3.19
85 76 FernUniversität Hagen 3   3 3.18
86 76 Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover 3   3 3.14
87 76 Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg 2 1 3 2.65
88 73 Medizinische Hochschule Hannover 4   4 2.64
89 98 HafenCity Universität Hamburg 1   1 2.36
90 98 CBS Cologne Business School, Köln 1   1 2.22
91 98 Evangelische Hochschule Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe. Bochum 1   1 1.67
91 98 Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde 1   1 1.67
93 98 Hochschule für angewandtes Management. Erding 1   1 1.65
94 76 Universität der Bundeswehr München. Neubiberg 2 1 3 1.56
95 98 Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main 1   1 1.54
96 66 Technische Hochschule Köln 6   6 1.49
97 98 Hochschule für Musik Weimar 1   1 1.48
98 87 Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg. Sankt Augustin 2   2 1.37
99 98 Hochschule Neubrandenburg 1   1 1.32
100 98 Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig 1   1 1.29
101 98 Hochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen 1   1 1.21
101 87 Hochschule Mannheim 2   2 1.21
103 87 Hochschule für Technik. Wirtschaft und Kultur Leipzig 2   2 1.20
104 87 Hochschule Furtwangen 2   2 1.15
105 87 Technische Universität Cottbus - Senftenberg 2   2 1.11
106 87 Hochschule Karlsruhe - Technik und Wirtschaft 2   2 1.01
107 98 Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz 1   1 0.96
108 87 Universität der Künste Berlin 2   2 0.89
109 87 Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin 2   2 0.87
109 98 Katholische Hochschule Nordrhein-Westfalen. Köln 1   1 0.87
111 98 Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt Nürtingen-Geislingen 1   1 0.83
112 76 Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg 3   3 0.74
113 98 Hochschule Anhalt. Köthen 1   1 0.70
114 98 Fachhochschule Kiel 1   1 0.68
115 98 Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden 1   1 0.60
116 98 Hochschule Trier 1   1 0.58
117 98 Fachhochschule Bielefeld 1   1 0.44
117 98 Technische Hochschule Regensburg 1   1 0.44
119 98 Hochschule Fresenius. Idstein 1   1 0.42
120 98 Hochschule RheinMain. Wiesbaden 1   1 0.40
121 98 Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences 1   1 0.38
122 98 Fachhochschule Münster 1   1 0.37
123 98 Berliner Hochschule für Technik 1   1 0.35
123 98 Hochschule Hannover 1   1 0.35
125 98 Hochschule Osnabrück 1   1 0.32
126 98 Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften München 1   1 0.21
127 87 Bucerius Law School - Hochschule für Rechtswissenschaft, Hamburg 1 1 2  
127 98 Theologische Fakultät Paderborn 1   1  
127 98 Theologische Hochschule ­Friedensau 1   1  
127 98 Universität für Verwaltungswissenschaften Speyer   1 1  

A total of 4,690 research stays were undertaken at 130 universities in Germany during the time from 2018 to 2022.

The top 20 weighted ranking positions for German universities hosting the largest number of sponsored individuals per 100 professors accounted for 2,750 research stays undertaken by 2,331 fellows and 419 award winners.

 

University
1 Freie Universität Berlin 170 23 193
2 Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 165 14 179
3 Universität München 132 25 157
4 Universität Köln 68 5 73
5 Universität Heidelberg 67 5 72
6 Universität Frankfurt am Main 60 4 64
7 Universität Bonn 48 12 60
8 Universität Freiburg 44 9 53
8 Universität Göttingen 49 4 53
10 Universität Tübingen 43 4 47
11 Universität Hamburg 38 6 44
12 Universität Münster 35 5 40
13 Universität Bochum 22 11 33
13 Universität Konstanz 28 5 33
15 Universität Mainz 26 1 27
16 Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 25 1 26
17 Universität Potsdam 21 4 25
18 Technische Universität Berlin 23 1 24
18 Universität Leipzig 18 6 24
20 Universität Bielefeld 19 1 20
20 Universität Regensburg 18 2 20
20 Universität Würzburg 16 4 20
23 Universität Bamberg 16 2 18
23 Universität Bremen 18   18
23 Universität Marburg 16 2 18
26 Universität Bayreuth 15 1 16
26 Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg 12 4 16
28 Universität Gießen 13 1 14
29 Technische Universität Dortmund 9   9
29 Technische Universität Dresden 9   9
29 Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken 7 2 9
29 Universität Kiel 8 1 9
29 Universität Trier 8 1 9
34 Universität Duisburg-Essen 8   8
34 Universität Jena 8   8
36 Hertie School, Berlin 7   7
36 Technische Universität Chemnitz 7   7
36 Universität Augsburg 7   7
36 Universität Erfurt 4 3 7
36 Universität Mannheim 6 1 7
36 Universität Wuppertal 6 1 7
42 Technische Universität Darmstadt 5 1 6
42 Universität Düsseldorf 6   6
42 Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt 6   6
42 Universität Frankfurt (Oder) 5 1 6
42 Universität Paderborn 6   6
42 Universität Passau 6   6
48 Technische Universität München 4 1 5
48 Universität Flensburg 4 1 5
48 Universität Greifswald 5   5
48 Universität Kassel 4 1 5
48 Universität Lüneburg 5   5
48 Universität Osnabrück 5   5
54 Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) 3 1 4
54 Universität Hannover 2 2 4
54 Universität Oldenburg 4   4
54 Universität Stuttgart 4   4
58 Constructor University, Bremen 1 2 3
58 Filmuniversität Babelsberg, Potsdam 3   3
58 Universität Hildesheim 3   3
58 Universität Magdeburg 3   3
58 Universität Rostock 3   3
58 Universität Vechta 3   3
58 Universität Witten-Herdecke 2 1 3
65 Bucerius Law School - Hochschule für Rechtswissenschaft, Hamburg 1 1 2
65 FernUniversität Hagen 2   2
65 Frankfurt School of Finance & Management 1 1 2
65 Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg 2   2
65 Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin 2   2
65 Universität der Künste Berlin 2   2
65 Universität Lübeck 2   2
65 Universität Siegen 2   2
73 CBS Cologne Business School, Köln 1   1
73 Evangelische Hochschule Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe, Bochum 1   1
73 Fachhochschule Kiel 1   1
73 Fachhochschule Münster 1   1
73 Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences 1   1
73 Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Sankt Augustin 1   1
73 Hochschule Fresenius, Idstein 1   1
73 Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg 1   1
73 Hochschule für angewandtes Management, Erding 1   1
73 Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main 1   1
73 Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig 1   1
73 Hochschule für Musik Weimar 1   1
73 Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover 1   1
73 Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde 1   1
73 Hochschule für Schauspielkunst, Berlin 1   1
73 Hochschule Hannover 1   1
73 Hochschule Neubrandenburg 1   1
73 Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz 1   1
73 International Psychoanalytic University Berlin 1   1
73 Katholische Hochschule Nordrhein-Westfalen, Köln 1   1
73 Kühne Logistics University, Hamburg 1   1
73 Medizinische Hochschule Hannover 1   1
73 Technische Hochschule Aachen   1 1
73 Technische Hochschule Köln 1   1
73 Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau 1   1
73 Theologische Fakultät Paderborn 1   1
73 Theologische Hochschule Friedensau 1   1
73 Universität für Verwaltungswissenschaften Speyer   1 1
73 Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart 1   1

During the time from 2018 to 2022, the Humboldt Foundation sponsored 1,638 research stays involving the humanities or social sciences at 101 universities in Germany.

The top 20 weighted ranking positions for German universities accounted for 1,287 research stays involving the humanities or social sciences.

University
1 Universität Heidelberg 43 3 46
2 Technische Universität München 34 6 40
3 Freie Universität Berlin 33 2.5 35.5
4 Universität Tübingen 27 8 35
5 Universität Göttingen 28 4 32
5 Universität Köln 27 5 32
7 Universität Freiburg 25 5 30
7 Universität München 27 3 30
9 Universität Hamburg 23 2 25
10 Universität Würzburg 19 5 24
11 Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 18 2.5 20.5
12 Universität Bonn 18 2 20
12 Universität Mainz 15 5 20
14 Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg 13 5 18
14 Universität Leipzig 12 6 18
16 Universität Gießen 15 1 16
16 Universität Kiel 15 1 16
16 Universität Münster 15 1 16
19 Technische Universität Dresden 13 2 15
19 Universität Jena 12 3 15
21 Universität Bayreuth 11 2 13
21 Universität Frankfurt am Main 13   13
21 Universität Konstanz 11 2 13
24 Technische Hochschule Aachen 11 1 12
24 Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 9 3 12
26 Universität Bielefeld 9 1 10
26 Universität Duisburg-Essen 9 1 10
26 Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart 10   10
26 Universität Regensburg 9 1 10
30 Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) 9   9
31 Universität Düsseldorf 7 1 8
32 Universität Hannover 7   7
32 Universität Marburg 6 1 7
32 Universität Ulm 6 1 7
35 Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau 5 1 6
35 Universität Greifswald 6   6
35 Universität Lübeck 6   6
35 Universität Potsdam 6   6
39 Universität Wuppertal 5   5
40 Universität Bochum 4   4
40 Universität Bremen 3 1 4
40 Universität Kassel 4   4
40 Universität Rostock 4   4
44 Hochschule Rhein-Waal, Kleve 3   3
44 Medizinische Hochschule Hannover 3   3
44 Technische Hochschule Köln 3   3
44 Technische Universität Braunschweig 3   3
44 Technische Universität Darmstadt 2 1 3
44 Technische Universität Hamburg 3   3
44 Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover 2 1 3
44 Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken 2 1 3
44 Universität Magdeburg 2 1 3
53 Constructor University, Bremen 1 1 2
53 Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover 2   2
53 Technische Universität Berlin 1 1 2
53 Universität Oldenburg 2   2
57 Hochschule Geisenheim University 1   1
57 Hochschule Mannheim 1   1
57 Hochschule Trier 1   1
57 Universität Osnabrück   1 1
57 Universität Paderborn 1   1
57 Universität Stuttgart   1 1
57 Universität Trier   1 1

During the time from 2018 to 2022, the Humboldt Foundation sponsored 732 research stays involving the life sciences at 63 universities in Germany.

The top 20 weighted ranking positions for German universities accounted for 504 research stays involving the life sciences.

 

University
1 Technische Universität München 75 16 91
2 Universität München 63 18 81
3 Universität Münster 63 15 78
4 Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) 62 11 73
5 Universität Heidelberg 48 17 65
6 Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 47 12 59
6 Technische Universität Berlin 45 14 59
6 Universität Göttingen 45 14 59
9 Freie Universität Berlin 43 13 56
10 Universität Würzburg 45 8 53
11 Universität Mainz 38 14 52
12 Universität Bonn 36 13 49
13 Universität Frankfurt am Main 33 12 45
14 Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg 34 8 42
14 Universität Regensburg 29 13 42
14 Universität Tübingen 34 8 42
17 Universität Bochum 33 8 41
18 Technische Hochschule Aachen 29 11 40
18 Technische Universität Dresden 35 5 40
20 Universität Hamburg 33 6 39
21 Universität Hannover 36 2 38
22 Universität Köln 26 5 31
23 Universität Konstanz 25 4 29
24 Universität Stuttgart 22 6 28
25 Universität Potsdam 22 5 27
26 Universität Bielefeld 21 5 26
26 Universität Freiburg 23 3 26
28 Universität Gießen 20 2 22
29 Universität Jena 17 4 21
30 Technische Universität Darmstadt 19 1 20
30 Universität Duisburg-Essen 18 2 20
32 Universität Bayreuth 14 5 19
32 Universität Kiel 16 3 19
34 Universität Düsseldorf 14 4 18
34 Universität Marburg 15 3 18
36 Technische Universität Braunschweig 17   17
36 Universität Ulm 15 2 17
38 Universität Bremen 13 2 15
38 Universität Oldenburg 13 2 15
40 Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 12 2 14
41 Universität Leipzig 12 1 13
42 Technische Universität Dortmund 7 4 11
42 Universität Augsburg 7 4 11
42 Universität Kassel 11   11
45 Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau 10   10
45 Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken 10   10
45 Universität Siegen 9 1 10
48 Constructor University, Bremen 9   9
49 Universität Wuppertal 6 1 7
50 Technische Universität Chemnitz 5   5
50 Universität Magdeburg 5   5
50 Universität Paderborn 5   5
50 Universität Rostock 4 1 5
54 Technische Universität Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld 4   4
54 Technische Universität Freiberg 4   4
54 Universität Greifswald 4   4
54 Universität Lübeck 4   4
58 Universität Mannheim 3   3
58 Universität Osnabrück 3   3
58 Universität Trier 3   3
61 Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg 2   2
61 Hochschule Furtwangen 2   2
61 Technische Universität Cottbus - Senftenberg 2   2
61 Technische Universität Hamburg 2   2
61 Technische Universität Ilmenau 2   2
66 Frankfurt School of Finance & Management 1   1
66 Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden 1   1
66 Hochschule Geisenheim University 1   1
66 Hochschule Mannheim 1   1
66 Hochschule Osnabrück 1   1
66 Hochschule Rhein-Waal, Kleve 1   1
66 Technische Hochschule Köln 1   1
66 Universität der Bundeswehr München, Neubiberg   1 1
66 Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart 1   1
66 Universität Lüneburg 1   1
66 Universität Passau 1   1

During the time from 2018 to 2022, the Humboldt Foundation sponsored 1.704 research stays involving the natural sciences at 76 universities in Germany.

The top 20 weighted ranking positions for German universities accounted for 1.106 research stays involving the natural sciences.

 

University
1 Technische Universität München 58 11 69
2 Technische Universität Berlin 36 8 44
3 Universität Stuttgart 30 7 37
4 Universität Hannover 28 8 36
5 Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg 29 6 35
6 Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) 31 3 34
6 Technische Hochschule Aachen 30 4 34
8 Technische Universität Darmstadt 26 6 32
9 Universität Duisburg-Essen 24 4 28
10 Technische Universität Dresden 22 2 24
11 Universität Bochum 17 4 21
12 Technische Universität Braunschweig 9 1 10
12 Universität Hamburg 10   10
14 Technische Universität Dortmund 9   9
14 Technische Universität Hamburg 8 1 9
14 Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau 9   9
17 Technische Universität Freiberg 8   8
17 Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken 6 2 8
17 Universität Münster 8   8
17 Universität Siegen 8   8
21 Universität Bremen 7   7
22 Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 6   6
22 Universität Kiel 6   6
22 Universität Köln 6   6
22 Universität Magdeburg 5 1 6
26 Freie Universität Berlin 5   5
26 Universität Bayreuth 5   5
26 Universität Göttingen 5   5
26 Universität München 4 1 5
26 Universität Paderborn 3 2 5
26 Universität Potsdam 4 1 5
26 Universität Weimar 4 1 5
33 Technische Universität Ilmenau 4   4
33 Universität Düsseldorf   4 4
33 Universität Freiburg 4   4
33 Universität Heidelberg 4   4
33 Universität Jena 4   4
38 Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg 2 1 3
38 Universität Kassel 3   3
38 Universität Leipzig 2 1 3
38 Universität Passau 3   3
38 Universität Tübingen 2 1 3
38 Universität Wuppertal 3   3
44 Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Kultur Leipzig 2   2
44 Hochschule Karlsruhe - Technik und Wirtschaft 2   2
44 Universität Bielefeld 1 1 2
44 Universität der Bundeswehr München, Neubiberg 2   2
44 Universität Gießen 2   2
44 Universität Greifswald 2   2
44 Universität Konstanz 2   2
44 Universität Mannheim 2   2
44 Universität Marburg 2   2
44 Universität Rostock 2   2
44 Universität Ulm 2   2
55 Berliner Hochschule für Technik 1   1
55 Constructor University, Bremen 1   1
55 Fachhochschule Bielefeld 1   1
55 FernUniversität Hagen 1   1
55 HafenCity Universität Hamburg 1   1
55 Hochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen 1   1
55 Hochschule Anhalt, Köthen 1   1
55 Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Sankt Augustin 1   1
55 Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften München 1   1
55 Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt Nürtingen-Geislingen 1   1
55 Hochschule RheinMain, Wiesbaden 1   1
55 Technische Hochschule Köln 1   1
55 Technische Hochschule Regensburg 1   1
55 Universität Frankfurt am Main 1   1
55 Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart 1   1
55 Universität Lübeck 1   1
55 Universität Würzburg   1 1

During the time from 2018 to 2022, the Humboldt Foundation sponsored 616 research stays involving the engineering sciences at 71 universities in Germany.

The top 20 weighted ranking positions for German universities accounted for 473 research stays involving the engineering sciences.

 

The top 20 universities

The top positions in the Humboldt Rankings are held by the Freie Universität (Berlin) and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, followed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), University of Konstanz and University of Munich. Positions six to ten are held by Heidelberg University, the Technical University of Munich, the Technical University of Berlin, the University of Göttingen, and the University of Freiburg.

As in the last Humboldt Rankings from 2020, Max Planck institutes head the list of non-university research institutions: The 2023 rankings are topped by the Max Planck Society’s Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin, followed the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung in Düsseldorf and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart and Tübingen.

Which federal states and cities attract the most researchers?

Between 2018 and 2022, the largest number of visiting researchers spent their research stays in the state North Rhine-Westphalia due to the many universities and non-university institutes there. The states Berlin and Bavaria place second and third in the rankings. Looking at cities, Berlin ranks first with 1,129 sponsored individuals, significantly more than the other cities included in the rankings. Munich ranks as the second most popular city with 536 sponsored individuals, followed by Heidelberg, Hamburg, Cologne and Potsdam.

 

Sponsored individuals City
1129 Berlin
536 Munich
261 Heidelberg
214 Hamburg
198 Cologne
196 Potsdam
179 Bonn
175 Göttingen
175 Tübingen
170 Dresden

What are the Humboldt Rankings?

The Humboldt Rankings provide an overview of the institutions in Germany at which international researchers being sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation most often choose to work.  The rankings are based on the number of research stays recorded for sponsorship recipients who have conducted research in Germany during the previous five years with the help of a Humboldt Foundation fellowship or award.

A top spot in the Humboldt Rankings is considered to be an indicator for the international reputation of a research institution in Germany since each research stay is linked to the individual’s choice of a particular host in Germany. It is however also a statement about the fields in which German research is so good that it can attract the best minds when competing internationally with other institutions around the world, and indicates which researchers in Germany cultivate particularly intensive international contacts. The reason: Humboldtians seek out and choose their hosts themselves based on their hosts’ scientific credentials and international visibility.
The Humboldt Rankings are issued for two different groups: universities (universities, universities of applied science, conservatories and art academies) and non-university research institutions and other institutions. To avoid statistical bias arising from differences in the size of the universities being ranked, the Humboldt Rankings for universities are based on a weighted count of the number of research stays per university. However, since each institution has its own specific strengths and weaknesses in the various subject areas, the Humboldt Rankings differentiate between the four major academic fields - humanities and social sciences, life sciences, natural sciences and engineering - in its absolute rankings for both groups.

How are the calculations done?
To order to make proper comparisons, Humboldtians’ research stays are counted in the Humboldt Rankings as follows: Sponsorship recipients are counted only once per host institution. When a Humboldtian is hosted multiple times at a particular institution in connection with a sponsorship, this is counted in the statistics as one research stay for the respective host institution. However, when a Humboldtian conducts research at more than one host institution in connection with a single sponsorship through the Humboldt Foundation, this counts as one research stay at each of the institutions involved. All research stays lasting at least one month are taken into account. As a result, a single person can be included more than once in the ranking statistics. Consequently, the total number of research stays counted in a ranking can be larger than the total number of persons sponsored by the Foundation who were in Germany during the period covered by the ranking.
Furthermore, the statistics used for the ranking include not only stays undertaken in connection with research fellowships and awards but also the German Chancellor Fellowship Programme and the International Climate Protection Fellowship Programme. Stays undertaken through programmes such as the Hezekiah Wardwell Fellowship Programme or partnership and collaborative programmes are not counted.
In the case of the group of non-university research institutions and other institutions, all institutions with at least three research stays by individuals who are sponsored by the Humboldt Foundation are taken into account.

How is the weighting done?
To avoid statistical bias arising from differences in the size of the universities, the Humboldt Rankings for universities looks at the number of research stays in relation to the number of professors at the respective university. The weighted results show the number of sponsored individuals per 100 professors. These figures are based on information from the Federal Statistical Office regarding the number of professors at the individual university during the middle three years of the individual’s five-year sponsorship. The weighting uses the average value of these three years. It also takes into account only those universities with an average of at least 20 professors during the period examined.

How are the calculations done?

In order to make proper comparisons, Humboldtians’ research stays are counted in the Humboldt Rankings as follows: Sponsorship recipients are counted only once per host institution. When a Humboldtian is hosted multiple times at a particular institution in connection with a sponsorship, this is counted in the statistics as one research stay for the respective host institution. However, when a Humboldtian conducts research at more than one host institution in connection with a single sponsorship through the Humboldt Foundation, this counts as one research stay at each of the institutions involved. All research stays lasting at least one month are taken into account. As a result, a single person can be included more than once in the ranking statistics. Consequently, the total number of research stays counted in a ranking can be larger than the total number of persons sponsored by the Foundation who were in Germany during the period covered by the ranking.

Furthermore, the statistics used for the rankings include not only stays undertaken in connection with research fellowships and awards but also the German Chancellor Fellowship Programme and the International Climate Protection Fellowship Programme. Stays undertaken through programmes such as the Hezekiah Wardwell Fellowship Programme or partnership and collaborative programmes are not counted.

In the case of the group of non-university research institutions and other institutions, all institutions with at least three research stays by individuals who are sponsored by the Humboldt Foundation are taken into account.

 

How is the weighting done?

To avoid statistical bias arising from differences in the size of the universities, the Humboldt Rankings for universities looks at the number of research stays in relation to the number of professors at the respective university. The weighted results show the number of sponsored individuals per 100 professors. These figures are based on information from the Federal Statistical Office regarding the number of professors at the individual university during the middle three years of the individual’s five-year sponsorship. The weighting uses the average value of these three years. It also takes into account only those universities with an average of at least 20 professors during the period examined.

 

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Here you will find the results of the Humboldt Rankings 2020

New methodology: changes compared to the 2020 ranking

Germany’s university and research landscape and the research institutions operating in it are subject to constant change. As a result, the Humboldt Rankings have been revised since their last publication in 2020 to bring the methodological approach used into line with the changed parameters.
For the calculation logic, the following points were modified:

  • Previously, the Humboldt Rankings were issued for the two groups “universities” and “non-university institutions and other universities”. In future, to ensure better comparability, all universities (universities, universities of applied science, conservatories and art academies) will be grouped together while non-university research institutions and other institutions will be examined in a separate group.
  • The revision also expanded which research stays undertaken by individuals sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation are included when calculating the rankings. Besides those stays undertaken in connection with research fellowships and awards that the rankings have taken into account to date when counting the number of research stays per institution, the calculations for future rankings will additionally include the German Chancellor Fellowship Programme and the International Climate Protection Fellowship Programme. Research stays at university hospitals which are operated by two universities will continue to be allocated to the collaborating universities.
  • Starting with the 2023 Humboldt Rankings, to avoid statistical bias when weighting the universities, W3/C4-grade professors will no longer be used as a condition for counting research stays. Instead, the calculations for the rankings will use the total number of professors, regardless of their salary grades, which the Federal Statistical Office reports for the respective university. The weighting will take into account all universities with at least 20 professors. A calculation of weighted ranking positions is no longer being conducted for individual fields.

The methodological changes with the expanded statistics for research stays and professors will limit the comparability of the results and ranking positions in the 2023 Humboldt Rankings with the earlier 2020 Humboldt Rankings.