Reviewed on Mar 7, 2025(Enrolled 2020)
What Students Say
Likes
- There are variety of courses and focus areas that you can take. The courses are generally well structured and have insights into both academic and practical experience with the topics.
- Renowned professors work at the University. These professors are very professional and knowledgeable. One can expect to get great research insights from these professors.
- Good infrastructure and location.
Dislikes
- The University could benefit from more nuanced handling of student apartments. Lots of people struggle with finding apartments in the city.
- It is hard to manage all the courses if you're doing part time work. Time management is absolutely necessary.
- Bus connections between the main campus and the second campus were removed last year and this makes travelling between these campuses harder.
Course Curriculum
10
- The course was fairly difficult. There are some subjects that are easier than others but most subjects required dedication and hard work. Most courses had elements of both theoretical and practical aspects. The goal of the courses is to establish the state of the art and help understand research in different areas. The professors are also very friendly and approachable. As I mentioned, some courses could be more stressful and require more time.
- When it comes to classes, it really depends on the student. You can choose the classes you can take and schedule according to your preferences. There's a lot of flexibility in that aspect.
- The majority of the Masters students in Computer Science are either Indians or are from the South Asian diaspora.
Admission Experience
- I applied to three colleges:
- TU Dresden: Rejected. Probably due to the fact that I chose a distributed systems course without having a lot of courses in bachelor's related to the field.
- TU Kaiserslautern: Rejected. GRE was considered preferable and I did not write the exam. So, I think that was the reason for rejection.
- Paderborn University: accepted.
- Paderborn is known for being an IT hub and I heard about the computer museum in the city (which is the largest in the world). Furthermore, the university had a great computer science program with great focus areas. These things motivated me to apply.
- The admissions process might have changed now but it was as follows:
- 1. Apply through UNI and assist with all the required documents.
- 2. Get confirmation from the university.
- 3. Enrollment in the course.
- I needed IELTS with a minimum score of 6.5.
- The experience was very smooth with admission. The international office was always there to assist you and help you. The staff at the university is very friendly and is always open to answering any question.
- I applied for the winter intake. The major factor was that there were more course offerings across Germany during the winter semester.
- Here's the timeline of my application process:
- Applied for the course in May 2020.
- Received acceptance letter in August 2020.
- Visa Interview in Sept. 2020.
- Enrollment in the course at the end of September 2020.
- Moved to Germany at the end of October 2020.
Faculty
10
- I would say it depends on the courses. There are courses that are quite popular with a faculty-to-student ratio of 1:100 but some courses could have a 1:10 ratio. It depends on the courses. The professors are generally very good at teaching and are always available to answer questions. They also admire independence and expect students to also learn and explore themselves. The teaching methodology is very pedagogical in nature and focuses on overall development.
- Some professors sometimes offer jobs to outstanding students but it's not a frequent occurrence. It depends on whether the department has enough funding.
- My favourite professors are Juraj Somorovsky, Yasemin Acar and Patricia Arias Cabarcos. There are well-known security and privacy researchers and their teaching styles are something I admire a lot.
Campus Life
10
- The university has two campuses. One campus is in Warburger Straße 100. This is the main campus with a library, a cafeteria, sports areas, print shops, etc. The second campus is also the IT campus at Fürstenallee 11 in Paderborn. This campus is mostly used by IT departments and for computer science courses. This campus is right next to the world's largest computer museum.
- The university has an annual summer festival called the Asta Sommerfest, where there are lots of concerts, parties, games, etc. There are also other parties almost organized every month by other students or organizations that students can visit. There are cultural events such as theater plays, concerts, poetry slams, and quizzes taking place almost every month.
Part Time Jobs
- The number of job opportunities has gone down in the past couple of years due to the economy but nonetheless, there are still a lot of opportunities for research assistants. The pay range is stipulated by the government and one could expect to earn up to 1200€ per month after taxes. Other jobs on campus could include working for the cafeteria, working for different organizations, etc. I don't have information about the pay. You are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours per week. It's fairly difficult to find a job with the current economy.
- Most Indian students work either as research assistants, at startups, fast food chains or other related jobs. It's generally hard to find a job, especially due to economic issues. The general process would be to create your documents (such as a CV or cover letter). Look for jobs through the university portal, job boards or job search websites. Prepare for interviews and attend the interviews. Sign the contract, send the contract to the visa officer and then it's done.
Placement
6
- It's hard to put a percentage but most people end up finding jobs after a master's. The economy is suffering right now and hence it's harder to find jobs but it also depends on luck. The average salary depends on your skillset. I would assume it to be 45000€-55000€ before taxes. You have to handle job searches by yourself and contact companies, look through websites, job boards, etc.
- The university generally hosts some conferences for companies sometimes where you could visit and talk to the companies. But generally, the job search process is handled by the individual searching for a job.
Accommodation
Off Campus
6
- I have always lived off campus. I found my first apartment through a website called Wg-gesucht and spoke to my flatmates before moving to the flat. The monthly rent in the old apartment was around 320€-340€. I was a part of a shared apartment with my own personal room, a shared kitchen, two shared bathrooms, storage space, balcony and 20 minutes away from the university by bus. Initially, it was challenging to find an apartment and I would say luck plays a major role in finding an apartment.
- Since a couple of years, I moved in with my partner and have been paying a monthly rent of 500€. The new apartment is about 10 minutes away from the campus by bus.
Exams
- IELTS certificate is required. You would need a minimum of 6.5 points in IELTS.
- The documents required were as follows:
- Passport
- Degree Certificate/Completion
- Transcripts from your bachelor's course.
- 2 letters of recommendation provided by professors or managers from the previous company.
- Statement of Purpose
- CV
- IELTS scorecard.
- There was no interview conducted in 2020. I don't know how it is now.
Fees
- The fee for the course changes every semester. It is roughly around 250€ now. The semester fee is charged before the start of every semester.
- The monthly expenses are as follows:
- Rent: 500€
- Insurance: 148€
- Transportation: Free through the semester ticket.
- Regular expenses: 300€-400€
- I live in a bigger apartment, hence the rent is higher. Some students might also expect to pay between 300€ and 400€.
Scholarship
- Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of information regarding scholarships. I am aware that the university sends emails sometimes regarding scholarships one can apply for but I don't have first-hand experience with them. Furthermore, I do believe some scholarships might be available for EU students. My friends and I don't really have any experience dealing with scholarships.
