40 Best universities for Product / Industrial Design in Germany

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Germany ranked based on their research performance in Product and Industrial Design. A graph of 115K citations received by 5.56K academic papers made by 40 universities in Germany was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. RWTH Aachen University

North Rhine-Westphalia | Aachen

For Product and Industrial Design

#9 in Europe

#22 in the World

Enrollment: 47,521
Founded: 1870

2. Technical University of Munich

Bavaria | Munich

For Product and Industrial Design

#10 in Europe

#28 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 44,000
Male:Female: 63:37
Founded: 1868

3. Technical University of Berlin

Brandenburg | Berlin

For Product and Industrial Design

#12 in Europe

#40 in the World

Enrollment: 34,842
Founded: 1946

4. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Baden-Wurttemberg | Karlsruhe

For Product and Industrial Design

#14 in Europe

#50 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Enrollment: 23,321
Founded: 2009

5. University of Hamburg

Hamburg State | Hamburg City

For Product and Industrial Design

#24 in Europe

#66 in the World

Enrollment: 43,957
Founded: 1919

6. Hamburg University of Technology

Hamburg State | Hamburg City

For Product and Industrial Design

#29 in Europe

#75 in the World

Enrollment: 7,223
Founded: 1978

7. Darmstadt University of Technology

Hesse | Darmstadt

For Product and Industrial Design

#30 in Europe

#77 in the World

Enrollment: 24,969
Founded: 1877

8. University of Erlangen Nuremberg

Bavaria | Erlangen

For Product and Industrial Design

#35 in Europe

#85 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 39,658
Founded: 1743

9. University of Stuttgart

Baden-Wurttemberg | Stuttgart

For Product and Industrial Design

#41 in Europe

#102 in the World

Enrollment: 22,616
Founded: 1829

10. Ruhr University Bochum

North Rhine-Westphalia | Bochum

For Product and Industrial Design

#48 in Europe

#118 in the World

Enrollment: 42,954
Founded: 1962

11. University of Bremen

Bremen State | Bremen City

For Product and Industrial Design

#59 in Europe

#145 in the World

Enrollment: 17,984
Founded: 1971

12. Leibniz University of Hanover

Lower Saxony | Hanover

For Product and Industrial Design

#66 in Europe

#164 in the World

Enrollment: 28,018
Founded: 1831

13. Braunschweig University of Technology

Lower Saxony | Braunschweig

For Product and Industrial Design

#67 in Europe

#165 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Enrollment: 17,794
Founded: 1745

14. Technical University of Kaiserslautern

Rhineland-Palatinate | Kaiserslautern

For Product and Industrial Design

#68 in Europe

#167 in the World

Enrollment: 13,607
Male:Female: 60:40
Founded: 1970

15. WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management

Rhineland-Palatinate | Vallendar

For Product and Industrial Design

#73 in Europe

#189 in the World

Enrollment: 1,669
Founded: 1984

16. University of Mannheim

Baden-Wurttemberg | Mannheim

For Product and Industrial Design

#78 in Europe

#202 in the World

Enrollment: 11,532
Founded: 1907

17. Dresden University of Technology

Saxony | Dresden

For Product and Industrial Design

#93 in Europe

#241 in the World

Enrollment: 31,517
Founded: 1828

18. University of Paderborn

North Rhine-Westphalia | Paderborn

For Product and Industrial Design

#115 in Europe

#294 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 19,110
Founded: 1972

19. University of Munich

Bavaria | Munich

For Product and Industrial Design

#124 in Europe

#313 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Enrollment: 52,418
Founded: 1472

20. Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg

Saxony-Anhalt | Magdeburg

For Product and Industrial Design

#128 in Europe

#323 in the World

Enrollment: 13,143
Founded: 1993

21. University of Duisburg - Essen

North Rhine-Westphalia | Essen

For Product and Industrial Design

#131 in Europe

#327 in the World

Enrollment: 43,281
Founded: 2003

22. Saarland University

Saarland | Saarbrucken

For Product and Industrial Design

#135 in Europe

#335 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 16,250
Founded: 1948

23. University of Kassel

Hesse | Kassel

For Product and Industrial Design

#139 in Europe

#343 in the World

Enrollment: 21,352
Male:Female: 50:50
Founded: 1971

24. TU Dortmund University

North Rhine-Westphalia | Dortmund

For Product and Industrial Design

#174 in Europe

#435 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Enrollment: 34,616
Male:Female: 54:46
Founded: 1968

25. University of Munster

North Rhine-Westphalia | Munster

For Product and Industrial Design

#193 in Europe

#491 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 43,728
Founded: 1780

26. University of Wuppertal

North Rhine-Westphalia | Wuppertal

For Product and Industrial Design

#195 in Europe

#495 in the World

Enrollment: 22,601
Founded: 1972

27. University of Siegen

North Rhine-Westphalia | Siegen

For Product and Industrial Design

#212 in Europe

#553 in the World

Enrollment: 17,805
Founded: 1972

28. Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Senftenberg

Brandenburg | Senftenberg

For Product and Industrial Design

#214 in Europe

#557 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 7,280
Founded: 2013

29. University of Bayreuth

Bavaria | Bayreuth

For Product and Industrial Design

#215 in Europe

#559 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 12,773
Founded: 1972

30. University of Bielefeld

North Rhine-Westphalia | Bielefeld

For Product and Industrial Design

#230 in Europe

#617 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 23,342
Founded: 1969

31. Clausthal University of Technology

Lower Saxony | Clausthal-Zellerfeld

For Product and Industrial Design

#239 in Europe

#641 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 3,446
Founded: 1775

32. Ilmenau University of Technology

Thuringia | Ilmenau

For Product and Industrial Design

#245 in Europe

#655 in the World

Enrollment: 4,889
Founded: 1953

33. Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf

North Rhine-Westphalia | Dusseldorf

For Product and Industrial Design

#255 in Europe

#683 in the World

Enrollment: 37,473
Male:Female: 42:58
Founded: 1965

34. Chemnitz University of Technology

Saxony | Chemnitz

For Product and Industrial Design

#261 in Europe

#704 in the World

Enrollment: 9,873
Founded: 1836

35. Friedrich Schiller University of Jena

Thuringia | Jena

For Product and Industrial Design

#263 in Europe

#708 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 17,345
Founded: 1558

36. Aachen University of Applied Sciences

North Rhine-Westphalia | Aachen

For Product and Industrial Design

#265 in Europe

#715 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Enrollment: 13,671
Founded: 1971

37. Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main

Hesse | Frankfurt

For Product and Industrial Design

#270 in Europe

#730 in the World

Enrollment: 43,461
Founded: 1914

38. Free University of Berlin

Brandenburg | Berlin

For Product and Industrial Design

#274 in Europe

#746 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 15%
Enrollment: 37,908
Founded: 1948

39. Reutlingen University

Baden-Wurttemberg | Reutlingen

For Product and Industrial Design

#279 in Europe

#762 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 5,700
Founded: 1855

40. Munich University of the Federal Armed Forces

Bavaria | Neubiberg

For Product and Industrial Design

#287 in Europe

#787 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 32%
Enrollment: 1,084
Founded: 1973

The best cities to study Product and Industrial Design in Germany based on the number of universities and their ranks are Aachen, Munich, Berlin, and Karlsruhe.