History, Affiliations, and Rankings

The University of Karlsruhe was founded as a polytechnic school (Polytechnische Schule) on 7 October 1825. It was modelled on the École Polytechnique in Paris. In 1885, it was declared a Technische Hochschule or institute of technology, and in 1967, it became Universität, a full university, which gave it the right to award regular Doctorate degrees. It is affiliated with the German Research Foundation, Franco-German Universities, Excellence Initiative, CLUSTER, CEASAER, ENTREE, TU9, European Universities Association (EUA), and EUCOR. QS Global Rankings have given the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology a world rank of #136. Times Higher Education World Rankings has given it a world ranking of #180. US News and World Report Rankings have given it a world ranking of #216.

Infrastructure, Campuses, and Courses

The Campus Nord or the main campus of the university was founded in 1956, as the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Centre. Initial activities focused on the first nuclear reactor built by Germany. The University has a total of 11 faculties namely in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Humanities, Social Sciences, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Sciences, Economics, and Management.

Accomplishments and Alumni 

Since its founding 196 years ago, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has had a long road of history and accomplishments. KIT is a member of the TU9 German Institutes of Technology. As part of the German Universities Excellence Initiative, KIT was awarded an excellence status in 2006 and 2019. In the 2011 performance ranking of scientific papers, Karlsruhe ranked first in Germany and among the top 10 universities in Europe in Engineering and Natural Sciences. Many notable alumni like Herbert Wetterauer (Painter, Sculptor, and Author), Rolf Wideröe (a Norwegian Accelerator Physicist), and Alvis Johnsen (a Norwegian Engineer and Contractor) have graduated through the Karlsruhe Institute of technology.

Student Diversity and Visiting Companies

Over 20% of the student body of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology comprises International Students. More than 50,000 students from over 120 countries attend the University every year. It is from a total of more than 23,000 students. The Career Service Centre of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology offers many resources to the students and alumni for connecting with potential employers and creating a better CV and a resume. The University hosts many career fairs for students to interact with employers. Bosch, SAP, Mercedes Benz, Siemens, BMW Group, Porsche, IBM, Google and other multinationals recruit graduates from the University.