Talent promotion
Projects for school students
Even before they leave school, RUB assists students in identifying and nourishing their talents.
SchülerUni
RUB has established SchülerUni for particularly dedicated school students who are eager to learn. Participants in the programme can attend lectures, take exams and gain credit points for their future degree course while they’re still at school. Approx. 100 young people aged 13 to 17 attend SchülerUni to broaden and deepen their know-how in their subjects of choice. Employers’ associations in Ruhr/Westphalia support the participants with grants.
Dr.-Hans-Riegel-Fachpreise
Together with Dr. Hans Riegel Foundation, RUB awards prizes for outstanding term papers submitted by sixth-form students. The awards are presented for papers in the subjects biology, chemistry, geography, mathematics, physics and computer science.
Dr. Hans-Riegel-Fachpreise (german website)
Gifted education
RUB offers a platform for gifted students aged 13 and older to network with their peers, thus strengthening their social and emotional competencies. Moreover, they can quench their thirst for knowledge at the so-called JuniorUni, which offers a plethora of workshops in different disciplines.
Talent scouting
A member in the talent scouts network of NRW since 2015, RUB employs five scouts who mentor approx. 1,400 school students (August 2018). One of the main objectives of the talent scouting programme is to give young people equal chances to access education – regardless of their last name or their parents’ income. They provide unbiased advice on the students’ degree and career choice at schools in and around Bochum that participate in the programme, offering long-term mentoring even after A-levels.
In addition, they support students with talent training sessions and help them prepare for their A-levels, organise talent meet-ups where students have the chance to spend a week getting to know the campus, and share advice on how to apply for grants.
International talents
Since 2016, prospective refugee students at RUB have had the opportunity to attend courses that prepare them for studying at a German university. Each semester, more than 200 refugees have the chance to improve their German-language skills and navigate the German university system. After attending preparatory courses, they take a language proficiency test, the so-called TestDaF exam, which 50 participants have passed to date. Participants who passed the test are well-equipped to face the challenges of university life and can file an application for a degree course.
Studienbrücke
Together with partner universities in University Alliance Ruhr, RUB prepares students from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, who have shown outstanding performance and an interest in natural science and engineering disciplines, for studying at a RUB. 30 students per year attend intercultural training, receive comprehensive course guidance and participate in a summer school in the Ruhr area. In collaboration with Goethe Institutes in their countries, they take advanced German-language courses to prepare for German exams and can take up their degree course immediately after participating in the project “Studienbrücke Deutschland”. RUB has thus gained 84 highly motivated students to date.
