This list contains some of the most notable alumni, scientists, lecturer and honorary doctors of the University of Münster (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster).
Alumni Johannes Georg Bednorz (born 1950), Nobel Prize winner (1987) Kamla Bhasin (1946–2021), Indian developmental feminist activist Walter Blume (SS officer) (1906–1974), SS commander and leader of Sonderkommando 7a, part of the extermination commando group Einsatzgruppe B. Tobias Böckers (born 1964), medical academic Lars Clausen (1935-2010), sociologist Wolfgang Clement (1940–2020), politician Kai Diekmann (born 1964), Chief Editor of Bild, Europe's largest newspaper (3.5 million copies) Andreas Raymond Dombret (born 1960), Münster School of Business Administration and Economics; member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank; former Vice-Chairman Europe Bank of America, Director Germany, Austria, Swiss Gerd Faltings (born 1954), mathematician, Fields Medal Dieter Fenske (born 1942), chemist Birgit Fischer (born 1962), athlete Friedhelm Gehrmann (born 1939), economist and social scientist Monika Grütters (born 1962), politician Klaus Günther (born 1957), chemist and honorary professor August Hanning (born 1946), President of the Bundesnachrichtendienst Gustav Heinemann (1899–1976), politician, former President of Germany Matthias Hentze (born 1960), Associate Director, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Friedrich Hirzebruch (1927–2012), mathematician Thomas Hoeren (born 1961), intellectual property judge and lawyer Erich Kamke (1890–1961), mathematician Hans Langmaack (born 1934), computer scientist and mathematician Pia Lamberty (born 1984), social psychologist and co-founder of the Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy Jens Lehmann (born 1969), footballer (goalkeeper) of the German football team Ursula von der Leyen (born 1958), doctor; President of the European Commission Wilhelmine Lübke (1885–1981), First Lady Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998), sociologist Ulrike Marie Meinhof (1934–1976), member of the Red Army Faction Gilmar Mendes (born 1955), Minister of Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Thomas Middelhoff (born 1953), Board of Directors, Bertelsmann Georg Milbradt (born 1945), Minister-President of Saxony Walter Momper (born 1945), politician Ernst Nolte (1923–2016), historian and philosopher René Obermann (born 1963), businessman Adalbert Parmet (1830–1898), priest Ruprecht Polenz (born 1946), politician Kurt Schumacher (1895–1952), politician Rudolf Seiters (born 1937), politician Hans-Werner Sinn (born 1948), student, President of the leading Institution for Economic Research (Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung, IFO) Karl Stein (1913–2000), mathematician Barbara Stühlmeyer (born 1964), musicologist, writer and contributing editor Ludger Stühlmeyer (born 1961), Director of Music ACV Hans Tietmeyer (1931–2016), economist Klaus Töpfer (born 1938), UNO-Commissar Ernst Tugendhat (born 1930), philosopher Karl Weierstrass (1815–1897), mathematician Harald Weinrich (born 1927), classical scholar Marina Weisband (born 1987), politician Oliver Welke (born 1966), author, comedian, voice actor and presenter Arthur Wieferich (1884–1954), mathematician Heinrich August Winkler (born 1938), historian Boris Zernikow (born 1964), chair for child pain therapy and pediatric palliative medicine at the Witten/Herdecke University Angela Zigahl (1885–1955), teacher and politician Klaus Zumwinkel (born 1943), former member of the Board of Directors, Deutsche Post World Net Jan Kohlhaase (born 1976), mathematician
Scientists and lecturers Wilhelm Ackermann (1896–1962), mathematician Kurt Aland (1915–1994), theologian Karl Barth (1886–1968), theologian Ulrich Beck (1944–2015), sociologist Pope Benedict XVI: Joseph Kardinal Ratzinger, (1927–2022) Hans Blumenberg (1920–1996), philosopher and intellectual historian Wolfgang Burandt (born 1957), lawyer, legal academic and professor for commercial law Richard Courant (1888–1972), German-American mathematician. Joachim Cuntz (born 1948), mathematician, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize Max Dehn (1878–1952), German-born American mathematician Christopher Deninger (born 1958), mathematician, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize Gerhard Domagk (1895–1964), Nobel Prize in Medicine (1939) Wilhelm Ehmann (1904–1989), musicologist Christian E. Elger (born 1949), neurologist, researcher, and academic Heinz Gollwitzer (1917–1999), historian Jürgen Horst, physician and human geneticist Klaus Hildebrand (born 1941), historian Joseph Höffner (1906–1987), cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church Joachim Jose (born 1961), professor of pharmaceutical and medical chemistry Paul Kevenhörster (born 1941), Political scientist Wilhelm Killing (1847–1923), mathematician Paul Kirchhof (born 1943), jurist Johann Kremer (1883–1965), professor of anatomy and human genetics, served in the SS in Auschwitz concentration camp, convicted of war crimes Leon Lichtenstein (1878–1933), Polish-German mathematician Wolfgang Lück (born 1957), mathematician, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize Friedrich Mauz (1900–1979), psychiatrist involved with the Nazi T-4 Euthanasia Program Johann Baptist Metz (1928–2019), theologian Wolfgang Metzger (1899–1979), psychologist Klaus Mezger (born 1958), geochemistry, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize Alfred Müller-Armack (1901–1978), economist, inventor of the social market economy and advisor to the Nazi regime Friedrich Münzer (1868–1942), classical scholar, died in Theresienstadt concentration camp Frank Natterer (born 1941), mathematician Josef Pieper (1904–1997), philosopher Heinz Pruefer (1896–1934), mathematician Karl Rahner (1904–1984), theologian Bernhard Rensch (1900–1990), biologist Helmut Schelsky (1912–1984), sociologist Song Du-yul (born 1944), philosopher, former prisoner under South Korea's National Security Act Dieter Stöffler (born 1939), planetology, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger (born 1955), history of early modern Europe, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize Nelly Tsouyopoulos (1930–1950), medical historian and academic Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer (1896–1969), human biologist and geneticist Dietmar Vestweber (born 1956), cellular biology/biochemistry, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize Hans Wehr (1909–1981), Islamic scientist; author of the Arabian-English dictionary funded by the Nazi Party Hubert Wolf (born 1959), history of Christianity/Catholic theology, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize Peter Voswinckel (born 1951), German physician, medical historian and author
Honorary doctors Jan Assmann (born 1938), (D. theol. h.c. Faculty of Protestant Theology (1998)) Klaus von Bismarck (1912–1997), (D. theol. h.c. Faculty of Protestant Theology) Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde (1930–2019), Judge, Bundesverfassungsgericht (2001 Faculty of Law) Gilberto Freyre (1900–1987), Ph. D. Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022) Tenzin Gyatso (born 1935), 14th Dalai Lama (2007 Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy) Jean-Claude Juncker (born 1954), Prime Minister (Luxembourg) Wim Kok (1938–2018), Prime Minister (Netherlands) (2003 Faculty of Philosophie) Hanna-Renate Laurien (1928–2010), theologian (1996 Faculty of Catholic Theology) Reinhard Mohn (1921–2009), Director, Bertelsmann (2001 Faculty of Economics (Münster School of Business Administration and Economics)) Rupert Neudeck (1939–2016) Erich Schumann (1898–1985), jurist (2002 Faculty of Law) Wolfgang Thierse (born 1943), politician
See also Ona Galdikaitė