The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining an exhaust gas recirculation rate in an internal combustion engine. The method includes the steps of ascertaining a combustion course data over the course of combustion in a cylinder of internal combustion the engine, and ascertaining an actual exhaust gas recirculation rate from the combustion course data with the aid of a predetermined exhaust gas recirculation rate function. The invention further relates to a method and an apparatus for regulating the exhaust gas recirculation rate in the internal combustion engine, in which the exhaust gas recirculation rate indicates a proportion of exhaust gas in a gas quantity delivered to a cylinder of the internal combustion engine, and combustion takes place in the cylinder of the engine cyclically during a combustion phase. The method includes the steps of ascertaining a combustion course data over the course of combustion in the cylinder of the engine, furnishing a set-point data (AGR-SET, ZV-SET) correlative with an operating point of the internal combustion engine, and performing a regulation to compensate for a deviation that results from the set-point data (AGR-SET, ZV-SET) and the combustion course data.