Universities of applied sciences

The name says it all: a university of applied sciences (UAS) focuses on the practical aspects of research and teaching in a broad field of subjects like business economics, IT, social science, engineering, nursing care or design. Due to their practical approach, the UASs in Germany have a strong connection to industry and public institutions which generates synergies for all parties involved.

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Application-oriented and practical

Thanks to their combination of practical science and application-oriented teaching, Germany’s universities of applied sciences (UASs, known in German as Hochschulen für Angewandte Wissenschaften, formerly Fachhochschulen) have become an indispensable part of the German higher education landscape and a role model worldwide when it comes to qualifications that are application-oriented yet at the same time research-focused.

The UASs specialise in offering degree courses in engineering, the natural and social sciences, economics, law, technology and design, as well as in healthcare. Many of the degree programmes are also offered on a career-integrated, part-time or dual vocational training basis – or as an online correspondence course.

Studying at a UAS

Almost 1.1 million students study at Germany’s approx. 210 universities of applied sciences. Roughly half of all UASs are state-funded, and account for more than two thirds of UAS students. 17 of the approximately 100 private UASs are church institutions.

Another of their strengths is the variety of dual degree courses (2024: 1,400) they offer. These enable students to undergo vocational training at a partner company while pursuing their academic studies at the same time. Students can also obtain qualifications at a UAS on a career-integrated (1,600 degree courses) or distance learning programme (950).

The UASs in Germany are higher education institutions on a par with universities, and like the latter also confer bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Usually, however, UASs do not have the right to award doctoral degrees, though cooperative PhD programmes run jointly with universities have existed for a long time. And nowadays some particularly research-oriented UASs also have the right to award doctorates in certain subjects.

Practice-oriented research

When they were set up in the late 1960s, universities of applied sciences initially focused on providing practical training to produce qualified skilled professionals; since the mid-1980s, however, application-oriented research and development has also been part of their remit. That is why most “Fachhochschulen” now call themselves “Hochschulen für Angewandte Wissenschaften” (HAWs, i.e. universities of applied sciences).

Seven research-oriented, internationally focused German universities of applied sciences have joined forces to form the UAS7 alliance in order to strengthen their teaching and research activities.

Regional roots coupled with an international focus

The UASs principle has proven to be a recipe for success: with their regional roots, applied research and practical courses, the UASs are ideally suited to cooperating with companies, associations, municipalities or social institutions, allowing them to respond with flexibility to specific social or business needs at the local level.

Nonetheless, the UASs also have an international focus: for students from abroad, the universities of applied sciences offer more than 720 degree courses taught in English and 840 international degree programmes. And in 2022 the UASs were involved in some 6,400 collaborations with partner organisations around the world.

Facts and figures

Approx. 210 universities of applied sciences in Germany
Approx. 115,000 academic staff, including 7,800 researchers and academics from abroad
Approx. 1.1 million students, including around 158,000 students from all over the world
Around 6,400 international collaborations

More information:

The German research landscape

German inventions have changed people’s lives. At the same time, research and development are what keep a successful economy going. This brochure shows who is behind this: universities and research institutes, federal and state institutions and companies committed to research. Enjoy discovering the German research landscape!

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