Fachhochschule Mannheim, Hochschule für Sozialwesen
Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Founded
- 1898
- Students
- 5,200
- International
- 12%
- Programmes
- 8
- Taught in English
- 8
About Fachhochschule Mannheim, Hochschule für Sozialwesen
The Fakultät für Sozialwesen (Faculty of Social Work) is one of nine departments of Hochschule Mannheim (Technische Hochschule Mannheim) - a University of Applied Sciences founded over 125 years ago in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg. The faculty was formerly known as the independent Fachhochschule Mannheim - Hochschule für Sozialwesen before merging into the broader institution.
The faculty offers three study programmes in social work: a standard Bachelor of Arts (B.A. Soziale Arbeit), a practice-integrated variant for social-sector workers (B.A. Soziale Arbeit plus), and a consecutive Master of Arts (M.A. Soziale Arbeit). Teaching combines social-work theory with strong practice orientation, and graduates work across child and youth services, elderly care, addiction counselling, and mental health support.
Hochschule Mannheim as a whole enrols approximately 5,200 students from over 170 nationalities across nine departments, with around 12 % of the student body comprising non-German international students. The single compact campus is located at Paul-Wittsack-Straße 10, 68163 Mannheim.
Specialist social-work faculty - one of the few in Germany combining bachelor's, practice-integrated bachelor's, and master's in a single department
Part of Hochschule Mannheim, one of the largest and most research-active universities of applied sciences in Baden-Württemberg
Non-EU tuition capped at €1,500/semester under Baden-Württemberg state law
APS certificate mandatory for applicants from India, China, and Vietnam
Students from 170 nationalities; international share approx. 12%
Compact single campus with direct access to a large metropolitan Rhine-Neckar job market
Key facts
- Founded
- 1898
- Students
- 5,200
- International
- approx. 12% international (non-German) students; 170 nationalities represented
- Faculties
- 9
- Programmes
- 8
Study programmes
8 accredited degrees at Fachhochschule Mannheim, Hochschule für Sozialwesen, 8 of them taught in English.
Showing 1–8 of 8 programmes
Admissions & fees
What it costs
Baden-Württemberg state universities charge non-EU international degree-seeking students €1,500 per semester in tuition fees. All students additionally pay a semester contribution of approximately €194.60 (summer 2026 figure), making the total per-semester cost for non-EU students approximately €1,694.60. EU/EEA students pay only the semester contribution (~€194.60). Exchange and double-degree students pay a reduced contribution of €100-€114.60 with no tuition fee.
Admission requirements
International applicants must hold a higher-education entrance qualification equivalent to the German Abitur (or a recognised bachelor's degree for master's admission). Foreign certificates are assessed individually; applicants from India, China (including HK and Macau), and Vietnam must additionally submit an APS certificate (Academic Evaluation Certificate) issued by the German Embassy APS office in their country - without it the student visa application will be rejected. For German-taught Social Work programmes, proof of German at DSH-2 / TestDaF TDN 4 in all sections / telc C1 level is required. Non-EU applicants face earlier application deadlines: 15 May for the winter semester and 15 November for the summer semester.
Application deadlines
Non-EU international applicants: 15 May (winter semester, starts October) and 15 November (summer semester, starts April). EU applicants and German residents follow the standard university deadlines. Apply via Hochschule Mannheim's application portal; Social Work programmes may also use specific faculty admission processes including an entrance test (Aufnahmeprüfung).
How international applicants apply
Not used - Technische Hochschule Mannheim (successor institution; the former Fachhochschule fuer Sozialwesen Mannheim continues as its Fakultaet fuer Sozialwesen) is not on the official uni-assist member list. Applicants with foreign certificates must first have them recognised by the Studienkolleg HTWG Konstanz (Center for International Students), which issues the higher-education entrance qualification; applicants from China, Vietnam and India additionally need an APS certificate. After recognition they apply directly via the TH Mannheim Campusportal (with additional hochschulstart.de registration for NC-restricted bachelor programmes); German-taught programmes such as B.A. Soziale Arbeit require DSH-2 / TestDaF 4 in all parts / telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule.
Languages of instruction
Primarily German-taught. Social Work programmes are delivered in German. A range of English-taught international programmes exists at university level (e.g. International Engineering, MSc Biotechnology, Engineering Management) but the Social Work faculty programmes are German-medium.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Scholarships at Fachhochschule Mannheim, Hochschule für Sozialwesen
3 schemes run or administered by the university. Always confirm current amounts and deadlines on the official page.
Deutschlandstipendium an der Technischen Hochschule Mannheim
Merit-based scholarship for talented enrolled students; for winter semester 2025/26 the university tendered 55 scholarships, many...
Amount: EUR 300 per month
Deadline: 15 October (2025/26 round); tenders published mid-September to mid-Oct...
Bachelor, Master
Mannheimer Modell Mittelstandsstipendien
Entrepreneurial initiative in which regional small and medium-sized enterprises sponsor selected TH Mannheim students with scholar...
Bachelor, Master
STIBET scholarships for international students
STIBET scholarship-and-support programme aimed at improving support for international students, including completion scholarships;...
Bachelor, Master
Student accommodation
What Fachhochschule Mannheim, Hochschule für Sozialwesen publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
Rooms are allocated by
Studierendenwerk Mannheim
Not by the university. Apply to them directly, and expect a waiting list.
From the university
The Studierendenwerk Mannheim manages 19 halls of residence with approximately 3,150 accommodation units; monthly rent inclusive of utilities ranges from €250 to €450.
Campuses & locations
Paul-Wittsack-Straße 10, 68163 Mannheim - single centralised campus housing all nine departments including the Faculty of Social Work
Living in Mannheim
Mannheim is a dynamic city of around 315,000 in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar rivers in Baden-Württemberg. It offers a compact, affordable, and student-friendly environment with a strong industrial and creative economy, easy rail connections to Heidelberg, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart, and proximity to the Odenwald forest and Palatinate wine country. The city has historical ties to Mozart and Schiller and is known for its baroque grid street layout, major museums, and a lively cultural scene.
Student life & support
The Studierendenwerk Mannheim manages 19 halls of residence with approximately 3,150 accommodation units; monthly rent inclusive of utilities ranges from €250 to €450. The semester contribution includes a public-transport semester ticket. Students have access to a language centre, sports facilities, student canteen, and career fairs. The Faculty of Social Work has an active student council (Fachschaftsvertretung) and participates in VirCamp and other international virtual exchange programmes. Approximately one quarter of all Hochschule Mannheim students spend at least one semester abroad through the university's international partnerships.
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