Hochschule der Deutschen Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung
Bad Hersfeld, Hessen, Germany
- Founded
- 1996
- Students
- 691
- Programmes
- 2
About Hochschule der Deutschen Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung
The Hochschule der Deutschen Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung (HGU) is a private, state-recognised university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) and the central educational institution of the German statutory accident insurance system (DGUV). It combines academic programmes with applied research and job-oriented certificate courses in rehabilitation, social insurance law, and public administration.
The HGU operates four academic departments - Rehabilitation and Medicine; Insurance and Organization; Law and Administration; and People and Society - and runs both bachelor and master programmes alongside short-course certificate tracks. All programmes are closely tied to employment within Berufsgenossenschaften (occupational insurance associations) and public accident insurance funds; the bachelor programme is work-integrated and students are employed by a participating institution throughout their studies.
The institution has two campuses: the primary campus in Bad Hersfeld (Hessen) and a second location in Hennef (North Rhine-Westphalia). It is not a general-admission university; enrolment requires sponsorship or employment by a DGUV member organisation, making it a specialist vocational-academic institution rather than an open-access research university.
Specialist institution of the German statutory accident insurance system (DGUV) - unique in Germany
Work-integrated bachelor programme: students earn a salary from a Berufsgenossenschaft or Unfallkasse throughout their studies
Four focused academic departments covering rehabilitation, insurance, law, and social sciences
Blended-learning master's programmes designed for working professionals in public administration and occupational safety
Two residential campus locations (Bad Hersfeld, Hennef) with integrated seminar and conference infrastructure
State-recognised Fachhochschule awarding Bachelor of Arts and master's degrees
Key facts
- Type
- Hochschulen eigenen Typs
- Founded
- 1996
- Students
- 691
- International
- Not published - the degree programmes are employer-sponsored: students are sent as employees by German statutory accident-insurance institutions (Berufsgenossenschaften and Unfallkassen), so there is no open international admission route for the bachelor and master programmes.
- Faculties
- 4
- Programmes
- 2
Study programmes
2 accredited degrees at Hochschule der Deutschen Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung.
Showing 1–2 of 2 programmes
Admissions & fees
What it costs
No tuition fees for enrolled students. Students receive a fixed monthly salary from their sponsoring employer throughout the work-integrated bachelor programme. The institution is privately funded by DGUV member organisations.
Admission requirements
Admission requires the Hochschulreife or Fachhochschulreife (secondary school leaving qualification) AND an employment or training contract with a statutory accident insurance institution (Berufsgenossenschaft or Unfallkasse). The programmes are not open to general applicants; sponsorship by a DGUV member organisation is a prerequisite. APS certificate (relevant for Indian/Chinese/Vietnamese applicants) and standard international admission pathways do not apply, as this is a closed, employer-sponsored institution. International students are not typically admitted through the standard route.
Application deadlines
Intake is always for the winter semester starting 1 October. Self-application is not possible: registration requires an employment contract (Dienstverhaeltnis) with an accident insurance carrier (Unfallversicherungstraeger), who typically initiates the application. The completed admission application (Zulassungsantrag with annexes, digital) must reach the HGU by 15 August of the respective year; admission decisions are usually communicated at enrolment at the start of the semester.
How international applicants apply
Not applicable - dual study via employer. The Hochschule der Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung (HGU) does not appear on the uni-assist member list, and there is neither a uni-assist procedure nor an open application portal: self-application to the university is impossible by design. Students are seconded as employees of German statutory accident-insurance institutions (DGUV member carriers), whose employment contract (Dienstverhaeltnis) is the precondition for registration; the carrier initiates the process and submits the digital Zulassungsantrag to the HGU (deadline 15 August for the winter semester starting 1 October). Internationals therefore cannot apply through uni-assist or directly - entry runs entirely through employment with a Unfallversicherungstraeger.
Languages of instruction
All programmes taught in German. No English-medium programmes listed.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Student accommodation
What Hochschule der Deutschen Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
From the university
Facilities include integrated accommodation, seminar rooms, a library, and an e-learning platform (ILIAS).
Campuses & locations
Primary campus; Seilerweg 54, 36251 Bad Hersfeld, Hessen. Free on-site parking, EV charging, adjacent to DRK centre. Accessible hourly by regional train from Fulda or Kassel.
Secondary campus; Zum Steimelsberg 7, 53773 Hennef (Sieg), North Rhine-Westphalia.
Living in Bad Hersfeld
Bad Hersfeld is a spa town of approximately 31,000 inhabitants in northeastern Hessen, roughly 50 km southeast of Kassel. The city is known for the annual Bad Hersfelder Festspiele, a theatre festival held in the ruins of the Hersfeld Abbey - among the largest surviving Romanesque church ruins in Europe. The town centre features half-timbered architecture, a historic Kurpark (spa park), and thermal springs. It is connected to the national rail network with hourly regional services to Fulda and Kassel.
Student life & support
The HGU campuses function primarily as residential seminar and conference centres serving working professionals on block-course schedules. Student life is tied to the employer-sponsored cohort model rather than a traditional campus environment. Facilities include integrated accommodation, seminar rooms, a library, and an e-learning platform (ILIAS). Bad Hersfeld's compact town centre is within easy reach of Campus Bad Hersfeld by local bus or bicycle.
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