Hochschule der Polizei Rheinland-Pfalz
About HdP
Hochschule der Polizei Rheinland-Pfalz is the central educational institution of the Rhineland-Palatinate state police force, responsible for initial training and continuing professional development of all police officers in the state. It became an independent university on 1 February 2015, when the police department separated from the former Hochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Rheinland-Pfalz, although training at the current main campus began in 1996.
The university offers a three-year, practice-oriented bachelor's degree in police service (Polizeivollzugsdienst). Students are civil-service trainees (Beamtenanwärter) throughout their studies and receive a monthly salary of approximately €1,500. The curriculum spans 18 subject areas and is delivered across three campuses — Campus Hahn (main theoretical instruction), Wittlich-Wengerohr (practical and firearms training), and Enkenbach-Alsenborn (selection procedures and deployment training).
Admission is exclusively for candidates recruited into the Rhineland-Palatinate police service; the institution does not admit independent civilian or international students. The university holds an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education and maintains formal cooperation agreements with seven European police education institutions in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Finland.
Key facts
- Founded
- 2015
- Students
- 1,600
- Faculties
- 4
Exclusive police service university — graduates earn the rank of Polizeikommissar/in (Police Commissioner) in Rhineland-Palatinate
Students receive approximately €1,500/month salary throughout their three-year bachelor's programme
Holds an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education with seven active European police academy partnerships
Three-campus model separating theoretical instruction (Hahn) from practical and firearms training (Wittlich, Enkenbach-Alsenborn)
Curriculum covers 18 subject areas including IT/Economic Criminology and applied IT specialisations
Became an independent Hochschule in 2015, building on over 55 years of police training history in Rhineland-Palatinate
Admissions & costs
Tuition & fees
No tuition fees. Students are civil-service trainees and receive a monthly stipend of approximately €1,500 during the three-year bachelor's programme. Standard semester fees/contributions are not publicly stated; as a state police training institution it operates outside normal university fee structures.
Admission requirements
Admission is restricted to candidates who have been selected and recruited directly into the Rhineland-Palatinate police civil service (Beamtenverhältnis auf Widerruf). Applicants must pass the state police recruitment and selection process administered by the Personnel Selection Service (Personalauswahldienst, PAD). The institution does not offer open civilian admission; independent applications from international students are not possible. German citizenship or EU eligibility and German-language proficiency are de facto requirements for entry into the state police service.
Languages of instruction
German (language of instruction throughout all programmes)
Campuses & locations
Main campus and administrative headquarters, Gebäude 1341, 55483 Hahn-Flughafen (Büchenbeuren/Scheid); theoretical instruction; opened 1996 on former US Air Force base
Zur Polizeischule, 54516 Wittlich; practical and firearms training components of the bachelor's programme; police training at this site since 1968
Birkenstraße 107, 67677 Enkenbach-Alsenborn; selection procedures, shooting and deployment training centre (established 2017); located in the Palatinate Forest biosphere reserve
Living in the city
The main Campus Hahn is located near the village of Büchenbeuren in the Hunsrück region of Rhineland-Palatinate, adjacent to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (Hahn-Flughafen), roughly 100 km west of Frankfurt. The surrounding area is rural and forested. The Wittlich campus is near the town of Wittlich (~19,500 residents) between Trier and Koblenz along the Moselle valley. The Enkenbach-Alsenborn campus sits within the Palatinate Forest, the largest contiguous forest area in Germany, near Kaiserslautern.
Student life & support
Students live on the residential Campus Hahn, which provides integrated housing, a Mensa (dining hall), library, and sports and recreation facilities. The closely-knit cohort structure fosters long-lasting peer relationships. Campus life includes organised sports, study groups, and social events. Because students are civil-service trainees, they follow a structured schedule combining academic coursework, physical training, and practical police exercises across the three campuses.
1
Accredited Programmes
1
Bachelor/Bakkalaureus
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