Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig
Braunschweig, Niedersachsen, Germany
- Founded
- 1963
- Students
- 898
- International
- 10%
- Programmes
- 18
About Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig
Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig (HBK Braunschweig) is the only state art university in Lower Saxony and one of Germany's larger art academies, enrolling approximately 898 students (Winter Semester 2025/26). It holds the rights to award doctorates and post-doctoral (Habilitation) degrees - a distinction rare among specialist art schools - and maintains 53 professorships across fine art, design, visual communication, art education, art history, media studies, and performing arts.
The university emerged in its current form in 1963 as the Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, with roots traceable to a ducal drawing institute established in 1790. It was granted doctoral degree-awarding rights in 1984 and took its present name and full university status thereafter. Its campus at Johannes-Selenka-Platz in central Braunschweig covers over 27,000 square metres, housing 22 specialist workshops, an exhibition hall, a library of 78,000+ volumes, and a student café.
Approximately 10 % of students come from 36 countries, and the student body is 70 % female. All degree programmes are German-taught; no English-medium degree programmes are offered. Admission to all programmes is subject to an artistic aptitude examination (Eignungsprüfung) and portfolio review.
Only state art university in Lower Saxony
Holds doctoral and post-doctoral (Habilitation) degree-awarding rights - rare for an art school
53 professorships across fine art, design, art education, media studies, performing arts, and art history
Artistic aptitude examination required for all programmes - no admission on grades alone
22 specialist production workshops on a single central campus
Winter Semester intake only; application window 1 February - 15 March
Key facts
- Type
- Kunst- und Musikhochschulen
- Founded
- 1963
- Students
- 898
- International
- approx. 10% (from 36 countries)
- Faculties
- 6
- Programmes
- 18
Study programmes
18 accredited degrees at Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig.
Showing 1–18 of 18 programmes
Admissions & fees
What it costs
No tuition fees are charged (public university in Lower Saxony, which does not levy non-EU fees). A semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) of approximately €436 per semester is payable; this covers the student union, cultural semester ticket (Staatstheater Braunschweig, International Film Festival), sports facilities shared with TU Braunschweig, and the Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen levy. Long-term study fees of €500/semester apply once a student exceeds the standard study period plus six tolerance semesters.
Admission requirements
All applicants must pass an artistic aptitude examination (Eignungsprüfung) and submit a portfolio; there is no admission without this. International applicants must submit a uni-assist Vorprüfungsdokumentation (VPD) in lieu of a German Abitur assessment. Applicants whose school-leaving qualification is from India, China, or Vietnam must additionally hold an APS certificate before uni-assist can process their documents. German-language proficiency is required: B1 at application stage and B2 at enrolment for Freie Kunst/Visuelle Kommunikation diploma/bachelor programmes; B2 at application and C1 at enrolment for all other programmes (accepted certificates: DSH, TestDaF TDN 4, Goethe, telc). Master's programmes require a bachelor's degree with 150-200 ECTS; conditional admission may be possible from 150 ECTS. Applications are accepted for Winter Semester only (intake: October), with the application window running 1 February - 15 March each year. No visa support letter is issued without a €30 fee.
Application deadlines
Winter Semester only (October start). Application window: 1 February - 15 March. Artistic aptitude examination (Eignungsprüfung) and portfolio review are part of the process. Language certificate must be submitted by 30 September or enrolment is not possible.
How international applicants apply
uni-assist VPD required for most international-certificate holders. The official 'Bewerbung mit auslaendischen Zeugnissen' page states that uni-assist performs the certificate check for HBK Braunschweig and issues the Vorpruefungsdokumentation (VPD); it is required from applicants who obtained their school leaving or first higher-education certificate abroad and have NOT passed the Feststellungspruefung (Schwerpunkt G) at a German Studienkolleg. Evaluation via uni-assist is possible year-round (approx. 4-6 weeks); the actual study application must still be submitted within the faculty deadline (e.g. 1 Feb - 15 Mar for Visuelle Kommunikation B.A.) through the HBK online application portal (HIS/cmo.hbk-bs.de), uploading the VPD there. Applicants from China, India and Vietnam need an APS certificate; if it shows no final grade, a VPD must additionally be obtained. The HBK also appears on uni-assist's official member-university list (Niedersachsen).
Languages of instruction
All degree programmes are taught in German. No English-medium degree programmes are offered. The university notes that all programme information, deadlines, and curriculum details are available in German only.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Student accommodation
What Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
Rooms are allocated by
Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen
Not by the university. Apply to them directly, and expect a waiting list.
From the university
Housing is managed through Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen.
Campuses & locations
Johannes-Selenka-Platz 1, 38118 Braunschweig - single central campus with studios, workshops, exhibition spaces, and library
Living in Braunschweig
Braunschweig (Brunswick) is a mid-sized city of around 250,000 in Lower Saxony, roughly 60 km east of Hanover. It has a dense university landscape - HBK, TU Braunschweig, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, and several research institutes - giving it a strong student character. The city has a low cost of living relative to Munich or Hamburg, a lively arts and cultural scene, and good rail connections (ICE to Berlin in ~1.5 hours, Hamburg in ~1.5 hours).
Student life & support
The HBK campus hosts 22 production workshops (printmaking, ceramics, photography, video, metalwork, and more), a media centre, a library specialising in art and design, and a student café. Exhibition spaces on campus are regularly used for student shows open to the public. Students benefit from a cultural semester ticket covering Staatstheater Braunschweig and selected festivals. Sports and fitness facilities are shared with TU Braunschweig through the semester contribution arrangement. Housing is managed through Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen.
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