Hochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Rheinland-Pfalz
Mayen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
- Founded
- 1981
- Students
- 946
- Programmes
- 3
About Hochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Rheinland-Pfalz
The Hochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Rheinland-Pfalz (HöV) is a specialist public-sector university founded in 1981 and located in Mayen, in the Mayen-Koblenz district of the Vulkaneifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate. It operates as an internal state university (interne Hochschule des Landes) under the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior and is the primary competence centre for public administration training in the state.
The HöV offers dual bachelor's programmes that combine 21 months of academic study in Mayen with 15 months of practical training in state or municipal administrations, or at Deutsche Rentenversicherung Rheinland-Pfalz. Programmes are offered in Administration (Verwaltung), Administrative Business Economics (Verwaltungsbetriebswirtschaft), and Administrative Informatics (Verwaltungsinformatik). A postgraduate MBA in Public Administration is available as a distance-learning programme.
The institution also provides continuing education (Fort- und Weiterbildung) for existing civil servants at grades A7-A15, and operates jointly with the Zentrale Verwaltungsschule (ZVS) Rheinland-Pfalz from the same campus. The historic campus building, a tuff-stone structure from 1891, served as the Landratsamt des Kreises Mayen until the 1970s.
Specialist public-administration university - the only HöV in Rhineland-Palatinate
Founded 1981; ca. 946 students enrolled (WS 2024/25)
Dual study model: students receive a civil-service trainee salary throughout the programme
Three bachelor specialisations: Administration, Administrative Business Economics, Administrative Informatics
Postgraduate MBA in Public Administration available as distance learning
Historic 1891 tuff-stone campus building in Mayen, Vulkaneifel
Key facts
- Type
- Verwaltungshochschule
- Founded
- 1981
- Students
- 946
- International
- Not published - as an internal university of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, students must first be hired as civil-service trainees by a state or municipal authority or Deutsche Rentenversicherung Rheinland-Pfalz; civil-service appointment effectively restricts intake to EU/EEA candidates, and there is no open international admission route.
- Programmes
- 3
Study programmes
3 accredited degrees at Hochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Rheinland-Pfalz.
Showing 1–3 of 3 programmes
Admissions & fees
What it costs
No tuition fees are charged for the dual bachelor's programmes; students receive a civil-service trainee salary (Anwärterbezüge) throughout their studies paid by the employing authority. The MBA in Public Administration (distance learning) is a continuing-education programme for which fees apply; specific amounts are not published on the official website.
Admission requirements
The HöV is an internal civil-service training institution. Admission is not open to the general public in the usual sense: prospective students must first be recruited (eingestellt) by a state or municipal authority or by Deutsche Rentenversicherung Rheinland-Pfalz, which then registers them with the university. Applicants must hold at least a Fachhochschulreife (technical college entrance qualification) and meet civil-service eligibility criteria under Rhineland-Palatinate law. In practice this means non-EU nationals face significant structural barriers, as civil-service appointment in Germany is generally restricted to EU/EEA citizens. There is no direct APS or IELTS/TOEFL requirement in the formal admissions documentation, because the recruiting authority, not the student, initiates enrolment.
Application deadlines
There is no direct enrolment at the HoeV: applicants apply to an Ausbildungsbehoerde (municipal or state administration, or Deutsche Rentenversicherung Rheinland-Pfalz), which registers them at the university after hiring them as civil servants on probation. The hiring date is 1 July of each year, and each authority sets its own application deadline.
How international applicants apply
Not used - restricted civil-service recruitment. No international-applicant admission process exists: this is a dual civil-service training institution that educates future civil servants for entry to the third career level of Rhineland-Pfalz public administration (Land, municipalities, Deutsche Rentenversicherung RLP). Applicants must first apply for a trainee position ('Ausbildungsplatz') directly with a hiring/training authority (city, district, Land authority or DRV RLP); that authority then registers them for the study programme. Direct enrolment at the Hochschule is explicitly not possible ('Eine Einschreibung direkt bei der HoeV/ZVS ist nicht moeglich') and candidates must satisfy the statutory conditions for appointment as civil servants ('die gesetzlichen Voraussetzungen fuer die Berufung in das Beamtenverhaeltnis erfuellen'). No uni-assist or VPD process is documented anywhere on hoev.rlp.de, and the university does not appear on the official uni-assist member list.
Languages of instruction
German only. All programmes are taught exclusively in German; no English-medium programmes are available.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Campuses & locations
Single campus in Mayen, Mayen-Koblenz district, Rhineland-Palatinate. Houses both HöV and the Zentrale Verwaltungsschule (ZVS). Historic 1891 tuff-stone building.
Living in Mayen
Mayen is a small city of roughly 19,000 inhabitants in the Vulkaneifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate, approximately 20 km south-west of Koblenz. It is characterised by its volcanic basalt landscape, medieval old town with the Genovevaburg castle, and proximity to the Nürburgring and the Rhine Valley. Public transport connections to Koblenz are available by regional train.
Student life & support
The HöV campus in Mayen offers a library, cafeteria, student secretariat, psychosocial counselling (psychosoziale Beratung), support for students with disabilities, and a mentorship programme. Students have access to an eCampus digital learning platform and the SMAYL mobile app for study resources. Erasmus+ opportunities for international internship placements are available. Because students are civil-service trainees rather than conventional university students, campus social life is relatively compact compared to large research universities.
Want our guides higher up in Google?
Mark GradGermany as a preferred source and Google gives our pages more room when you search about studying in Germany. Takes one tap, and you can undo it any time from the same screen.
More universities in Rheinland-Pfalz
View all in Rheinland-Pfalz →Deutsche Universität für Verwaltungswissenschaften Speyer
Universitäten · 4 programmes
Hochschule der Deutschen Bundesbank
Verwaltungshochschule · 1 programme
Hochschule der Polizei Rheinland-Pfalz
Hochschulen eigenen Typs · 1 programme
Hochschule für Gesellschaftsgestaltung
Fachhochschulen / HAW · 4 programmes
Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Ludwigshafen
Fachhochschulen / HAW · 47 programmes
Hochschule Kaiserslautern (University of Applied Sciences)
Fachhochschulen / HAW · 86 programmes
Interested in Studying at
Hochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Rh...?
Our team can help you with the application process, documentation, and everything you need to get started.