Hochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung und Rechtspflege (FH), Fortbildungszentrum des Freistaates Sachsen (HSF)
Meißen, Sachsen, Germany
- Founded
- 1992
- Students
- 416
- Programmes
- 6
About Hochschule Meißen (FH) und Fortbildungszentrum
Hochschule Meißen (FH) und Fortbildungszentrum - formally the Hochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung und Rechtspflege (FH), Fortbildungszentrum des Freistaates Sachsen (HSF) - is a state-run Fachhochschule established in 1992 in Meißen, Saxony. It operates under the supervision of the Saxon State Ministry of the Interior and trains civil servants exclusively for the public sector of the Free State of Saxony. The institution is not a general-access university: all undergraduate study places are allocated through employment contracts with Saxon public employers rather than through a standard university application.
The college offers nine programmes across five departments: General Administration (LL.B.), Digital Administration, Social Administration, Social Insurance (all bachelor-level), Diploma programmes in Legal Services, Tax Administration and State Finance Administration, and part-time master's programmes in Public Governance, Public Law, and Public Service Innovation. The dual-study model combines theory semesters on campus with practical semesters embedded in a public-sector employer. Annual new-student intake is approximately 416 across all programmes.
The institution also houses the Fortbildungszentrum des Freistaates Sachsen (FoBiZ), a continuing-education centre that provides seminars, workshops, and online training for Saxon civil servants. International activities are limited to Erasmus+ outbound mobility for existing students and a biennial international summer faculty; the college does not recruit international students through conventional pathways.
Specialist state institution - trains Saxon civil servants exclusively for public administration and the judiciary
Dual-study model: alternating theory semesters at HSF Meißen and practical semesters with a public employer
Nine programmes across five departments including bachelor's, diploma, and part-time master's
State-funded: no tuition fees; students on employment contracts receive a salary or training allowance
Houses the Fortbildungszentrum des Freistaates Sachsen (FoBiZ) for continuing professional development of civil servants
Located in historic Meißen on the Elbe, 25 km from Dresden, with Erasmus+ outbound exchange opportunities
Key facts
- Type
- Verwaltungshochschule
- Founded
- 1992
- Students
- 416
- International
- No share published. This is a civil-service training college (now 'Hochschule Meißen (FH) und Fortbildungszentrum'): admission runs through an employment contract with a Saxon public authority, so the student body is essentially German civil-servant trainees; its international activity is outbound Erasmus+ mobility rather than incoming degree students.
- Faculties
- 5
- Programmes
- 6
Study programmes
6 accredited degrees at Hochschule Meißen (FH) und Fortbildungszentrum.
Showing 1–6 of 6 programmes
Admissions & fees
What it costs
No tuition fees. As a state institution of Saxony, the college charges no tuition. Students on employment contracts receive a salary or training allowance from their public employer. No semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) amount is published on the official website.
Admission requirements
Admission to undergraduate programmes is not via a standard university application. Applicants must first secure a training or employment contract with a Saxon public employer (Einstellungsbehörde); the employer nominates the candidate and the institution then registers them. Entry qualifications: Allgemeine Hochschulreife, fachgebundene Hochschulreife, or Fachhochschulreife. Applicants with vocational training and three years of relevant work experience may qualify via an entrance examination. All study is in German; no formal German-language certificate threshold is published, but C1-level competence is implicitly required to pass employer selection processes. APS certificate (for Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese applicants) is technically required for visa purposes if a candidate were to enrol, but the civil-service employment-contract entry route makes conventional international student admission extremely unlikely in practice. Non-EU international students cannot apply independently; admission is inseparable from Saxon civil service employment.
Application deadlines
Undergraduate programmes begin 1 September each year. Applications go directly to the relevant Saxon public employer, not to the institution. Deadlines are set by individual employers and vary; the application window for study beginning August/September 2026 opened in early 2026. The master's programme advertising for 2026 enrolment was published in February 2026.
How international applicants apply
Restricted civil-service entry - no uni-assist and no open university application. Admission requires an employment/appointment contract with a Saxon public authority (Einstellungsbehoerde: Beamtenverhaeltnis auf Widerruf, oeFFentlich-rechtliches Ausbildungsverhaeltnis or VKA Ausbildungsvertrag). Application is made directly to the hiring authority; the authority registers the student at the HSF. Civil-servant eligibility requirements may apply. Not a uni-assist member.
Languages of instruction
German only. All programmes are taught entirely in German. No English-taught programmes are offered.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Student accommodation
What Hochschule Meißen (FH) und Fortbildungszentrum publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
The university's housing page
Deadlines and application forms are published here, and they change every intake.
Open housing pageHousing office: [email protected]
Room types mentioned
What that page describes. Availability varies by intake.
Campuses & locations
Herbert-Böhme-Straße 11, 01662 Meißen - sole campus
Living in Meißen
Meißen is a historic town of approximately 30,000 inhabitants situated on both banks of the River Elbe, about 25 km northwest of Dresden. Known internationally as the birthplace of European hard-paste porcelain (Meissen Porcelain Factory, founded 1710 by Augustus the Strong), the town features the Albrechtsburg castle and the Gothic Meissen Cathedral. It sits at the heart of Saxony's smallest wine-growing region, with over 850 years of viticulture. Dresden is easily reachable by S-Bahn (S1 line, approximately 40 minutes), providing students with access to a major cultural and transport hub.
Student life & support
Campus life at HSF Meißen is shaped by the dual-study model: students alternate between theory semesters on the compact Meißen campus and practical semesters with their employing authority. Study groups are small (typically 20-25 per cohort), fostering close-knit peer networks. The institution participates in Erasmus+ for outbound placements within the EU. The town of Meißen itself is quiet and historic rather than a university city; Dresden (40 min by S-Bahn) offers theatres, clubs, and a larger student community.
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 Sachsen
View all in Sachsen →DIU - Dresden International University GmbH
Universitäten · 35 programmes
Duale Hochschule Sachsen
Duale Hochschule · 40 programmes
Evangelische Hochschule Dresden
Fachhochschulen / HAW · 11 programmes
Fachhochschule Dresden
Fachhochschulen / HAW · 14 programmes
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management - HHL gemeinnützige GmbH
Universitäten · 12 programmes
Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden
Kunst- und Musikhochschulen · 4 programmes
Interested in Studying at
Hochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung un...?
Our team can help you with the application process, documentation, and everything you need to get started.