Hochschule für Rechtspflege Schwetzingen
Schwetzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Founded
- 1953
- Students
- 434
- International
- 0%
- Programmes
- 1
About Hochschule für Rechtspflege Schwetzingen
Hochschule für Rechtspflege Schwetzingen (HfR Schwetzingen) is an internal state university of Baden-Württemberg, founded in 1953 to train judicial officers for the German court system. It is a highly specialised institution operating under the state Ministry of Justice, not a conventional open-admission university.
The college offers two degree programmes: the Diplom-Rechtspfleger/in (FH), a three-year dual study programme combining 24 months of theoretical study with 12 months of practical placement at courts and public prosecution offices; and the Gerichtsvollzieher/in (LL.B.), a bachelor's programme for court enforcement officers offered exclusively at this institution nationwide. Accepted students are appointed as temporary civil servants and receive a salary under the German Public Service Remuneration Act throughout their studies.
Admission is not directly through the college. Applicants must apply to a regional employing authority (Oberlandesgericht), and entry is conditional on meeting statutory civil service appointment requirements. This structure makes the HfR fundamentally different from standard universities open to international degree-seeking students.
Founded in 1953 as Baden-Württemberg's dedicated judicial training college
Only institution in Germany offering the Gerichtsvollzieher/in (LL.B.) degree programme
Students are appointed as temporary civil servants and receive a salary throughout their studies
Two study locations: Schwetzingen (main) and Ulm (external courses)
International partnerships with partner institutions in France, Romania, Czech Republic, and Russia
Located 10 km from Heidelberg with direct S-Bahn connections to the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region
Key facts
- Type
- Hochschulen eigenen Typs
- Founded
- 1953
- Students
- 434
- International
- 0% - Destatis lists the Verwaltungsfachhochschule with 671 students in summer semester 2023 and no international students (civil-service recruitment requires German citizenship or equivalent under section 7 Beamtenstatusgesetz).
- Programmes
- 1
Study programmes
1 accredited degree at Hochschule für Rechtspflege Schwetzingen.
Showing 1–1 of 1 programme
Admissions & fees
What it costs
No tuition fees. Students are appointed as civil servant trainees and receive a trainee's allowance (Anwärterbezüge) under the German Public Service Remuneration Act for the duration of the programme. The Baden-Württemberg non-EU tuition fee of €1,500 per semester does not apply to this civil-service training model.
Admission requirements
Admission is not possible by direct application to the college. Prospective students must apply to a regional employing authority: Oberlandesgericht Karlsruhe or Stuttgart (Baden-Württemberg), Oberlandesgericht Koblenz or Pfälzisches OLG Zweibrücken (Rhineland-Palatinate), or the Ministerium der Justiz des Saarlandes. The standard appointment date is 1 September each year. Applicants must satisfy statutory requirements for appointment as temporary civil servants (Beamte auf Widerruf). APS certificate requirements (India/China/Vietnam) are not applicable given the civil-service entry pathway; international applicants should verify eligibility with the employing authority directly.
Application deadlines
Training starts each year on 1 September and applications must be submitted to the responsible Einstellungsbehoerde, i.e. one of the two Upper Land Courts (OLG Stuttgart or OLG Karlsruhe), via their online portals. OLG Karlsruhe publishes that applications for the autumn 2027 intake close on 31 January 2027, while the OLG Stuttgart procedure for the 1 September 2026 intake stayed open until about 31 March 2026. Requirements include Abitur or Fachhochschulreife and German citizenship or an equivalent nationality under section 7 of the Beamtenstatusgesetz.
How international applicants apply
Not applicable - restricted civil-servant entry: the HfR trains Rechtspfleger candidates who are first hired as civil servants on probation (Beamtenverhaeltnis auf Widerruf) by one of the two Baden-Wuerttemberg upper land courts (OLG Stuttgart or OLG Karlsruhe); applications go through the courts' online Bewerberportal, not to the college. German citizenship or an equivalent status under section 7 of the Beamtenstatusgesetz is required, so ordinary international admission (uni-assist, VPD, hochschulstart) does not exist.
Languages of instruction
German only. No English-taught programmes are offered.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Student accommodation
What Hochschule für Rechtspflege Schwetzingen publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
Rooms are allocated by
Studierendenwerk Heidelberg
Not by the university. Apply to them directly, and expect a waiting list.
From the university
Student welfare is provided through the Studierendenwerk Heidelberg.
Campuses & locations
Primary study location; both Rechtspflege and Gerichtsvollzieher/in programmes offered. Address: Karlsruher Straße 2, 68723 Schwetzingen.
External course location for Rechtspflege students hired by the Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart district. Address: Söflinger Straße 70, 89077 Ulm.
Living in Schwetzingen
Schwetzingen is a small town of approximately 22,000 inhabitants in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region of northwest Baden-Württemberg, roughly 10 km southwest of Heidelberg and 15 km southeast of Mannheim. The city is well connected by S-Bahn (S3 line) to both Heidelberg and Mannheim, giving students access to major urban amenities. Schwetzingen is best known for its baroque Schwetzingen Palace and gardens, and is informally called the 'Asparagus Capital of Germany'.
Student life & support
Student welfare is provided through the Studierendenwerk Heidelberg. On-campus facilities include a library, cafeteria, and modern smart-technology lecture halls. The college maintains an Academic International Office (Akademisches Auslandsamt) with exchange partnerships in France, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Russia. A charitable support association, Rechtspflege-Förderverein FH Schwetzingen e.V. (founded 1995), assists institutional development. Given the civil-servant trainee status, student life is more structured than at conventional universities.
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