Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
Dresden, Sachsen, Germany
- Founded
- 1925
- Students
- 200
About Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
The Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden (Palucca University of Dance Dresden) is a public university of dance financed by the Free State of Saxony and Germany's only independent university for dance. Dance pioneer Gret Palucca founded her school in Dresden in 1925; it was nationalised in 1949, moved to its purpose-built campus on Basteiplatz in 1957 and received its current name in 2010. Since 2024, under rector Prof. Katharina Christl, training gives equal weight to three pillars: classical ballet, contemporary/modern dance and improvisation, with the individual dancer at the centre. The institution integrates a state-recognised secondary school, so it enrols Germany's youngest university students: training can begin at age 10 in orientation classes (school years 5-6), continues through the Young Talents Programme (years 7-10) and leads into the three-year BA Dance. Postgraduate and further offers include the work-study MA Dance Teacher, the MA Choreography, a certificate Apprentice Programme run jointly with Semperoper Ballett Dresden, an Artistic Master Class and a guest student programme. Roughly 200 pupils and students from over 30 nations study here.
Germany's only independent university for dance, founded by Gret Palucca in 1925
Integrated secondary school allows training from age 10 - Germany's youngest university students
Three equal training pillars since 2024: ballet, contemporary/modern dance, improvisation
Apprentice Programme run jointly with Semperoper Ballett Dresden
Around 200 pupils and students from more than 30 nations
Own campus dormitory and dancer-focused health centre at Basteiplatz
Tuition-free BA Dance; semester fee EUR 383.33 incl. Deutschland-ticket for WS 26/27
Key facts
- Founded
- 1925
- Students
- 200
Admissions & fees
What it costs
Public Saxon institution: no tuition fees for BA Dance and school programmes. Semester fees for winter semester 2026/27: BA Dance / Apprentice Programme / Artistic Master Class total EUR 383.33 (Studentenwerk EUR 112.73 plus Germany-wide semester ticket EUR 264.60); Young Talents Programme EUR 115.73; work-study MA Dance Teacher EUR 868.73 including a EUR 750 study fee; MA Choreography EUR 608.33 including a EUR 225 study fee. Application fee EUR 50.
Admission requirements
All programmes admit through an audition-based aptitude assessment via the online application portal, with entry points at orientation classes (years 5-6), the Young Talents Programme (years 7-10), BA Dance, both MA programmes, the apprentice scheme and guest studies; admission to the BA typically follows the decision taken in the final year of the Young Talents Programme. A non-refundable application fee of EUR 50 is due with the application documents, paid to the Hauptkasse des Freistaates Sachsen with a prescribed reference. International dancers can join as exchange students via the Exchange Student Programme; Erasmus+ partnerships support mobility. APS or IELTS/TOEFL requirements are not published on the reviewed pages.
Application deadlines
Audition dates and application deadlines are published per programme in the Audition section of palucca.eu rather than as a single semester deadline; exact submission cut-offs were not stated on the pages reviewed. A virtual information day for the Bachelor programme was scheduled for 11 January 2026.
How international applicants apply
Direct portal: applications for BA Dance, MA Dance Teacher and MA Choreography run exclusively through Palucca's own online application portal with audition-based aptitude assessment. Application windows 2026: BA Dance 1 Jan - 15 Feb, MA Dance Teacher 12 Jan - 6 Mar, MA Choreography 20 Jan - 6 Mar (winter-semester intake only). No uni-assist or VPD involvement.
Languages of instruction
Instruction is in German; the website maintains an English section for international applicants. Specific language-certificate requirements (TestDaF/DSH levels or equivalents) were not published on the audition and programme pages reviewed.
Student accommodation
What Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
Rooms are allocated by
Studentenwerk Dresden
Not by the university. Apply to them directly, and expect a waiting list.
The university's housing page
Deadlines and application forms are published here, and they change every intake.
Open housing pageRoom types mentioned
What that page describes. Availability varies by intake.
From the university
Palucca operates its own dormitory on campus plus a health centre geared to dancers, library, refectory and costume department.
Campuses & locations
Basteiplatz 4, 01277 Dresden (Strehlen), directly across the southern corner of the Grosser Garten park; single campus with dance halls, auditorium, health centre, secondary school, own dormitory, library, refectory and costume department
Living in Dresden
Dresden, capital of Saxony, combines a baroque old town with an active contemporary dance and ballet scene anchored by the Semperoper, plus museums and festivals. Living costs are moderate compared with western German metropolitan areas. The campus lies opposite the Grosser Garten park east of the city centre, reachable by tram, and student services such as housing are handled by the Studentenwerk Dresden.
Student life & support
Palucca operates its own dormitory on campus plus a health centre geared to dancers, library, refectory and costume department. PUCK e.V. offers dance courses for children, teenagers and adults, and training courses for sports and music teachers. Outgoing mobility is funded through Erasmus+ and DAAD PROMOS; scholarships listed on the site include Deutschlandstipendium, the Esther Arnhold Seligmann Scholarship and Saxon state scholarships.
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