- Founded
- 2007
- Students
- 3,150
- Programmes
- 1
About Polizeiakademie Niedersachsen
The Polizeiakademie Niedersachsen (Police Academy of Lower Saxony) is a state-run, specialised higher education institution established on 1 October 2007 in Nienburg/Weser. It was formed by merging two predecessor bodies: the Police Faculty of the Lower Saxony University of Applied Sciences for Administration and Justice, and the Education Institute of the Lower Saxony Police (BIP NI). Its sole focus is the initial education and continuing professional development of Lower Saxony state police personnel.
The academy offers an accredited three-year Bachelor of Arts in Polizeivollzugsdienst (Police Service), structured around 14 modules plus a bachelor thesis. The curriculum integrates law, social sciences, criminology, and tactical training with mandatory practical internships in patrol and criminal investigation units. The programme is taught exclusively in German and is open to applicants who meet civil-service eligibility criteria, including non-German EU citizens.
Admission is competitive and controlled by the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior; students are paid trainees (Beamte auf Widerruf) rather than fee-paying students, and there are no tuition fees. Approximately 3,150 students are enrolled across three study sites: Nienburg/Weser (headquarters), Oldenburg, and Hann. Münden. The academy also participates in Erasmus+ staff and student mobility programmes.
Sole institution for initial and continuing education of all ~25,000 Lower Saxony state police officers
Accredited Bachelor of Arts in Polizeivollzugsdienst - internationally recognised Bologna-compliant degree
Students receive civil-service trainee salary (Anwärterbezüge); no tuition fees
Erasmus+ participant since 2010 with Erasmus University Charter (ECHE) 2021-2027
Elite athlete programme permitting degree extension to five years for competitive sport
Awarded 'Schule ohne Rassismus - Schule mit Courage' and 'Excellence in Digital Education' certifications
Key facts
- Type
- Hochschulen eigenen Typs
- Founded
- 2007
- Students
- 3,150
- International
- Not applicable / not published. Entry runs exclusively through the Lower Saxony police selection procedure and a service contract as Polizeivollzugsdienst bachelor trainee, so there is no open international student intake; international affairs are coordinated internally by the Stabsstelle Internationales.
- Programmes
- 1
Study programmes
1 accredited degree at Polizeiakademie Niedersachsen.
Showing 1–1 of 1 programme
Admissions & fees
What it costs
No tuition fees. Students are appointed as civil-service trainees (Beamte auf Widerruf) and receive a monthly training allowance (Anwärterbezüge) from the state of Lower Saxony for the duration of the three-year programme. There is no semester contribution beyond a nominal administrative fee.
Admission requirements
Admission is governed by the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior, not through a standard university application process. Applicants must apply to the Lower Saxony state police service (Einstellungsbehörde) and pass a multi-stage selection procedure including written tests, a physical fitness test, a psychological assessment, and a medical examination. A German secondary school leaving certificate (Abitur or Fachhochschulreife) is required. Non-German EU citizens may apply; non-EU nationals are generally not eligible for civil-service positions. APS certificate requirements (India/China/Vietnam) are not applicable as this is a civil-service appointment, not a conventional university admission. German language proficiency at a high level is an operational prerequisite.
Application deadlines
Applications run in fixed cycles through the police recruiting portal polizei-studium.de: apply by 15 November for a study start on 1 March, or by 15 February for the study start on 1 September. Entry is restricted to applicants who pass the Niedersachsen police selection procedure and sign a service contract as police commissary trainee.
How international applicants apply
Restricted police recruitment - uni-assist not applicable: the Polizeiakademie Niedersachsen admits only through the Lower Saxony police selection procedure via the polizei-studium.de recruiting portal (deadlines 15 November for a 1 March study start, 15 February for 1 September) combined with a service contract as Polizeivollzugsdienst bachelor trainee (gehobener Dienst). There is no open international student intake and no uni-assist procedure; international affairs are handled internally by the Stabsstelle Internationales.
Languages of instruction
German only. All degree programmes and continuing education courses are conducted in German.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Campuses & locations
Headquarters; Bürgermeister-Stahn-Wall 9, 31582 Nienburg/Weser. Main administrative and teaching centre since the academy's founding in 2007.
Study site in the Bloherfelde district; used for police education since 1994.
Study and continuing education site with roots in the 1950s; former barracks repurposed for police training.
Continuing education location; houses components of two study divisions (Studiengebiete 1 and 5).
Continuing education facility assigned to the academy since April 2017; professional development courses since 1995.
Living in Nienburg/Weser
Nienburg/Weser is a district town of approximately 31,500 residents on the River Weser, roughly 55 km southeast of Bremen and 45 km northwest of Hannover. The town lies along the German Fairy Tale Route and the popular Weser cycling path. It offers a compact historic centre, riverside recreation, and good rail connections to both Bremen and Hannover for larger-city amenities.
Student life & support
Academy students live and study in a structured environment across the three study locations. The close-knit cohort model and small study groups are characteristic of the programme. An elite athlete programme allows national- or state-level competitors to extend the standard three-year degree to five years. The academy holds the 'Schule ohne Rassismus - Schule mit Courage' award and has received an 'Excellence in Digital Education' certification.
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