Hof University Graduate School

Our Graduate School offers great value for moderate tuition. Programs for students with work experience are at a higher level than those open to applicants without experience. The level of instruction and class discussion is more detailed and applied. The degrees of these programs (e.g. MBA, MBA and Eng.) can only be obtained by those with professional experience. As our international graduates bring professional experience from their home countries plus they do internships with us, they a valued by German industry. Salaries are significantly higher upon graduation. The tuition fees of our Graduate School are very competitive, compare for example the fees of our programs with others in Germany, the UK or the U.S. Our drive is to make your study in Germany a valuable experience.

The Graduate School has been active in international continuing education for X years. It was one of the first universities in Bavaria and Germany to do so. Over time, we have produced many satisfied and successful alumni from all over the world.

1. We improve and update our programs continuously.
2. During the theoretical study phase, we offer 12 modules, while many other study programs are limited to 10 modules.
3. Knowledge of German is important if you intend to enter the German labor market. Our graduates confirm that solid language skills are the ultimate door opener for good job offers. In our programs German language in an integrated part of each program. Thus, there is no struggle for extracurricular or even cost intensive language courses.
4. Graduate School programs include 120 ECTS (not only 90 ECTS), there is no need to do 30 ECTS in addition to fulfill the requirement of 300 ECTS to receive the Master's degree.
5. The programs have an integrated internship of one year. Most other programs comprise only 4 months‘ internships. In general, internships are paid by industry. Again, this raises your job prospects to another level.
6. To give you a smooth start to your studies in Germany and at Hof University of Applied Sciences, we offer you an intercultural training as preparation.

Not sure yet? Have a look at the other extras you get when studying at our Graduate School:

1. You will be taught by our best professors. In addition, experts from industry and business share their expertise from their professional lives in courses and lectures.
2. You will be supervised and supported by a motivated team of staff who look after Graduate School students exclusively.
3. In addition to excellent theoretical knowledge transfer, we focus on the practical experience of what has been learnt. You can experience your knowledge not only during your practical training, but also in modern laboratories. You gain practical insight into Industry 4.0 based on a production line connected to SAP, just to mention one example.
4. We acknowledge that financing studies abroad is a challenge for many international students. And yet it is important to us that you are able to concentrate on your studies to perform the best you can. Therefore, we provide the best 10% of our 1st semester students with a scholarship for semester 2.
5. Once you have arrived at your internship, we would like to keep in touch with you. To strengthen the network between the university and you Graduate School students, we organize very special memorable events, such as a weekend cruise.

The application period for winter semester 2025/2026 is from April 15 to May 31, 2025. Please note in case all other necessary documents have been submitted until May 31, 2025, you are allowed to submit the APS certificate until July 31, 2025. After all the necessary documents have been submitted, the Examination Board will inform about admission as soon as possible.

The application period for summer semester is from April 15 to May 31, 2025. Please note, in case all necessary documents (with the exception of the APS certificate, if relevant) have been submitted until May 31, 2025, you may submit the missing German certificate until June 15, 2025!

Applicants from India, Vietnam and China need to apply for an APS certificate first. This document is required both for the admission at Hof University and your visa application. Make sure you do not lose valuable time here.

Due to the strained situation at the Embassies and Consulates in many countries throughout the world, we strongly advise you to go ahead with your visa application as early as possible to join our on-campus lectures.

It is necessary to submit an IELTS test (6.5 or above) or TOEFL test (90 or above) for your visa application and your admission at Hof University. Medium of instruction certificates are no longer accepted as a proof of English language proficiency for admission at Hof University.

Hof University is no distance-learning university. Our teaching concept is built on close personal interaction in an on-campus environment. Immediate exposure with the German study and work environment is one of the most important success factors of our programs.

Nevertheless, we are aware that the visa process can take longer for some of our international students. To enable also this group to start their studies with the Graduate School in the summer semester, Hof University has decided to offer hybrid teaching until October 31. After this deadline, from November 3, 2025,  all lectures will take place on-campus only (check the Academic Calendar for more information).

We expect you to be physically present at Hof University as soon as your visa status allows you to travel to Germany.

Hof University cannot issue any extension letters for late arrival.

Exams will take place on-campus. Only in very exceptional cases, the student might be able to write the exam online. Students need to seek individual consent by the Examination Board. Approval is given only in individual cases.

All classes will probably be offered only in presence starting on November 3, 2025.

If you cannot come until the mentioned deadline, it is your responsibility to catch up on the content and the material you missed.

 You will be able to attend these lectures in person from the day you arrive in Hof. Therefore, you can arrive anytime during the semester as soon as you receive your visa.

Be aware, we cannot integrate students being abroad in our on-campus lectures. There are no hybrid teaching formats and recordings after October 31, 2025.

Yes, we recommend starting your studies this winter semester as we are offering hybrid classes for the first four weeks and you can easily apply for a visa and join us on campus as soon as you have received it.

Upon request, our Housing Office provides you support in finding accommodation. Generally, the landlords offer only semester contracts that start on March 1st or on September 1st and last 6- or 12 months. The rooms are allocated according to the principle “first come first served”. What does it mean? On the one hand, the sooner you book, the wider your room-choice is. On the other hand, once you have a confirmed booking, the rental agreement is binding even if you are not in Germany yet as the room is blocked for you.

If you want to book a room some weeks after the semester begun, the rooms of the Housing Office might be fully booked. If we cannot offer you any accommodation, you will need to look for a room on your own.

It is the best time to book a room as soon as you are sure to be able to come to Hof and you are ready to commit yourself for a booking.

Should you have to cancel the room, because you do not get the visa or due to any other private-, health- or study issues, you must cancel your reservation immediately.

After your cancellation the Housing Office tries to find a new tenant for your room. Should we not be able to find anyone, which may happen once the semester has begun, because your cancellation came too late, you will have to come up for the rental costs worst case until the end of the semester.

Unfortunately, your admission cannot be saved for the following semester(s). In case you want to start later, you will have to apply again via Primuss portal during the official application period (application deadlines and requirements).

The Examination Board reviews all incoming applications based on the current criteria for each semester. Be aware that the requirements might change and inform yourself regularly on our website.

Admissions for the following semester(s) cannot be guaranteed. 

The payment deadline is mentioned in your admission letter (July 15, 2025).

If we have no record of your payment on this date, you need to show a confirmation from your bank/ loan sponsor confirming that and when the payment will be made (latest August 15, 2025). 

If you have applied for studying in the winter semester 2025, paid your tuition fee but have not yet received any student credentials or participated in any event of the Orientation Week online or on-campus (e.g. Academic Writing), a partial refund is possible until September 18, 2025. You will get back the tuition fee minus an administration fee of 500 € and any bank charges incurred.

Hof University is a public University. This means that the Graduate School does not aim to maximise profits with its fees, but sets the fees at a level that covers the costs incurred in running the degree programs.

You will have noticed that our tuition fee is very moderate compared to many of our competitors and that the price-performance ratio is very good.

However, tightly calculated costs also mean that we cannot award any full scholarships.

However, we are a public University; therefore, the fees of our Graduate School are calculated on our ongoing costs. In contrast to many other universities worldwide our fees are quite moderate. Thus, we do not offer full scholarships as we do not have any side income.

However, we provide partial scholarships. After completing the first semester, top-performing students may apply for partial scholarships, which are financed by companies, institutions like the DAAD, or the government. Besides, we implemented an additional special scholarship program for students of our Graduate School with outstanding academic performance during the first semester at our university. These partial scholarships are financed directly by the Graduate School and our supporting association.