Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
North Rhine-Westphalia's capital-city university: five faculties on one campus beside its hospital.
- Students
- 30,000
- Tuition
- Free
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1965
- QS World Ranking
- 951-1000
- 2027 edition
About HHU
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) was founded in 1965 and is the comprehensive university of the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. It grew from the city's medical academy and was named after the poet Heinrich Heine, whose values of tolerance, openness to the world, equality and freedom the university says it feels connected to. Around 30,000 students study there.
HHU has five faculties on a single campus: Medicine, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Business Administration and Economics, and Law. The medical campus sits directly next to the university hospital. The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences covers biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, pharmacy, physics and psychology and puts its focus on life sciences and physics; the university also names the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence as evidence of its research strength.
The university's own list of reasons to study there points to more than 85 study programmes, including mixed degrees such as Transculturality, Actuarial Mathematics and Business Chemistry, and to a campus where all faculties meet, with an integrated residential complex.
Most degrees are taught in German, so international applicants generally need to prove German for German-language programmes. HHU's pages list no tuition fee, only a semester fee of 371.15 euros for winter 2026/27, and Düsseldorf rents are higher than in other cities.
Why students choose HHU
Five faculties, including a medical faculty adjacent to the university hospital, share one campus, so distances between lectures, library and cafeteria are short.
More than 85 study programmes, with degrees such as Business Chemistry, Actuarial Mathematics and Transculturality, and the university stresses goal-oriented modules, including AI basics, alongside classic subjects.
HHU is part of the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence, which the university cites as evidence of top-level research.
A Deutschlandticket travel pass covers regional public transport across Germany, and HHU points to nearby towns such as Mönchengladbach, about 30 minutes from Düsseldorf main station, as cheaper places to live.
Admissions
Winter semester 2027/28 (application dates published as yearly windows)
Selectivity
HHU publishes no overall acceptance rate. Courses are either unrestricted or have local admission restrictions (Orts-NC); Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy are allocated through the Centralised Admissions Procedure.
Typical entry requirements
| Non-EU school-leaving certificate | Must qualify for study in Germany (check the anabin database). Non-EU applicants must submit a uni-assist preliminary review documentation (VPD) issued for their application to HHU. |
|---|---|
| German language | Proof of German for German-language programmes; a Feststellungsprüfung result with at least a grade of adequate in German is also accepted. |
| Non-German-language programmes | Proof of proficiency in the language of the programme. |
Deadlines
- Summer semester, restricted-admission subjects Non-binding Next deadline · In ~3 months15 January (2027 for summer semester 2027)
Deadlines for unrestricted subjects are published separately on HHU's site.
- Winter semester, restricted-admission subjects Non-binding In ~9 months15 July (2027 for winter semester 2027/28)
HHU states the date without a year. No documents can be submitted after the deadline for restricted subjects.
The 15 July and 15 January dates are HHU's standing deadlines for non-EU applicants, shown without a year; check the portal before applying.
How to apply
Non-EU applicants apply online through the HHU application portal after requesting a uni-assist VPD at least 8 weeks before the HHU deadline. Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy applications go through Hochschulstart, except for non-EU applicants with a foreign entrance qualification, who apply directly via the HHU portal.
What admissions looks for
- A school-leaving certificate that entitles you to study in Germany, checked by uni-assist.
- German language proof for German-language programmes.
- For restricted subjects, a competitive profile in the allocation ranking.
Tips for applying to HHU
- 1 Request the uni-assist VPD at least 8 weeks before the HHU deadline, and make sure it is issued for HHU: a general assessment report is not enough.
- 2 Non-EU citizens with a university entrance qualification from an EU country apply as non-EU citizens but do not need a VPD for unrestricted or national-restriction subjects.
- 3 Check whether your subject is unrestricted; its deadlines differ from the 15 July and 15 January dates.
- 4 Start the housing search right after applying, because HHU warns that Düsseldorf rents are above those in other cities.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
HHU lists scholarships on its funding pages, including the STIBET scholarship and schemes for international students with a refugee background such as the NRWege scholarships and HHU's own study-entry, achievement and annual scholarships.
- 371.15 euros (plus a 10 euro late fee from 16 August 2026)
- Semester fee, winter 2026/27
- 100 euros
- Cross-registered student fee
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (winter and summer)
Business Chemistry
One of the mixed degrees the university names among its 85-plus programmes.
Actuarial Mathematics
A specialised mathematics degree listed among HHU's innovative mixtures of fields.
Transculturality
A humanities-based degree named by the university as an example of its interdisciplinary programmes.
Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy
Allocated through the Centralised Admissions Procedure; the medical faculty sits next to the university hospital.
Business Administration and Economics
A faculty founded in 1990 whose Oeconomicum building the university highlights for its learning spaces.
Research
- The CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence is cited by the university as advancing cutting-edge research to international standards.
- The Center for Synthetic Life Sciences is named by HHU as one of its modern buildings, shaped like a giant X chromosome.
- The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences puts its focus on life sciences and physics.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Medical Faculty
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities
- Faculty of Business Administration and Economics
Student life
HHU is a campus university in the south-east of Düsseldorf, with all five faculties, the university library and an integrated residential complex on one site. The university describes an inexpensive cafeteria, a botanical garden, a Student Service Center that is open from morning to night, and a campus culture with music groups and cultural offerings. International students can find hall-of-residence rooms or flatshares, and HHU advises them to start searching as soon as they apply.
- All faculties meet on one campus with an integrated residential complex.
- A Student Service Center open from morning to night, praised for its architecture.
- Music-making groups and other campus-culture activities on the About HHU pages.
- A botanical garden and inexpensive cafeteria on campus.
Housing. Students live in halls of residence or private accommodation; HHU recommends applying for a hall room as soon as you are admitted and warns that finding accommodation in Düsseldorf is difficult.
Location
Düsseldorf is the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. HHU's roughly triangular campus is in the south-east of the city, in the Bilk district, next to the university hospital. The university notes that average rents in Düsseldorf are higher than in other cities and that cheaper rooms can be found in nearby towns such as Moenchengladbach, about 30 minutes away by train.
Nearest airport: Düsseldorf Airport (DUS)
Notable alumni
- PG Patty GurdyHurdy-gurdy musician, singer, songwriter and YouTuber
- MK Moritz KörnerPolitician of the Free Democratic Party and Member of the European Parliament
- BS Bernhard SabelNeuropsychologist and brain researcher
- GT Günter TheißenGeneticist
- MS Monika S. SchmidLinguist
- LV Larisa VelićJudge of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Frequently asked questions
Does Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf charge tuition fees?
HHU's pages list only a semester fee of 371.15 euros for winter 2026/27. DAAD says state universities generally do not charge tuition for bachelor's degrees, with Baden-Wuerttemberg's 1,500 euros per semester for non-EU students the main exception.
What are the application deadlines for international students?
For restricted-admission subjects, 15 July for the winter semester and 15 January for the summer semester. Unrestricted subjects have separate deadlines on HHU's site.
What is a VPD?
The preliminary review documentation from uni-assist that non-EU applicants need for HHU; request it at least 8 weeks before the deadline.
Do I need German to study at HHU?
For German-language programmes, yes, you must prove German. For programmes taught in another language, you must prove proficiency in that language.
How is HHU ranked?
QS World University Rankings 2027 places it in the 951-1000 band, THE World University Rankings 2026 in the 251-300 band, ARWU 2026 in the 201-300 band and U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 at 440.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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