Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften – Hochschule Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel

About Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften – Hochschule Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel

Ostfalia is a state-sector university of applied sciences in Lower Saxony. Its legal notice identifies the university as a public-law corporation under the supervision of the Lower Saxony science ministry. The institution was founded in 1971 and now teaches across four locations: Wolfenbüttel, Wolfsburg, Salzgitter, and Suderburg. These are campuses of one independent university, not separate institutions. The distributed structure strongly shapes the student experience. Wolfenbüttel is the largest campus, with more than 5,500 students according to the university’s current first-year information. It hosts the faculties of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Law, Social Work, and Building Services Engineering. Wolfsburg concentrates areas such as automotive engineering, health care, and business; Salzgitter houses transport, sport, tourism, and media; and Suderburg includes construction, water and soil subjects alongside business and social work. Ostfalia’s university-of-applied-sciences model emphasizes professionally oriented teaching and links with practice. Prospective students can choose among conventional campus programs and a substantial selection of practice-integrated or dual, online, and part-time options. This breadth creates flexibility, but it also means that services, commuting arrangements, academic calendars, and local student life can differ by location and format. Students should investigate the precise program page and campus before applying. The winter semester 2026/27 begins on 1 September 2026, with regular teaching and first-year welcome activities at all four locations beginning on 21 September.

Ostfalia’s application portal was open for winter semester 2026/27 as of 20 August 2026, and the university reported remaining places. Procedures depend on the degree, admission status, and applicant’s prior education. Bachelor’s applicants need a recognized German higher-education entrance qualification or another route permitted under Lower Saxony law. Master’s admission is program-specific and normally requires a relevant prior degree plus any conditions set by the applicable admission regulations. Applicants with a foreign school-leaving qualification generally apply to bachelor’s programs through uni-assist. For winter semester 2026/27, the general published international bachelor’s deadline was 15 July 2026, with an earlier 15 June deadline for several named programs. Those dates have passed and should not be reused for a later intake. International master’s applicants apply directly through Ostfalia’s online portal; the university describes typical application phases of approximately 15 May to 15 July for winter entry and 15 November to 15 January for summer entry. Individual program rules remain controlling. Applicants educated abroad must demonstrate German through an accepted language certificate where required. Applicants presenting educational documents from China, India, or Vietnam must also provide a valid APS certificate. English-taught or jointly delivered programs may impose different language or procedural requirements, so the individual program page must be checked. Enrollment is completed only after the required documents are uploaded, the semester contribution is paid, and the health insurer transmits the required electronic insurance status. Admission decisions and subsequent enrollment instructions are delivered through the application portal.

The official study directory lists 99 programs: 68 bachelor’s and 31 master’s entries. It also identifies 18 practice-integrated or dual options, 13 online options, and 19 part-time offerings. Those totals describe directory entries rather than necessarily 99 wholly distinct subjects, since a field can appear in multiple formats or locations. The directory should be used to filter by award, campus, intake semester, admission status, and delivery format. Academic provision spans engineering, computing, construction and environmental fields, automotive subjects, health care, business, law, social work, media, transport, tourism, and sport-related fields. Wolfenbüttel is especially relevant to students considering electrical and information engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, law, social work, or building-services engineering. Other subject groups are based at the remaining campuses, so applicants cannot assume that their chosen program is taught in Wolfenbüttel. Many programs are marked admission-free, while others are admission-restricted. Entry may be available in the summer semester, winter semester, or both, depending on the course. Master’s applicants must consult the individual admission regulations because consecutive and continuing-education degrees use program-specific academic and, in some cases, professional requirements. Practice-integrated study is a significant option rather than a universal feature. Current offerings include programs linked to partner organizations, and some formats combine study with vocational training while others integrate company experience without a second vocational qualification. Standard programs may also include laboratories, projects, or compulsory practical phases, but the exact structure is governed by each curriculum. Applicants should review the program-specific module handbook, examination rules, teaching language, and partner requirements before deciding.

Key Highlights

• Public university of applied sciences founded in 1971
• One institution operating across four Lower Saxony campuses
• Wolfenbüttel is the largest campus, with more than 5,500 students
• Winter semester 2026/27 teaching begins on 21 September 2026

Student Life & Environment

Student life is organized locally at each of Ostfalia’s four campuses, with university-wide support layered over campus-specific activities. First-year students receive access to Stud.IP and Moodle for course organization, the study and examination system, and an Ostfalia Card used for university services. Central academic advising, the International Student Office, and other counseling services help with study choices, transitions, and problems during a degree. Ostfalia does not operate or allocate its own housing. Student residences in Wolfenbüttel, Wolfsburg, and Suderburg are managed by Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen, and students must apply to that organization. Private rentals and shared flats are additional options. Because residence capacity is not guaranteed, students should begin their search after choosing a campus rather than waiting for enrollment. University sport is offered across the locations and includes fitness, dance, and team activities. A university choir rehearses in Wolfenbüttel, while campus and cross-campus initiatives provide further ways to participate. Examples include the Wolfenbüttel student film club, an autonomous-vehicle project, student representation, and interdisciplinary teams that help organize the Expect! careers fair. Available groups can change, so current activity pages are more reliable than older brochures. International students can use the International Student Office and the FYI integration project. Support described by the university includes language courses, tandem activities, advice on practical and financial concerns, job-search help, application training, company visits, and opportunities to meet other students.

Location & Surroundings

The university’s administrative address and largest study location are in Wolfenbüttel, a city in Lower Saxony near Braunschweig. Ostfalia uses more than one teaching site within Wolfenbüttel, including facilities around Salzdahlumer Straße and Am Exer. Applicants should check the faculty address on their program page before arranging housing or calculating a commute. Wolfenbüttel hosts six faculties: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Law, Social Work, and Building Services Engineering. Students in other fields may instead study in Wolfsburg, Salzgitter, or Suderburg. The four-campus structure makes the listed city in the database an administrative and major-campus location, not the location of every program. Public transport matters for both everyday travel and regional access. The winter 2026/27 semester contribution for Wolfenbüttel includes the Deutschlandsemesterticket, subject to the university’s stated program exceptions. This supports broad local and regional public-transport use under the ticket’s applicable rules. Campus food, library space, residences, and activities are distributed locally, so a prospective student should assess the specific campus environment rather than rely on a university-wide description.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For winter semester 2026/27, Ostfalia lists a semester contribution of €472.80 for Wolfenbüttel, Wolfsburg, and Suderburg. It comprises a €75 administrative charge, €150 Studierendenwerk contribution, €21 student-body contribution, and €226.80 Deutschlandsemesterticket. Salzgitter’s total is €434.80 because its Studierendenwerk component differs. Certain online and continuing-education programs pay reduced contributions without the transport ticket, while Digital Technologies has a separate total. Continuing-education programs can also charge additional program fees, so €472.80 should not be treated as the complete cost for every degree. The official contribution page does not provide a general living-cost budget. Students must separately plan for accommodation, food, health insurance, study materials, and personal costs. Ostfalia cannot guarantee housing; residences are managed by Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen and require a separate application. International students should therefore build a campus-specific budget and consult current residence prices and German visa funding requirements where applicable. Long-term-study fees can apply after a student’s study credit is exhausted; the university listed an additional €500 for affected students in winter 2026/27. Career support is practical and available across the institution. The Career Service advises on career planning, applications, compulsory internships in Germany or abroad, and the transition into employment. It also offers transferable-skills seminars, job portals, short-term job listings, company visits, and the Expect! career fair. The FYI project provides targeted employment support for international students. These services and Ostfalia’s practice-integrated programs create routes to employer contact, but the university does not publish verified institution-wide salary or placement outcomes on the cited pages, so no earnings or employment-rate claim is made here.