Why h_da

With a population of approximately 150,000 Darmstadt is a medium-sized city centrally located in Germany. It offers everything that your heart desires, from a variety of shopping options, a diverse nightlife and active music scene to sports and recreational opportunities. Darmstadt is also a student city with over 41,000 students between three universities.

In the event that Darmstadt starts to feel too small and you find yourself craving a „real“ big city, the metropolis Frankfurt am Main is just 30 minutes away. If you find yourself in search of quiet and a place to recharge your batteries, there are plenty of opportunities to spend time in nature, in the nearby Odenwald, for example, on a hike along the idyllic Bergstraße, or in the romantic Rhine region.

As students of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, your student ID card is also your ticket for public transportation for almost all of the state of Hessen. The public transportation network is fully developed and you can travel to cities such as Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Gießen, Marburg, Fulda, and Limburg without additional cost. The central location of Hessen is also a great starting point to explore all of Germany and even Europe. There are very good train connections in all directions, thus it is very easy to reach cities such as Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Paris or Amsterdam in approx. 6 hours or less.

Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences is a university that emphasizes practical knowledge. The degree programmes are geared towards direct career entry. All of our professors have worked in the industry at least 5 years before they were called to h_da. This means you will receive expert practical and technical knowledge first hand.

As one of the largest universities of applied sciences in the whole country, we offer 11 departments with a total of 52 programmes of study at the bachelor‘s as well as the master‘s level.

Not only do our professors have an industrial background, they also maintain close bonds with partners from economy and industry. Hence, the state of knowledge taught is up to date and there are interesting internship places in companies. 

The International Office supports you during your entire stay in Darmstadt with several services. Upon arrival a buddy or tutor will meet you at the airport/train station. If you have applied for a room in a student residence and a room has been assigned to you our student residence tutors will help you moving in. Your buddy or student tutor will show you nearby grocery shops and help you buy a SIM card. Thus your family and friends can call you on a cell phone from the start. During the orientation programme and after reviewing your health insurance, we enroll you at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Now you receive your student ID card that is at the same time your ticket for public transportation. Our student tutors assist you in opening a German bank account and registering you with the Residents’ Registration Office. During the run of the semester the tutors will accompany you to your appointments at the Foreigners’ Registration Office for obtaining or extending your visa. Apart from German classes on four different levels and an intercultural panel we are offering a lot of fun activities! Some of them are a welcome dinner, karaoke night, clubbing, and a weekend trip.

Buddy Program
In addition, h_da has a Buddy Program. The idea is that students from Darmstadt („welcome buddies“) assist international students („incoming buddies“) in study-related matters and help them find their way around h_da and Darmstadt/Dieburg.
If you would like to be supported by a student from Darmstadt, sign up for the Buddy Program.

Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences is proud of its international student body of 20 percent. As a consequence you will not only get to know Germany and its population but also students from all over the world! You will discover new perspectives and other cultures and establish contacts for your future.

Aside from administrative support the International Office organizes semester activities that are informative and a lot of fun! In the past years we had guided tours of companies such as Merck (a global chemical and pharmaceutical company), we went on a canoeing trip, or visited climbing parks. In December we arrange day trips to some of the most beautiful traditional Christmas markets and, of course, we also celebrate the season during our Christmas party. You can access the current semester activities here (LINK FEHLT).

During the semester(s) at h_da you have the opportunity to work on projects. Thus, you can put your theoretical knowledge to use in a practical context. Usually a small group of students is supervised by a full time professor. The project group is working on a task that has been proposed by a company and your results might even get implemented in real life.