University in Germany
Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany
University profile
Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar (HBKsaar) is the state art and design academy of the Saarland, located in Saarbrücken. Founded in 1989, it describes itself as one of the main creative centres of the Greater Region (Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, Alsace, Lorraine, Luxembourg and Wallonia) and has around 500 study places. It continues the tradition of Saarland art schools dating back to 1924, associated with names such as Oskar Holweck, Sofie Dawo, Boris Kleint, Frans Masereel, Peter Raacke, Robert Sessler and Otto Steinert.
Teaching is interdisciplinary and project-oriented, with considerable permeability between programmes. Undergraduate programmes are Freie Kunst, Kommunikationsdesign, Produktdesign, Media Art & Design and teacher training in Kunsterziehung. All first-year students of the undergraduate programmes take the first semester together in the Bildnerische Grundlagen (foundation studies) before moving into their chosen programme from the second semester. Postgraduate offerings are consecutive Master programmes in Freie Kunst, Kommunikationsdesign, Produktdesign and Media Art & Design, specialised Masters in Experimental Media, Public Art/Public Design and the Quereinstiegsmaster Lehramt Bildende Kunst, a Meisterstudium and doctoral studies. The HBKsaar holds the right to award doctorates (Dr. phil.). Events in Medieninformatik are offered with Saarland University, and the Master Kulturmanagement is run by htw saar in cooperation with the HBKsaar and the Hochschule für Musik Saar.
The main campus lies in central Saarbrücken (Keplerstraße), with a second site, the Handwerkergasse, in the UNESCO World Heritage Völklinger Hütte. Central facilities include a library, the university archive, mechanical workshops, video and sound studios, a photography studio, a print centre, the Experimental Media Lab (xm:lab), the Digital Production Centre (dpz, run with Saarland University's Computer Science department), the Galerie der HBKsaar and an evening school (Abendschule). Workshops cover screen, digital and relief printing, CAD, wood, metal, form (plaster, ceramics, porcelain), light and sound.
The K8 Institut für strategische Ästhetik, founded in 2015, supports transfer activities, and three affiliated institutes belong to the HBKsaar: the Institut für aktuelle Kunst im Saarland (Saarlouis), the Institut für kuratorische Theorie und Praxis and the Institut für Visuelle Kommunikation (Güstrow). Partnerships include the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, the Max Planck Society, Fraunhofer, htw saar, the Hochschule für Musik Saar and Erasmus partner schools in Europe.
International applicants are welcome and apply through uni-assist for a preliminary review of their certificates; German at B2 level is required. Students can apply for rooms in the halls of residence of the Studierendenwerk Saarland and use university sport and health management offered with Saarland University. The HBKsaar charges no tuition fees. Student self-government is organised through the StuPa and AStA.
The HBKsaar does not charge tuition fees. Each semester students pay the Semesterbeitrag (not tuition). For winter semester 2026/27, for students enrolled only at the HBKsaar: Studierendenwerk Saarland contribution EUR 121.20, accident, liability and theft insurance EUR 1.30, student body contribution EUR 22.90 and the Deutschland semester ticket EUR 226.80, a total of EUR 372.20, plus an administrative fee of EUR 50.00 (EUR 422.20 in all). For students also enrolled at another institution the contribution is EUR 249.70 plus EUR 25.00 for double enrolment (EUR 274.70), or plus EUR 16.66 for enrolment at two further institutions (EUR 266.36). An exemption from the administrative fee can be requested in the SIM student portal.
The International Office advises on scholarship and funding programmes, ERASMUS+, PROMOS, cooperation with DAAD, scholarships for international students at the HBKsaar and BAföG matters. The Peter und Luise Hager Foundation awards annual prizes to outstanding students, and studio scholarships for HBKsaar graduates are offered with the Saarländisches Künstlerhaus and KuBa. The Vereinigung der Förderer der HBKsaar e.V. (founded 1996) has provided around EUR 400,000 for work, scholarships, study trips, exhibitions and workshop equipment. Students may apply for rooms in the Studierendenwerk Saarland halls of residence.
More: Student service, Semester contributions, Förderer, International Office.
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View scholarships for Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar →Admission to Freie Kunst, Kommunikationsdesign, Produktdesign and Media Art & Design requires the Fachhochschulreife (or being in the final school year leading to it); admission on grounds of exceptional artistic talent requires completed schooling or at least Year 9. Kunsterziehung requires the allgemeine Hochschulreife or a recognised equivalent. Applicants should normally be at least 18 by the end of the year of application. The programmes in Kommunikationsdesign, Media Art & Design and Produktdesign include a 12-week related internship.
Admission is for the winter semester only (start 1 October) and depends on passing an aptitude test (Eignungsprüfung) consisting of a portfolio pre-selection and an oral/practical examination in Saarbrücken. Applications go through the SIM application portal and must arrive by 31 May (final deadline); the application period opens in mid-April. Documents: CV with photograph, school-leaving certificate or latest half-year report, ID scan, proof of any relevant training or internship and prior study, and a portfolio (about 20 works as a PDF of up to 100 MB for the design programmes; Media Art & Design 3 to 20 works; a portfolio of 20 originals sent or delivered to the examinations office for Freie Kunst and Kunsterziehung, 10 for primary-level teacher training). Successful candidates receive an admission notice and then apply for enrolment through the portal.
Applicants with foreign certificates first obtain a preliminary review documentation (VPD) from uni-assist, ideally at least six weeks before the deadline, and submit it with their application; applying to uni-assist alone does not count as an application. Certificates in other languages must be in German or English. German proficiency of at least B2 is required: TestDaF level 4 in all sections, Goethe-Zertifikat B2, telc Deutsch B2, Deutsches Sprachdiplom of the KMK level 2 (at least B2 in all sections) or DSH level 2. Applicants from China also need the APS certificate from the German Embassy in Beijing. The selection process is otherwise the same as for German applicants.
Master programmes are open to HBKsaar Bachelor graduates and to graduates of academic or artistic Bachelor programmes with at least 240 ECTS; applicants with fewer ECTS can be offered a transition programme. Admission depends on an aptitude procedure prepared by an HBKsaar committee. Winter semester applications are due by 31 May and summer semester applications by 30 November (the round opens on 2 November for summer semester 2027, deadline 30 November 2026), via the SIM portal. Documents: school-leaving certificate, Bachelor or Diplom certificate (or transcript with credits and average grade), CV with photograph, further qualifications, a motivation letter with a topic or project proposal and a portfolio (PDF up to 100 MB); the Quereinstiegsmaster requires a portfolio of about 20 to 25 pages. The Master programmes Kuratieren/Ausstellungswesen and Museumspädagogik are currently suspended and not admitting students. Typical Master duration is one year (60 ECTS) and should not exceed two years.
The Dr. phil. is available to holders of a relevant Master from an artistic, design or academic institution, a relevant postgraduate degree, a relevant university Diplom or Staatsexamen, or a Bachelor or Diplom with outstanding results plus suitable preparatory academic work. Applicants are entered on the Promotionsliste and the procedure follows the Promotionsordnung of the HBKsaar.
Workshops and studios: screen printing, digital printing, relief and intaglio printing and risography, dpz (rapid prototyping, rapid manufacturing, physical computing), CAD studio, photo studio and darkroom, video studio, sound studio, wood, form (plaster, ceramics, porcelain) and metal workshops, project workshop S_A_R-Unit and light lab. Further facilities: Mediapool equipment loans, Galerie der HBKsaar, Medienfassade, xm:lab, bicycle Velobox and loan bikes.
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