University in Germany
Dresden, Sachsen, Germany
University profile
Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden is Germany's only independent university of dance. It is a state university of the Free State of Saxony and a public-law corporation, and it grew out of the school founded by the expressionist dancer Gret Palucca in 1925. About 200 pupils and students are enrolled, almost half of them male, and they come from more than 30 countries, among them Italy, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru and Bulgaria. An integrated Oberschule gives the institution some of the youngest students in Germany.
Teaching rests on three pillars taught throughout every programme: classical dance, contemporary/modern dance and improvisation. Individual support of each student is the stated guiding principle. The classical curriculum draws on the Vaganova and Balanchine methods and French classical ballet; contemporary teaching is a hybrid drawing on Humphrey/Limon, release technique and Gaga movement language; improvisation work includes Laban Movement Analysis and Forsythe Improvisation Technologies.
The study offer comprises orientation classes (school years 5 and 6) and Nachwuchsförderklassen (years 7 to 10), the Bachelor of Arts in Tanz, the Master of Arts programmes Dance Teacher (part-time, taught in English) and Choreografie, the certificate course Elevenprogramm Tanz run with the Semperoper Ballett, and the Künstlerische Meisterklasse, an individual advanced course tied to a professor as mentor. The Bachelor Tanz is taught in English. Applicants for the orientation and Nachwuchsförder classes must speak and write German fluently, because the Oberschule teaches in German; pupils complete school with the Realschulabschluss.
The campus lies in the Strehlen district of Dresden, close to the Großer Garten. Since April 2007 the main building at Basteiplatz, two villas and a new building have formed the campus, which holds eleven dance studios, an auditorium, the boarding school (Internat), library, archive, canteen, health centre, costume store, sound and video studio, the Oberschule and administration. The institution has an international teaching staff and invites guest choreographers, and it maintains partnerships with theatres, universities and dance schools in the region, in Germany and abroad, including the Semperoper Dresden, the Staatsschauspiel Dresden, the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden and the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden.
Minors in the orientation classes, Nachwuchsförderklassen and the Bachelor programme can live in the Internat, which has 60 places; older students can apply to the Studentenwerk Dresden for places in student halls. Student health is supported by the Health Team, set up in 2013, with in-house physiotherapy, a fitness room, a rest room, nutrition counselling and a Body Awareness Coach. Erasmus+ and Swiss-European Mobility Programme exchange students and free-mover guest students (up to two semesters) are admitted to the Bachelor Tanz.
No tuition fees are charged for the undergraduate programmes. In the Master programmes a tuition fee applies: EUR 225 per semester for the Master Choreografie and EUR 750 per semester for the part-time Master Dance Teacher. Every student also pays a semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag, not tuition). For winter semester 2026/27 it is EUR 6.00 student body contribution plus the Studentenwerk contribution (EUR 109.73 for the orientation and Nachwuchsförder classes, EUR 112.73 for the other programmes) and, for the Bachelor Tanz and Master Choreografie, the Deutschland-Semesterticket at EUR 264.60. Totals including any tuition: EUR 115.73 (N-Klassen), EUR 383.33 (Bachelor Tanz, Eleven, Meisterklasse), EUR 868.73 (Master Dance Teacher) and EUR 608.33 (Master Choreografie). Boarding school fees are monthly EUR 209.50 without weekend and holiday care, or EUR 256.50 with it.
Awarded once a year to talented students, half funded by the Saxon ministry (SMWK) and half by private or public donors including Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden and Palucca e.V. The amount is EUR 300 per month for one study year. Applicants must meet the entry requirements and either be about to begin or be enrolled in the Nachwuchsförderstudium, Bachelor Tanz, Master Tanzpädagogik or Master Choreografie with at least one year of study remaining. Selection by the Rektorat considers academic performance, development potential, personality and creativity, awards, commitment and personal circumstances including financial need. Applications need the form, a motivation letter (maximum two pages), CV, a recommendation from a teacher and supporting documents; forms are available from October through the Akademisches Auslandsamt, and the deadline is 25 January 2027. Details: Deutschlandstipendium.
Funded by the Esther und Otto Seligmann Foundation and the Arnhold Foundation for outstanding study results. It covers a six-week stay at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina and a one-week stay in New York, and is awarded each year to three students chosen by an internal jury. Official page.
Normally one state scholarship a year for students of the Künstlerische Meisterklasse, conditional on taking part in the Meisterklasse. Official page.
The university can award a small number of DAAD STIBET scholarships to international students, usually advertised each year, and presents an annual DAAD Prize of EUR 1,000 for outstanding achievements by an international student. Further scholarships can be found in the DAAD scholarship database. BAföG advice and applications go through the Amt für Ausbildungsförderung of the Studentenwerk Dresden. Exchange mobility is supported through Erasmus+ and PROMOS. Official page.
Deutschlandstipendium at Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden →
Esther-Arnhold-Seligmann Scholarship (American Dance Festival study stay) →
Saxon State Scholarship for Master Class Students (Sächsisches Landesstipendium) →
DAAD STIBET Scholarships for International Students at Palucca Hochschule →
Browse the scholarships listed for Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden →The three-year Bachelor of Arts Tanz is taught in English. Entry requires the Realschul- or Gymnasialabschluss, or an equivalent entitlement recognised by the competent state authority (section 18 SächsHSFG), plus special artistic ability: physical suitability, imagination of movement and expressiveness, musicality, and prior training in classical dance, contemporary dance and improvisation at the level needed for Bachelor study. Applicants aged 20 or older cannot start in the first or second semester. Study starts in the winter semester only.
Admission has two stages: an online video aptitude test and, for those who pass, an on-site entrance examination in Dresden consisting of training sessions in classical, modern and contemporary dance and improvisation. For the 2027/28 intake the application portal is open from 1 January to 7 February 2027, test results follow by 8 March 2027 and the entrance examination takes place on 9 to 11 April 2027. Applications are made only through the university's online application portal. Applicants upload a CV, passport photo, two to three dance photos, proof of payment of the EUR 50 application fee, and any previous study records, together with a video link containing a short introduction in English, a ballet class section (up to six minutes), and contemporary/modern and improvisation material. Before enrolment applicants submit proof of English at level B1 (Cambridge PET, TOEFL iBT, IELTS or UNICERT; not needed for native English speakers), a medical certificate confirming fitness for dance study, a certified copy of the last general school certificate, proof of health insurance and proof of payment of the semester contribution. Admission is capacity limited; a ranking applies if more applicants pass than places exist.
Entry requires a general, subject-specific or Fachhochschulreife (section 18 SächsHSG), with the possibility of waiving it for special artistic aptitude shown by a video variation, and pedagogical suitability. Specialisations have professional-experience conditions: rehearsal director (five years as company dancer and/or rehearsal director), professional dance education (three years as company dancer and/or five years as dance teacher) and Community Dance (one year as company dancer or three years as dance teacher, or proof of special artistic aptitude). Students choose classical or contemporary/modern dance as their focus. The programme earns 120 ECTS, can be completed in three years, and is taught in English; non-native English speakers need level C1, which may be provided after conditional enrolment by the end of the second semester. Applicants submit a CV, motivation letter, certified copies of qualifications and professional practice, study records, the EUR 50 fee receipt, and a written teaching concept; the entrance examination comprises presenting the concept, a practical exercise of up to 30 minutes and an interview, with dates agreed with candidates between January and the end of April. The 2027/28 portal is open from 11 January to 5 March 2027. Enrolment is each winter semester.
This two-year programme (120 ECTS, Master of Arts) is taught in English. Entry requires a general or subject-specific higher education entrance qualification (section 17(2) SächsHSFG), as a rule several years of dance practice, a begun choreographic career or successful presentation of own choreographies and, as a rule, at least one year of professional experience. Enrolment is every two years in the winter semester of even-numbered years, next for 2028/29. Documents include certified certificates (foreign ones with certified translation), an English motivation letter, a written concept of up to 1,500 characters for an own choreographic project, a portfolio of up to ten video links (maximum 60 minutes), two references, a CV and proof of English. The online entrance examination comprises a choreographic task to one of six pieces of music, a composition video of one to two minutes, a written reflection, an oral analysis of a dance video, a presentation of an own choreography of about 5 to 10 minutes, and an interview. A C1 certificate is due by the end of the second semester.
Pupils in school years 5 to 10 attend the integrated Oberschule and finish with the Realschulabschluss; foreign applicants must speak and write German fluently. Entry follows an aptitude test and an entrance examination. Study at the school only for dance is not possible.
Every application carries a non-refundable application fee of EUR 50. Erasmus+ and SEMP exchange students must be nominated by their home institution (deadline 28 February 2027 for winter semester 2027/28, English B1). Free-mover guest students can study for one to two semesters in the Bachelor Tanz under the Bachelor entry requirements. Applicants from outside Europe who need a visa to attend an aptitude test can apply for a visa for the purpose of study application. Language certificates must be obtained before applying, as the university does not administer language exams.
Facilities on campus: Internat with 60 places (three-bed rooms with private bathroom, common room with piano and TV, shared kitchen, laundry); library; archive; canteen supplied by the Studentenwerk Dresden, open to matriculated students of Dresden universities and arts colleges; Health Team with physiotherapy, fitness room, rest room and nutrition counselling; costume store with an in-house tailor; Oberschule. The campus is about ten minutes on foot from the S-Bahn stop Haltepunkt Strehlen; buses 61, 63 and 85 stop at Tiergartenstraße.
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