Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe (HfG)

Degree programmes and entry

The HfG awards the Diplom (Medienkunst, Ausstellungsdesign und Szenografie, Kommunikationsdesign, Produktdesign) and the Magister Artium (Kunstwissenschaft und Medienphilosophie). Both are equivalent to a Master degree and carry the same entitlements. There are no Bachelor or Master programmes and no intermediate Bachelor-equivalent degree. Study begins in the winter semester only. Applicants with a suitable Bachelor degree can, depending on individual aptitude, be admitted to a higher semester.

Academic entry requirements

Applicants need the general or subject-restricted Hochschulreife or an equivalent prior qualification under section 58(2) of the Landeshochschulgesetz Baden-Württemberg. The Fachhochschulreife is not sufficient. Applicants with a subject-restricted qualification can only be admitted to the matching programme. For Kunstwissenschaft und Medienphilosophie either Latin (Latinum) or knowledge of two foreign languages is required, and English is desirable for all subjects. Applicants must also pass an entrance examination proving artistic-professional or academic aptitude.

Entrance examination

For the practice programmes the examination consists of a pre-selection based on the motivation letter and a portfolio of up to 20 work samples, followed by a selection interview. The admissions committee may set a practical task, to be presented at the interview. For Kunstwissenschaft und Medienphilosophie the pre-selection is based on the motivation letter, and a portfolio is optional, followed by an interview.

How and when to apply

Applications are made online only, through the HfG's own application portal (not uni-assist). Applications for the following winter semester are submitted from 1 March to 30 April (exclusion deadline). For 2026 the deadline for Kunstwissenschaft und Medienphilosophie was extended to 20 July. Documents to upload: a one-to-two-page motivation letter, a copy of the Hochschulreife certificate (or a current school certificate and half-year report), a Bachelor certificate if applicable, a CV, and the portfolio (one PDF, maximum 20 samples, 50 MB). Minors need parental consent. A complete application is required for each subject applied for. Online matriculation follows by 15 August, with the semester fee paid by that date, and the final matriculation takes place in person at the Studienbüro from 15 September, with certified copy of the entrance qualification, proof of health insurance and a signed house and fire safety declaration.

International applicants

Foreign school and degree certificates must be recognised as equivalent to the German Hochschulreife, and the HfG decides on recognition during the admissions procedure. Certified English or German translations are needed unless the documents are issued in those languages. Applicants from South Korea may be asked for the College Scholastic Ability Test result, and applicants from China, India and Vietnam for a valid APS certificate. Proof of a passed German language test is required at matriculation. Accepted: DSH with overall result DSH-1; TestDaF with at least TDN 3 in all four parts; the German part of the Feststellungsprüfung at a Studienkolleg; DSD II; Goethe-Zertifikat C2 (GDS), C1 or B2; ÖSD C2, C1 or B2; telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule, C1 or B2. German is the regular language of instruction, although international professors often teach in English.

Doctoral admission

The doctoral programme in Kunstwissenschaft und Medienphilosophie (Dr. phil., under the Promotionsordnung 2015) admits, as a rule, candidates with a Master or Magister degree in a theory programme in art, cultural, humanities, media or social sciences with an overall grade of at least 'good' (2.0 or better). Applicants submit a CV, copies of degree certificates and a dissertation outline of about 5-7 pages through the online portal; the Promotionsausschuss decides on admission after a doctoral agreement is concluded. Admission is as a rule not linked to funding.

Karlsruhe (Lorenzstraße 15, Südweststadt): the single site of the HfG, in a former industrial hall shared with the ZKM. All five programmes, the administration, the Studienbüro and the International Office are located here.

• Workshops: 3D printing, electronics, wood, model making and metal, screen printing, printing and book binding, plotter rooms for Kommunikationsdesign and Medienkunst.
• Studios: photography, sound, stereoscopy and the multifunctional Großes Studio (Bühnenstudio) with lighting, sound and recording systems for concerts, performances, lectures and filming.
• Blauer Salon: the HfG's own cinema with 45 seats, a cinemascope screen and formats from digital 2K and 3D to 35 mm and 16 mm film; it hosts the student-run Kino im Blauen Salon with free admission.
• Library: shared with the ZKM, around 90,000 books and media on art, media art, media theory, art history, design, architecture and philosophy, more than 20 reading places and a media lounge with space for events of up to 30 people; the stock is openly accessible.
• Opening hours of the building during teaching periods: Monday to Friday 8-22; outside teaching periods Monday to Friday 9-19.
• The HfG has no halls of residence of its own; information on housing is given through the Studierendenwerk.