Student Life in Heidelberg

Study at a world-class research university. Become part of a premier institute for interdisciplinary research at Germany's oldest university, one of eleven German universities of excellence. The Ruprecht-Karls-Universität reliably ranks among the German top three and the leading universities worldwide. 

Enjoy our beautiful campus. The HCA is one of many institutes on the historic Old Town Campus, which together with the adjacent Campus Bergheim and the Neuenheimer Feld across the river comprise Heidelberg University. The HCA is located in a 300-year-old baroque townhouse just steps away from the University Library, the main lecture halls, and the cafeterias. This setting offers perfect working conditions as well as a welcoming atmosphere for students, scholars, and the public.

Join an international learning community. Heidelberg is home to about 30,000 full-time students, including about 6,000 international students. The university also attracts around 250 international visiting professors each year.

Enjoy first-rate libraries. Our students have access to the resources of the departments connected to the HCA. In addition, they can conduct research at globally renowned institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law and the Schurman Library for American History. The award-winning university library boasts 3.2 million volumes, among them 95,000 electronic journals, more than 3,000 databases, and almost one million dissertations in full text.

Experience Heidelberg. Set in the picturesque Neckar Valley, Heidelberg offers a romantic atmosphere with a cosmopolitan appeal. Enjoy arts and entertainment as well as the beautiful surroundings. Benefit from easy access to the vistas of the Black Forest, spectacular castles on the Rhine River and the urban centers of Stuttgart and Frankfurt. Strasbourg and the Alsace are a mere hour away; Paris only three hours on the express train. Switzerland and the Alps are in easy reach.