Heinrich Heine University

The Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf is located in the south of the city on a spacious campus. It began as a Medical Academy founded in 1907 alongside the Municipal Hospital, forming one of Imperial Germany’s most modern medical complexes. Although the Academy could train medical trainees, it lacked university status until 1923, when it gained the right to train students, added dental medicine, and later obtained the right to award doctorates in 1935. 

After World War II, the federal state assumed responsibility for the Academy while the hospitals remained under municipal ownership. In 1965 the Medical Academy became the University of Düsseldorf, and in 1966 the new Faculty of Arts and Natural Sciences was added to the existing Faculty of Medicine. Since then the university has grown steadily. Today about 20,000 students study a wide range of subjects, including economics, law, social sciences, and the humanities. Getting to know HHU Have a look at our campus map and some heplful direction to reach the university 

In 1988 the university was renamed Heinrich Heine University in honour of the renowned Romantic poet from Düsseldorf. Despite its relatively young age and national funding cuts, the university maintains an excellent academic reputation and an international profile, supported by active exchange programmes with partner institutions worldwide. 

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf ranks among the top 14% of more than 2,000 universities worldwide. It stands out in particular for its research quality, placing 223rd globally and 13th among German universities