At its 41st meeting in Osnabrück on Tuesday, the General Assembly of the German Rectors‘ Conference (HRK) approved the admission of the Saxony Cooperative State University and the Medical University of Lausitz – Carl Thiem. Membership of the HRK is open to higher education institutions operating in Germany that are public or state-accredited universities in accordance with state higher education legislation.
Furthermore, they have to be similar to the higher education institutions in the HRK member group to which they are assigned upon admission in terms of organisational structure, management structure and quality assurance. The HRK now has 272 members following the merger of Bochum University of Health Sciences and Bochum University of Applied Sciences to form the University of Applied Sciences for Technology, Business and Health in January.
The Saxony Cooperative State University emerged from the “Berufsakademie Sachsen” on 1 January 2025. It offers more than 60 practice-oriented and practice-integrated degree programmes in the fields of technology, business, social care and healthcare at its seven locations. Around 4,200 students are currently enrolled. More than 2,500 partners enable students to gain insights into the professional world and build a personal network at an early stage. Saxony Cooperative State University has been assigned to the HRK member group “Other Universities”, which includes Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University.
The Medical University of Lausitz – Carl Thiem in Cottbus is a Brandenburg state institution founded on 1 July 2024. The patient care department and clinical practice is based at the Carl-Thiem-Klinikum Cottbus. The university’s teaching and research programmes will be gradually established and expanded over the coming years. The first enrolled students are due to begin their studies in human medicine in the 2026/27 winter semester. The Medical University of Lausitz has been assigned to the HRK member group “Universities”.
The German Rectors‘ Conference is a voluntary association of public and state-recognised universities in Germany. More than 90 percent of all students in Germany are enrolled at HRK member institutions. This makes the HRK the Voice of the Universities in dialogue with politicians and the public and the central forum for opinion-forming in the higher education system.
The HRK deals with all issues relating to the role and tasks of universities in academia and society, especially teaching and learning, research, innovation and transfer, academic continuing education, internationalisation, and university self-administration and governance.
