Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd

The Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd (HfG) is a public university of applied sciences in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, celebrating 250 years of design education in Gmünd and 55 years as HfG in 2026. It is the only Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften in Baden-Württemberg exclusively specialized in design and creation. The HfG offers three Bachelor of Arts programs (Interaction Design, Communication Design, Product Design) and one Master of Arts program (Strategic Design). The curriculum is built on three pillars: design practice, science, and technology. The first three semesters focus on design fundamentals shared across programs; from the fourth semester onwards, students choose specializations. The fifth semester is a mandatory practical internship semester (Praxissemester) and the sixth semester can be spent at one of 45 partner universities worldwide. The institution is state-funded; domestic students pay only a semester contribution of 178 EUR per semester. Non-EU international students pay an additional 1,500 EUR tuition fee per semester. All programs are accredited. The HfG has a strong international network, is a member of the Cumulus Association, and receives over 20 exchange students per semester. The campus in Schwäbisch Gmünd is equipped with design laboratories, workshops, a computer center, library, video and photo studio.