htw saar is starting the 2026/27 winter semester with significantly more first-year students. As of October 1, 1,645 students were enrolled in their first semester. At the same time last year, the figure was 1,498. This represents an increase of just under ten percent. The total number of students has also risen to 6,078. A year earlier, the figure was 5,905.
The final figures for the 2026/27 winter semester will be determined as of December 1. This is because enrollment is still open for some degree programs. If past trends hold true, htw saar could thus record just under 1,800 first-year students in their first semester and a total of over 6,200 students for the first time.
“The strong demand shows that our academic programs meet the interests of young people as well as the needs of business and society. I am particularly pleased that new programs such as Business Psychology were an immediate success. With our degree programs, we are training the skilled professionals the Saarland needs for its transformation. However, I am concerned about the unsatisfactory level of demand for engineering programs. An English-language international program, among other measures, has helped stabilize enrollment,” says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Leonhard, President of htw saar. In the Faculty of Engineering, the number of first-year students stabilized at a comparatively low level of 355, compared to 345 the previous year.
The bachelor’s programs in Social Work and Early Childhood Education recorded the highest enrollment figures, with 145 first-year students, followed by Business Administration with 136. These are followed by Industrial Engineering with 130, Civil Engineering with 98, and Applied Health Sciences with 80 first-year students.
One of the programs with the highest number of applicants, alongside Social Work and Early Childhood Education, was the new Bachelor’s program in Business Psychology. The program combines psychological skills with business knowledge and expands htw saar’s interdisciplinary course offerings.