Higher-education establishments and vocational academies

Universities
In Lower Saxony there are a total of eleven universities, of which Göttingen University (founded in 1737) is the oldest; with some 23,000 students (2008/2009 winter semester), it is also the state's largest higher-education establishment. There are also two arts colleges: Brunswick College of Fine Arts and Hannover College of Music and Drama. A total of around 100,000 students (2009/10 winter semester) are enrolled at Lower Saxony's universities and arts colleges.

An overview of Lower Saxony's universities:

Technische Universität Braunschweig
Technische Universität Clausthal
Universität Göttingen
Universität Göttingen - Bereich Humanmedizin
Universität Hannover
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover
Universität Hildesheim
Universität Lüneburg
Universität Oldenburg
Universität Osnabrück
Hochschule Vechta
Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig
Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
Also: Niedersächsische Technische Hochschule

Universities of Applied Sciences
Of Lower Saxony's Universities of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschulen, FH), seven are state-run or endowment-based establishments and six are state-approved private institutions. Courses at a Fachhochschule are geared to a specific occupational field; they are less theoretical and more practically-based than a university degree. Some 42,000 students are enrolled at the state's Fachhochschulen (2009/10 winter semester).

An overview of Lower Saxony's state-run, endowment-based and non-state Fachhochschulen:

Fachhochschule Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel
Fachhochschule Hannover
Fachhochschule Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen
Fachhochschule Wilhelmshaven/Oldenburg/Elsfleth
Fachhochschule Emden/Leer
Fachhochschule Osnabrück
Leibniz Fachhochschule Hannover
Norddeutsche Fachhochschule für Rechtspflege
Hochschule 21, Buxtehude
Private Fachhochschule Göttingen
Fachhochschule für die Wirtschaft Hannover
Fachhochschule Ottersberg
Private Fachhochschule für Wirtschaft und Technik Vechta/Diepholz/Oldenburg
Kommunale Fachhochschule für Verwaltung in Niedersachsen

Vocational academies
Vocational academies (Berufsakademien) are privately funded institutions that are chiefly supported by industry. They combine academic studies with practical vocational training. Courses tend to last three years; the theoretical part is taught at the Berufsakademien, with practical training taking place in companies (dual training). Now that their courses have been successfully accredited, they are entitled to awarded Bachelor degrees with the same status as equivalent higher-education degrees. Lower Saxony has 11 such establishments with a total of 1,640 students (as at December 2008).

An overview of Lower Saxony's Berufsakademien:

Berufsakademie Weserbergland e.V.
Berufsakademie Emsland e.V.
Leibniz-Akademie Hannover
Private Fachhochschule für Wirtschaft und Technik Vechta/Diepholz/Oldenburg - FH und Berufsakademie
Welfenakademie
Berufsakademie für Bankwirtschaft
Berufsakademie Göttingen
Berufsakademie Lüneburg
Berufsakademie Ost-Friesland e.V.
Berufsakademie Holztechnik Melle
Berufsakademie für IT und Wirtschaft Oldenburg