Skip to content
Where Is My Uni?
All guides

Study in Hof

Hof is a small, independent university city in Bavaria, offering a compact setting for student life.

Find a course in HofJump to key facts
View from Theresienstein across Hof's Untere Vorstadt and old town
Photo: Flodur63 (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

In short

Hof is a district-free city in Bavaria with 46,778 people (Destatis, 31 Dec 2024). It has one university: Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften Hof (Hof). Summers average 16.5 °C and winters -0.7 °C, with about 713 mm of rain a year (DWD, 1991–2020).

Hof in numbers

Population

46,778Destatis 2024 (opens in a new tab)

Area

58.02 km²Destatis 2024 (opens in a new tab)

People per km²

806Destatis 2024 (opens in a new tab)

Universities in the district

1Where Is My Uni? catalogue (opens in a new tab)

Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften Hof

Typical student rent

€353–376 per monthSource (opens in a new tab)

Monthly rent for a single room in a shared flat at Am Saalepark, including an advance payment for operating costs; not a city-wide average. Listed on the undated operator page, checked November 2026.

Average temperature

7.8 °C a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

Rain

713 mm a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

Sunshine

1,620 hours a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

Frost days

108 a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

About Hof

Hof stands on the Saale in northern Bavaria, between the Franconian Forest and the Fichtelgebirge. This guide covers the independent city of Hof. Its university setting combines urban amenities with access to the surrounding countryside (Hof University (opens in a new tab)).

The centre around Altstadt and Ludwigstraße has shops, cafés, historic buildings and the Biedermeier quarter. Riverside walks through the Saaleauen provide an outdoor break close to the centre (City of Hof (opens in a new tab)). The International Hof Film Festival is a distinctive part of the city's cultural calendar (festival organiser (opens in a new tab)).

Neighbourhoods

  • Innenstadt

    The central shopping and café area around Altstadt and Ludwigstraße, with historic buildings and access to the Saaleauen (City of Hof (opens in a new tab)).

  • Eichelberg / university campus

    The campus area includes the Am Eichelberg student residence, university library and sports facilities (Hof University (opens in a new tab)).

Universities here

Universities in Hof, biggest first.

Hof University of Applied Sciences has its main campus here, including business, computer science, engineering and applied design. Check your programme's actual teaching location before renting: the university also has sites outside Hof, including Münchberg, Kronach and Selb (campus guide (opens in a new tab)). Living near campus or in the centre creates different daily routines: Am Eichelberg is on campus, while Am Saalepark has a direct campus bus connection (Housing Office (opens in a new tab)). Hof is worth considering if you want a smaller university setting with student clubs, campus sports and nearby countryside (student life (opens in a new tab)).

Find a course in Hof

Housing

Published residence rents provide useful budget options, but do not assume that finding a room will be effortless. The university Housing Office describes its waiting list as generally very long and recommends applying well before arrival (Housing Office (opens in a new tab)). Studierendenwerk Oberfranken also lists the newly completed An der Schützenstraße residence in Hof (residence operator (opens in a new tab)).

The typical student rent we found, and what that figure covers, is in the key facts.

How to find a place

Student residences

Cost of living

Use your accommodation offer as the starting point: standard apartments and shared-flat rooms at Am Eichelberg are listed at €408 monthly, including an operating-cost advance, with a €570 deposit (Studierendenwerk Oberfranken (opens in a new tab)). Hof University's semester-specific information lists an €87 basic contribution and a €61.22 semester-ticket contribution for winter 2026/27 (Student Affairs Office (opens in a new tab)). The standard Deutschlandticket is €63 monthly as checked in November 2026; check student reductions before buying it (VGN (opens in a new tab)). Budget separately for groceries, insurance, personal expenses and any programme tuition.

Jobs & employers

Verified employers illustrate opportunities in refrigeration manufacturing, healthcare and nearby food distribution: Viessmann has production in Hof, Sana operates the city's hospital, and dennree has its headquarters and logistics operations in Töpen outside the city (Viessmann (opens in a new tab), Sana (opens in a new tab), dennree (opens in a new tab)). These are useful starting points for career research, rather than a guarantee of suitable vacancies. Hof University advises students not to make their budget dependent on finding a job and notes that many jobs require fluent German (university finance guidance (opens in a new tab)).

Typical student jobs

Major employers

Getting around

Use VGN's Hof network maps and journey planner for local buses and regional connections (VGN Hof (opens in a new tab)). DB lists direct journeys from Hof Hbf to Plauen's upper station from about 31 minutes and to Bayreuth Hbf from about 50 minutes; add the onward journey to your campus (DB Plauen (opens in a new tab), DB Bayreuth (opens in a new tab)). DB's displayed November 2026 examples to Nuremberg take roughly 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes and include ICE travel, so check regional-only alternatives separately (DB Nuremberg (opens in a new tab)). The Deutschlandticket covers local and regional public transport but generally excludes ICE, IC and EC trains (VGN (opens in a new tab)). Hof University's campus-card semester ticket has its own route and operator restrictions, including specified links to Münchberg and Selb (Student Affairs Office (opens in a new tab)).

Main stations
Nearest airport

Hof–Plauen Airport; Nuremberg Airport for wider flight options

The local airport advertises charter and on-demand flights (Airport Hof (opens in a new tab)). For an arrival through Nuremberg Airport, take the U2 to Nürnberg Hbf, then continue to Hof by rail; the airport-to-station underground journey takes about 12 minutes (Nuremberg Airport (opens in a new tab)).

Weather & seasons

Long-term averages from the German Weather Service station Hof (2 km from the district centre), 1991–2020.

Winter

-0.7 °C

54 mm rain a month

1.8 h sun a day

Spring

7.6 °C

49 mm rain a month

5.5 h sun a day

Summer

16.5 °C

77 mm rain a month

7 h sun a day

Autumn

7.8 °C

57 mm rain a month

3.4 h sun a day

Prepare for cold winters with frequent frost, a gradual spring and generally mild summers rather than prolonged heat. Warm layers and waterproof clothing are useful throughout the academic year. Summer brings opportunities for swimming and lakeside walks at Untreusee (City of Hof (opens in a new tab)); October brings the film festival as the days become cooler (festival organiser (opens in a new tab)).

Culture, language & food

Local identity is visible in the Wärschtlamo sausage sellers and the Schlappentag procession of craftspeople and marksmen (City of Hof: Wärschtlamo (opens in a new tab), Schlappentag (opens in a new tab)). For evenings out, the university highlights pubs, Theater Hof, the Hof Symphony Orchestra and the Alte Filzfabrik cultural centre. Expect a smaller-city social scene built around particular venues, performances and student activities (Hof University (opens in a new tab)).

English can support your academic start: Hof University offers exchange courses in English as well as German (exchange guidance (opens in a new tab)). For work, the university explicitly warns that many jobs require fluent German (finance and employment guidance (opens in a new tab)). As a practical learning target, aim towards B1–B2 for greater everyday independence; this is advice, not a universal admission requirement. Local speech is Franconian with influences from the Vogtland (dialect guide (opens in a new tab)).

Local food

  • Hofer Wärscht

    Hot sausages sold by the traditional Wärschtlamo vendors, served in a bread roll with optional mustard. The city's guide lists varieties including Wienerla, Gnagger and Bauern (City of Hof (opens in a new tab)).

  • Schlappenbier

    A strong beer brewed especially for the annual Schlappentag celebration (City of Hof (opens in a new tab)).

Places & events

Places to see

Events

  • Untreusee recreation lake in Hof

    Untreusee recreation lake in Hof

  • Haus Theresienstein in Hof's Theresienstein park

    Haus Theresienstein in Hof's Theresienstein park

Student experiences

First-hand posts from students in Hof, read by our team before they appear.

Loading experiences…

Share your experience

Our team reads every post before it appears. Please don't include contact details.

At least 40 characters. 0/2000

Studying in Hof: FAQ

Is Hof a good place to live as an international student?

Hof is worth considering if you prefer a smaller university setting with campus sports, student clubs and access to countryside. The university also highlights theatre, orchestral music and pubs as local leisure options (Hof University (opens in a new tab)).

Is there a university in Hof?

Yes. Hof University of Applied Sciences has its main campus in the city, with business, computer science, engineering and applied design. Check your programme's location because the university also teaches at other sites (campus guide (opens in a new tab)).

How much does student accommodation in Hof cost?

Studierendenwerk Oberfranken lists single rooms in shared flats at Am Saalepark for €353–376 per month, including an operating-cost advance, as checked in November 2026. This is a residence price, not Hof's private-market average (operator (opens in a new tab)).

Can I commute from Hof to Bayreuth or Plauen?

Direct trains are available: DB lists journeys from about 50 minutes to Bayreuth Hbf and about 31 minutes to Plauen's upper station. Add the journey between the station and your teaching location before deciding on a daily commute (DB Bayreuth (opens in a new tab), DB Plauen (opens in a new tab)).

What jobs can students find in Hof?

Verified examples include campus assistant work at Hof University's StartUpLab and working-student opportunities at dennree in nearby Töpen. Availability and language requirements depend on the role (StartUpLab (opens in a new tab), dennree (opens in a new tab)).

Does Hof University's semester ticket include the Deutschlandticket?

The university describes a route-specific semester ticket and a separately purchased discounted Deutschlandticket. Check the semester ticket's operator restrictions before travelling beyond its covered routes (Student Affairs Office (opens in a new tab)).

More guides

Sources & photo credits

Last updated November 2026. Population and area: Destatis. Weather: Deutscher Wetterdienst. Universities and courses: our catalogue. Everything else was researched from the sources below and checked — how we research these guides.

Sources

Photo credits

Ready to find your course in Hof?

Open the map on Hof: every university, every course, filtered by degree, subject, language and cost — free.

Find a course in Hof
Find a course in Hof