About the Higher Education Compass

The Higher Education Compass is an information portal of the German Rectors' Conference (Hochschulrektorenkonferenz – HRK) that publishes information from state and state-recognised German universities about their study and doctorate opportunities and international partnerships. All information found in the Higher Education Compass is authorised by the universities and is updated by employees at the universities themselves.

The development of the Higher Education Compass began in 1994 as part of a planned European database project initiated by the EU. The information about German universities was made available to the project by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK). When it became clear that the European database could not be created, the HRK continued to work on the development of a database specific to the German university system. This database, entitled the "Higher Education Compass", has been available on the internet since August 1998.

Since going live in 1998, the Higher Education Compass has undergone continuous development and has become a valuable and reliable source of information for prospective students both in Germany and abroad seeking a suitable degree programme. Since 1998, the Higher Education Compass has also provided information regarding doctorate opportunities and international partnerships involving German universities.

All of the information provided, which covers both universities and degree programmes, has been freely available at no charge from the very outset. This information has been continually expanded and has been adapted in accordance with changing university policy guidelines. For example, the information regarding doctorate opportunities was completely re-written and expanded in 2008. In addition, since the winter semester 2009/10, the Higher Education Compass has been the basis for the national Study Place Exchange, which provides information about university places that are still available.