Hesse

Organisational autonomy: medium high

The selection of the executive head is essentially a matter internal to the university, as is the dismissal process, although the procedure is set in law, as is the term of office. University boards consist of up to ten members, all of whom are external and appointed in part by an external authority.

Financial autonomy: low

Universities in Hesse cannot borrow money nor own buildings and are not allowed to charge tuition fees. They can, however, freely allocate funds internally and can keep surpluses.

Academic autonomy: high

Overall student numbers are negotiated with an external authority and at Bachelor level admissions criteria are co-regulated between universities and an external authority. At Bachelor and Master levels all new degree programmes must be submitted to a prior accreditation or self-accredited by the university. Universities are free to decide on the language of instruction, design the content of their programmes as well as to choose from quality assurance agencies.

Staffing autonomy: medium high

There are restrictions on the recruitment of senior academic staff as the selection procedure is specified in the law. Senior academic staff salaries are restricted due to an overall limit on all staff payments and senior administrative staff salary bands are negotiated with other parties. Dismissals for both academic and administrative staff are strictly regulated due to civil servant status for all staff and there are restrictions on promotions for both groups of staff based on age.