Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Leuphana Universität Lüneburg | |
| Motto | Academic freedom and social responsibility for the common good |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1946 (as a college of education) |
| Budget | €103.2 million[1] |
| President | Sascha Spoun |
Academic staff | 585[1] |
Administrative staff | 576[1] |
| Students | 9,348[1] |
| Location | , , Germany 53°13′44″N 10°24′04″E / 53.22889°N 10.40111°E |
| Website | www.leuphana.de |
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Leuphana University Lüneburg[2] is a public university in Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Leuphana was founded in 1946 as a college of education (German: Pädagogische Hochschule), later expanding to become a university designated as a "foundation under public law." The name Leuphana is derived from an ancient settlement on the Elbe that was mentioned in a 2nd-century geographical world atlas by Ptolemy.[3]
Leuphana has five schools of research, which focus on the fields of education, culture and society, management and technology, sustainability, and public affairs.[4] With nearly 10,000 students,[5] approximately 12% of which are international students.[6]
History
Leuphana was founded in May 1946 as one of eight colleges of education (pädagogische Hochschule' in Lower Saxony, and was renamed in May 1989 from Pädagogische Hochschule Niedersachsen, Abteilung Lüneburg to Lüneburg University.
In 2009, the campus in Suderburg was transferred to the Fachhochschule Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel (Eastphalian University of Applied Studies).
In 2008, a graduate college was opened that integrates master's degree and doctorate programmes. In addition are a pan-departmental research centre and a professional school for advanced study courses, like business co-operation.
The university opened its Central Building (Zentralgebäude) on March 11, 2017. The building was designed by Daniel Libeskind and cost nearly €100 million to build.
Institutions
Leuphana has five research schools, each of which are made up of several institutes and professorships.

School of Education
Source:[7]
- Institute of Educational Sciences
- Institute of the German Language and Literature and Its Didactics
- Institute of English Studies
- Institute of Ethics and Theology
- Institute of Social Work and Social Pedagogy
- Institute of Art, Music and Mediation
- Institute of Mathematics and Its Didactics
- Institute of Exercise, Sports and Health
- Institute of Psychology in Education
- Institute of Social Science Education
School of Culture and Society
- Institute of Culture and Aesthetics of Digital Media
- Institute of Urban and Cultural Area Research
- Institute of History and Literature Cultures
- Institute of Philosophy and Art History
- Institute of Sociology and Cultural Organization
School of Management and Technology
- Institute for Auditing and Tax
- Institute for New Venture Management
- Institute of Experimental Industrial Psychology
- Institute of Information Systems
- Institute of Knowledge and Information Management
- Institute of Management, Accounting & Finance
- Institute of Marketing
- Institute of Management and Organization
- Institute of Performance Management
- Institute for Production Technology and Systems
School of Sustainability
- Centre for Sustainability Management
- Institute of Sustainable Chemistry
- Institute of Ecology
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute
- Institute for Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
- Institute of Sustainability Material Flows and Circularity
- Institute of Sustainability Governance
- Institute of Sustainable Psychology
- Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute
School of Public Affairs
- Institute of Political Science
- Leuphana Law School
- Civial Law
- Public Law
- Criminal Law
- Institute of Economics
Notable staff and alumni

- Daniel Libeskind, visiting professor
- Britt Reinecke, television talk show host
- Thomas Schomerus, professor of public law
- Jörg Philipp Terhechte, professor and dean
- Tine Wittler, writer, TV presenter and actress
Rankings
| University rankings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall – Global & National | ||||
| ||||
In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2025, the university is placed at 401–500th globally and 38th within the country.[8]
Leuphana ranks 7th among the most successful, mid-sized universities for start-ups, according to the Gründungsradar 2025 of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d "Die Universität in Zahlen, Daten, Fakten". Leuphana University of Lüneburg (in German). Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- ^ "The Name Leuphana". Archived from the original on 26 March 2019.
- ^ "Name". Leuphana University Lüneburg. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ^ "University". Leuphana University Lüneburg. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "history". Leuphana University Lüneburg. Archived from the original on 18 September 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "Internationality". Leuphana University Lüneburg. Archived from the original on 8 November 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "Institutes of the faculty". Leuphana University Lüneburg. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ a b "World University Rankings 2024". Times Higher Education World University Rankings. 27 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ "Gründungsförderung an mittelgroßen Hochschulen | www.gruendungsradar.de". www.gruendungsradar.de. Archived from the original on 8 November 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
