An academic degree is a stepping stone, if not a prerequisite, for a professional career – also in the health sector. Specialized private universities offer a wide range of courses. But advice and service for prospective students are not always convincing.

Nursing and healthcare professions are once again in the focus of public interest. In a study by the German Institute for Service Quality, private universities with a focus on health secured the overall grade “good” (75.1 points).

The facilities are particularly convincing with a very wide range of offers for students, which comprehensively covers health-related fields of study, for example management and therapy

The service for prospective students still reveals room for improvement and is overall at a satisfactory level. With advice on the phone and by e-mail, prospective students receive friendly, but often only superficial and incomplete information. On the phone, availability is often limited and a second call attempt is necessary. Inquiries by e-mail are only answered after more than 40 hours on average or – as in around 14 percent of the cases – not at all.

On the other hand, the user-friendly design of the website provides a service ray of hope. All universities offer not only an overview of the courses and information on the study requirements, but also the possibility of an online application. Information on tuition fees and financing is also available on all university websites.

When it comes to contact, not all institutions distinguish themselves: only six of the eight providers offer a callback service, and contact via chat is only possible at three universities. Markus Hamer, Managing Director of the German Institute for Service Quality, gives mixed marks: “When it comes to what they offer, the universities do not show any weaknesses and are convincing across the board. On the other hand, the service for prospective students clearly falls behind. Only two institutions achieve a good result here. “

The German University for Prevention and Health Management (quality rating: “very good”) emerged as the test winner from the study and took the leading position both in terms of service and in the analysis of offers. The friendly study advisors provide competent and understandable information on the phone. The website has a very high information value and also provides details on pricing and a study finder, for example. The range of courses is extremely diverse and very extensive and includes many accompanying offers such as university sports or the possibility of a doctorate.

Second place is taken by the SRH Hochschule für Gesundheit (quality rating: “good”), which distinguishes itself in terms of the range of courses, among other things due to the large variety of courses. In addition, the university has the most locations for classroom teaching. When it comes to service, the company scores with friendly and mostly complete information on the phone and by e-mail.

DHGS German University for Health