Hessenkolleg Wetzlar, which was founded in 1963, belongs to the schools in Hessen that provide the opportunity of secondary education for adults.During the last years usually between 200 and 260 students were attending the school.

To apply for this school you have to be 18 years and you have to provide at least two years of work experience or a completed vocational training.

For the time of being at the school you can get a financial support from the state (BAFöG).

This school is well- equipped with friendly classrooms, a large library, a language laboratory, an internet café and extensive laboratory facilities. All teachers make use of Hessenkolleg´s wide range of modern audiovisual equipment, computing facilities and internet access.

Lessons are from Monday to Friday. School begins at eight o´clock in the morning and ends either at a quarter past one or five minutes past three in the afternoon, depending on your time-table and your weekly amount of lessons. You will have the same holidays as the students and pupils of other schools in Hessen.

The curriculum provides the standard subjects: German, English, mathematics and historical-political education. Furthermore, there are natural sciences, IT courses, drama courses and courses on economical and social issues. Besides you can attend ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) or TNA (Technical Network Assistant) classes; for both you can gain a certificate.

Education at the Hessenkolleg is divided into different phases.

• Applicants who have completed secondary compulsory school begin with a preparatory course (Vorkurs) which takes half a year respectively one semester.
• Applicants with the school-leaving qualifications equivalent to the British GCSEs or the American GED start with the introductory course (Einführungsphase) which takes two semesters. During this phase students have to qualify for the last and longest phase,
• the qualification course (Qualifikationsphase), which lasts 2 years or 4 semesters. Only for this phase students have a choice of subjects which may lead to a certain specialization.

Once a year the school organises a project week in which all students – according to their interests - are involved in activities and topics deriving from the lessons.

In all phases students can participate in the students´ convent and/or in the school conference and can thus have an influence on school life in general. Additionally, students can always take part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

After three or three and a half years students can take their final exams qualifying for university entrance, the German equivalent to the British A-level or the American SAT exam. After two or two and a half years students may also leave with the so-called “Fachhochschulreife”. This certificate is the minimum requirement for admission to some subjects mainly at a university of applied sciences.