The German University of Digital Science (German UDS) is a digital university founded in 2025, located in the media city of Babelsberg in Potsdam, Brandenburg. The university is operated by the nonprofit German UDS gGmbH, supported by the German University of Digital Science Foundation. The initiative for the university came from the computer science professors Mike Friedrichsen and Christoph Meinel, who have established the guiding principle of "University as a Service," redefining education as flexible, location-independent, and technology-supported.

As a fully digital university, German UDS offers English-language study programmes without any on-site attendance requirements. The emphasis is on fields of digital sciences - an umbrella term for disciplines that have emerged or been transformed by digital technologies, such as Digital Humanities, Digital Health, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Ethics. The university provides MBA, master's, and future bachelor's programmes, along with Micro-Degree programmes and free Open Courses. These programmes are structured in modules and commence on the 1st of April and 1st of October each year.

Initial programmes include one-year MBA programmes in "Digital Transformation" and "Digital Technologies," two-year master's programmes (M.Sc.) in "Applied AI," "Cybersecurity," "Advanced Digital Reality," and "Digital Leadership," as well as the planned bachelor's programme "B.Sc. Digital World." Additionally, German UDS offers Micro-Degree programmes with 5 ECTS credits, targeting professionals and lifelong learners.

Teaching is conducted through modern digital platforms, including the Full Fabric campus management system and the Open edX learning platform. The global study operations are supported by the "CloudHouse" in Potsdam - a state-of-the-art building with Smart-Home technology, digital access systems, its own Azure Stack HCI, video studios, and digital infrastructure for collaboration and hybrid events. Furthermore, German UDS operates the "Campus of Virtual Education (COVE)," an immersive virtual campus with 3D learning environments, a digital library, student accommodations, and venues for digital interactions.

German UDS views education as actively shaping the digital transformation. Students here not only gain knowledge of technologies but also have the opportunity to actively shape the future. The study model targets individuals curious about change, willing to take on societal responsibility and looking for an environment that combines innovation, ethics, and action orientation. Through real project tasks, transnational collaboration, and access to current research findings, students are trained to be digital pioneers with the determination and vision to create change.

Student life at German UDS expands beyond traditional educational spaces into a new virtual reality. In addition to the purely academic framework, the university enables an interactive, culturally diverse learning experience with personal connections despite physical distance. Students shape their daily learning autonomously within a community that acts collaboratively, digitally, and globally. Virtual events, thematic network meetings, and digital spaces for social interaction create a study environment seamlessly merging learning and living - digital, dynamic, and human.

To support its students, German UDS offers extensive services: academic and technical support, library access, learning counseling, psychological counseling, and services for students with disabilities. It also houses a dedicated Career Center and Soft Skills Service to promote career orientation, career development, and personal skills.

Moreover, German UDS is particularly geared towards international students, including learners from the Global South, enabling access to German higher education through moderate tuition fees (€7,500 per year) and scholarships.

In addition to academic offerings, two institutional units complement German UDS: The College of Design Thinking (D.College), integrating creative, human-centered thinking into education and practice, and the College of Entrepreneurship (E.College), fostering digital business startups. Both colleges offer curricula, workshops, mentoring, and access to innovation resources.

As a "University as a Service," German UDS also provides its digital modules to other universities - for instance, to bridge staffing shortages or integrate innovative IT content. Collaboration models like the "Double-Degree" programme allow students from other universities to simultaneously undertake a digital study programme at German UDS. These partnerships are established both in Germany and internationally.

Research at German UDS is organised into five thematically specialised Research Centres: Digital Science, Applied Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Learning Analytics and Digital Education, as well as Advanced Virtual Environments. Professors, researchers, and doctoral students collaborate interdisciplinarily within these centres. Each centre features its own PhD programme ("Research School") with joint supervision of doctoral candidates.

Furthermore, German UDS is involved in several European projects, such as "Digital4Business" and "Digital4Security." These EU-cofinanced initiatives, together with partners from academia and industry, develop new digital master's programmes to enhance digital skills in SMEs and public institutions.

With its integrated approach of digital infrastructure, international research, modern teaching, and global accessibility, German UDS sees itself as a pioneer of a sustainable, humanistic digital education. It addresses key societal challenges in the digital transformation process and contributes to qualifying the next generation of digital professionals - flexible, interconnected, innovative, and focused on the common good.