PFH Private University of Applied Sciences was recognised by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture in 1995, which means that it is Lower Saxony's oldest private, state-recognised university. The incentive for its foundation was the idea of providing fresh impetus in the fields of science and teaching with a purely privately funded university that offers a study programme aligned to the real needs of the economy. In 2007, PFH received institutional accreditation from the Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (ZEvA). At the end of 2018, PFH received institutional re-accreditation from the German Council of Science and Humanities.

The University has since been actively contributing to securing Germany's position as a science and business location through its intensive training of qualified new managerial blood. PFH meets these high aspirations through a consistent orientation towards practical experience, through its marked internationality and by developing innovative teaching programmes.

In January 2025, more than 4,700 students were enrolled in one of the 60 study programmes in Management, Engineering Sciences, Psychology and Business Psychology, Business Law, Technology or in Healthcare Technology. They study either at one of the two campus locations in Göttingen or Stade or at one of the distance-learning centres located across Germany, Austria and Spain.