A total of 20 teams contested the league, including 14 sides from the 2014–15 3.
The two promoted teams were replaced by FC Erzgebirge Aue and VfR Aalen, who finished in the bottom two places of the 2014–15 2.
At the other end of the table, Borussia Dortmund II, SpVgg Unterhaching and SSV Jahn Regensburg were relegated to the 2015–16 Regionalliga.
The three relegated teams were replaced by the three winners of the 2014–15 Regionalliga promotion playoffs.
SV Werder Bremen II from the Regionalliga Nord returned to the national level after three seasons in the fourth tier, while 1.