Bern University of Applied Sciences

What Bern University of Applied Sciences does

Bern University of Applied Sciences (Berner Fachhochschule, BFH) is a public Swiss university of applied sciences headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. Founded in 1997 and operating under Swiss federal and cantonal (Canton of Bern) oversight, BFH is one of nine accredited Fachhochschulen under the Higher Education Act (HEdA/LEHE) and a member of swissuniversities. Its primary function is to deliver practice-oriented higher education and applied research. BFH runs 34 Bachelor's and 27 Master's degree programmes across eight schools — Architecture/Construction, Health, Agriculture/Forest/Food Sciences (BFH-HAFL), Arts (HKB), Social Work, Engineering/IT, Business — plus the associated Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen (EHSM). It also offers continuing education across CAS, DAS, MAS, and EMBA tiers and serves international students via multilingual operations in German, French, and English.

BFH's revenue model is dominated by cantonal and federal government appropriations administered via swissuniversities, supplemented by tuition fees, continuing-education programme revenue, applied-research and contract-research income, consulting services, and third-party partnerships. There is no equity ownership; the institution is publicly governed under its own executive board and rector structure. Strategic thematic fields — Humane Digital Transformation, Caring Society, and Sustainable Development — guide research and programme positioning, with a 2026 'Transforming School' designation from the Positive Impact Rating marking recent sustainability progress.

BFH's operational technology stack is conventional education-sector infrastructure: TYPO3 enterprise open-source CMS for multi-language portals, Microsoft 365 (including Dynamics 365 Marketing for CRM and 'Bookings with me') for institutional operations, Moodle for learning management, and a proprietary BFH Campus App (delivered as a cloud service by PocketCampus Sàrl) that integrates BFHcard, printing, Moodle access, and student support. Data processing relationships span Microsoft, Google, MailChimp, umantis, Hotjar, and Acquia/Monsido. On the applied-research and commercialization side, BFH has begun to spin off ventures such as AgriAqua (June 2026), focused on sustainable water-use data for Swiss agriculture. New institutional capacity is being built through a sustainable campus under construction in Biel/Bienne, reinforcing the bilingual and trilingual operating footprint.

Name

Bern University of Applied Sciences

Legal name

Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH

Website

https://bfh.ch

Company type

Public

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) is a public Swiss university of applied sciences delivering practice-oriented bachelor's, master's, and continuing-education programmes across 8 schools and 3 languages to students, professionals, and industry partners in the Canton of Bern.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Foundation Relations (Sponsorships, Grants, Partnerships) (EDALAOAE), Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Applied university teaching
• Continuing education programs
• Applied research consulting
• Academic degree programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

BFH is a publicly accredited Swiss university of applied sciences delivering 34 Bachelor's and 27 Master's degree programmes across eight schools and the EHSM sports institute, plus a continuing-education portfolio covering CAS, DAS, MAS, EMBA, SAS, and Fachkurse formats. The institution also provides applied research, contract research, consulting, and entrepreneurship support to industry and public-sector partners, with strategic thematic fields in Humane Digital Transformation, Caring Society, and Sustainable Development. Auxiliary digital touchpoints include the BFH Campus App (mobile student services), the central BFH-Hochschulbibliothek library, and multilingual web portals in German, French, and English.

Product overview

Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) is a Swiss university of applied sciences offering educational programs and services rather than a commercial software product company. Its offerings consist of academic degree programs (Bachelor and Master), continuing education (CAS, DAS, MAS, EMBA), research services, and an associated mobile application. The institution does not operate a unified software product platform with modular add-ons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Swiss Center for Care@home: Research center focused on care and assistance at home
• BFH Campus App

Products and services

• Bachelor Degree Programmes Practice-oriented undergraduate degree programmes across BFH's eight departments and the EHSM sports institute. The portfolio comprises 34 Bachelor programmes aimed at students holding a Swiss secondary-school diploma (Matura/Gymnasium) or equivalent, with direct industry exposure via live cases and project work.
• Master Degree Programmes Advanced graduate degree offerings including 27 Master programmes (MSc) targeted at graduates seeking specialization and career acceleration in fields such as Digital Government, Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation, and Digital Business Administration.
• Continuing Education Programmes (CAS, DAS, MAS, EMBA, SAS, Fachkurse) Modular and structured continuing-education programmes for working professionals covering Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS), Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS), Master of Advanced Studies (MAS), Executive MBA (EMBA), Specialist Advanced Studies (SAS), and Fachkurse. Programmes are offered in German, French, and English.
• Applied Research and Consulting Services Contract research, applied-research collaboration, consulting, and knowledge/technology-transfer services delivered to companies, government agencies, and non-profits through BFH's departmental research groups and centres such as the Swiss Center for Care@home. Offerings are structured within the institution's strategic thematic fields (Humane Digital Transformation, Caring Society, Sustainable Development).
• BFH Campus App Mobile campus application providing BFH students and staff with BFHcard access (with Polyright SA Secanda verification), Moodle learning-management-system integration, printing services, messenger functionality, and support/feedback features. Operated as a cloud service on Swiss servers.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• PocketCampus SàrlcoreTechnology or IntegrationPocketCampus Sàrl operates the BFH Campus App as a cloud service for Bern University of Applied Sciences. The app provides BFHcard integration (with Secanda/Polyright SA verification), Moodle access, printing services, messenger functionality, and support/feedback features. Personal data is processed on behalf of BFH with backend storage in Switzerland.
• Microsoft CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationBFH uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing for CRM and marketing automation, Microsoft 365 for institutional operations, and Microsoft Outlook 'Bookings with me' for appointment scheduling. Personal data including IP addresses is processed in EU and US data centres under Microsoft's privacy framework.
• umantis — Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KGcoreTechnology or IntegrationBFH uses the umantis application management system for online job applications and recruitment. umantis hosts application data as a processor on behalf of BFH, which remains the data controller.
• Google LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationBFH uses Google Analytics (with IP anonymization), Google AdWords and conversion tracking, Google Remarketing, Google Tag Manager, and Customer Match for targeted advertising. YouTube and Google+ plugins are also embedded on BFH websites.
• Moodle Pty LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationMoodle Pty Ltd provides the learning management system (Moodle) used by BFH for online course delivery. Verification for Moodle access within the BFH Campus App is handled directly by Moodle Pty Ltd as a subprocesser.
• Eidgenössische Hochschule für Sport Magglingen (EHSM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEHSM (Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen) is an associated partner of BFH, operating as a department/institute within the BFH ecosystem. It offers sport science education, research, and continuing education in collaboration with BFH's broader institutional framework.
• swissuniversitiescoreOthersBFH is a member of swissuniversities, the association that represents the interests of Swiss higher education institutions and coordinates joint initiatives at the national level.
• EFQMminorOthersBFH is an EFQM member, demonstrating commitment to the European Foundation for Quality Management excellence model and continuous quality improvement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften: One of Switzerland's leading public universities of applied sciences, also offering Bachelor, Master, and continuing-education programmes across multiple departments in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and funding model to BFH.
• FHNW Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz: Public Swiss UAS serving northwest Switzerland with a similar multi-department applied-sciences portfolio (engineering, business, health, design, life sciences). Closest structural peer to BFH in size, governance, and public funding.
• OST Ostschweizer Fachhochschule: Public Swiss UAS formed from the merger of FHS St.Gallen and HSR Rapperswil, covering engineering, business, health, social work, and design. Direct comparable in applied-sciences scope and federal accreditation model.
• Hochschule Luzern HSLU: Swiss UAS covering engineering/architecture, business, social work, design/art, music, and health. Comparable in disciplinary breadth and continuing-education portfolio to BFH.
• SUPSI Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana: Italian-speaking Swiss UAS delivering applied degrees and applied research across similar disciplines (engineering, business, health, design, music). Comparable applied-research and continuing-education model.
• HES-SO Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale: Network of Western Swiss UAS institutions covering engineering, business, social work, health, arts, and design. Directly comparable to BFH as a public applied-sciences institution serving a Swiss language region.

Broad incumbents

• ETH Zürich: Switzerland's flagship federal technical university with overlapping engineering, computer science, architecture, and management disciplines. Competes with BFH for faculty, students, and applied-research funding at the upper end of the talent spectrum.
• EPFL École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne: Federal institute of technology with overlapping engineering, IT, architecture, and life-sciences coverage. A broader incumbent in Swiss higher education that competes with BFH for STEM talent and research contracts.

Regional players

• Universität Bern: Public research university sharing the Bern canton geography with BFH. Adjacent rather than directly comparable (classical university vs. applied sciences), but competes for overlapping students, faculty, and cantonal political support.

Emerging players

• Kalaidos Fachhochschule: Privately organised Swiss UAS operating under federal accreditation. Comparable in applied-sciences mission but differentiated by private ownership, smaller scale, and more focused portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bfh_hesb
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BernerFachhochschule
• Facebookfacebook.com/bernerfachhochschule
• LinkedInch.linkedin.com/school/berner-fachhochschule-bfh
• Instagraminstagram.com/berner_fachhochschule

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bern University of Applied Sciences