Witten/Herdecke University

What Witten/Herdecke University does

Witten/Herdecke University (Universität Witten/Herdecke, legal entity Private Universität Witten/Herdecke gGmbH) is Germany's first private university, founded in 1983 as a model university (Modelluniversität) in Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia. It operates two faculties — Health (Human Medicine, Dental Medicine, Nursing Science, Psychology) and Economics and Society (Management, PPE, Law) — delivering 14 degree programs spanning Bachelor, Master, Staatsexamen, and doctoral levels to approximately 3,500 students. The institution is owned by a consortium of non-profit foundations, most prominently the Software AG-Stiftung and Stiftung Private Universität Witten/Herdecke, which collectively ensure academic independence and a non-profit operating mandate.

The business model combines three recurring revenue streams: tuition fees (Studienbeiträge) from degree-seeking students, state government subsidies as a state-recognized private university, and third-party funding including research grants and donations channeled through the Universitätsförderung support association. Tuition is supported by a distinctive Umgekehrter Generationenvertrag (Reverse Generational Contract) deferred-payment instrument and the Deutschlandstipendium merit scholarship. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via a self-serve online application system supplemented by personalized study counseling, info days, campus tours, trial days, a student chat, education fair attendance, and an annual UW/H-Hackathon.

The university has no proprietary commercial technology platform; its principal assets are human and network capital — a faculty of medical and social-science educators, an integrated practice ecosystem comprising 39 clinics and 500+ practice partners enabling early clinical exposure from semester one, and exchange partnerships with 70 international universities across five continents. The institution is institutionally and programmatically accredited by AHPGS, AQAS, and FIBAA, and holds state recognition from the NRW Ministry of Science. Operational outcomes include a 90% graduation rate, 95% employment within six months, 86% student satisfaction, and sustained top-3 StudyCheck rankings from 2020 through 2026.

Name

Witten/Herdecke University

Legal name

Private Universität Witten/Herdecke gGmbH

Website

https://uni-wh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Germany's first private university, founded 1983 in Witten, operating two faculties (Health; Economics and Society) delivering 14 degree programs to approximately 3,500 students and owned by a consortium of charitable foundations including Software AG-Stiftung.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

Keywords

• Private higher education
• Medical university programs
• Interdisciplinary bachelor programs
• Doctoral and PhD programs
• Executive MBA education

Headquarters

HQ city

Witten

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: As a private university, UW/H charges tuition fees (Studienbeiträge) for its degree programs. The university offers flexible payment models to make studies affordable for all interested parties.
2. Government Subsidies: As a state-recognized private university in NRW, the university receives government funding and support in addition to private tuition.
3. Third-Party Funding & Donations: Funding from research grants, donations through the university support association (Universitätsförderung), and partnerships with foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Witten/Herdecke University is a private, state-recognized university that offers undergraduate, graduate, state-examination, and doctoral degree programs across two faculties — Health (medicine, dental medicine, nursing science, psychology) and Economics & Society (management, PPÖ, PPE, law, psychology). It delivers practice-oriented, interdisciplinary education through small-group, problem-based learning, with strong integration of clinical and corporate practice partners. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition fees, supplemented by government subsidies and donations from foundation shareholders.

Product overview

Witten/Herdecke University is a private university offering a portfolio of 14 study programs across two faculties (Health, and Economics and Society). The educational portfolio includes Bachelor programs under the flexible Bachelor of Choice model, Master programs including the Witten MBA, state examination programs in medicine and dental medicine, and doctoral/Ph.D. programs. The university also operates the WittenLab. Zukunftslabor Studium fundamentale as a research and teaching center. The institution emphasizes interdisciplinary, practice-oriented education with small group learning and personal development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Choice A flexible bachelor program model allowing students to choose from multiple study programs within the Faculty of Economics and Society, combining maximum flexibility with interdisciplinary study. Aimed at prospective undergraduates who want to defer specialization.
• Management Bachelor (B. Sc.) A business administration bachelor program that prepares students to become responsible leaders, with high practical components and a focus on sustainable management.
• Management im Gesundheitswesen Bachelor An interdisciplinary bachelor program combining medicine and management, preparing students for leadership roles in healthcare administration.
• Management & Psychologie Bachelor An interdisciplinary bachelor program combining management studies with psychology fundamentals.
• PPÖ – Philosophie, Politik und Ökonomik Bachelor (B. A.) A Philosophy, Politics and Economics bachelor program providing interdisciplinary education in social sciences and humanities.
• Wirtschaft, Politik und Recht Bachelor (B. A.) An Economics, Politics and Law bachelor program exploring connections between three disciplines.
• Psychologie Bachelor (B. Sc.) A psychology bachelor providing fundamental psychological knowledge with specialization in clinical psychology and psychotherapy.
• Modellstudiengang Medizin (Staatsexamen) A model medical program leading to the German Staatsexamen, training physicians with practical experience from the first semester; admission does not require the standard Numerus Clausus.
• Zahn-, Mund- und Kieferheilkunde Staatsexamen A dental medicine state examination program providing comprehensive theoretical knowledge and practical skills for prospective dentists.
• Community Health Nursing Master (M. Sc.) An innovative master program addressing gaps in healthcare provision and training for a future healthcare profession.
• Management Master (M. Sc.) A master program in management for students seeking career advancement or academic careers.
• Pflegewissenschaft Master (M. Sc.) A master in nursing science focused on improving quality, transparency, and respectful treatment in nursing care.
• PPE – Philosophy, Politics and Economics Master (M. A.) An international master program for students aiming to change the world as leaders in business, politics, and society.
• Psychologie Master (M. Sc.) A psychology master deepening research competencies and clinical-practical skills in scientific psychotherapy methods.
• Witten MBA – Leadership & Management A part-time MBA program for working professionals seeking to take on more responsibility in teams, companies, or society.
• Promotion und Ph.D.-Programme Doctoral programs including Dr. rer. pol., Dr. phil., Dr. med., Dr. rer. medic., Dr. med. dent., Dr. rer. nat., and Ph.D. programs in nursing science and biomedicine.
• WittenLab. Zukunftslabor Studium fundamentale A future laboratory for interdisciplinary fundamental studies offering over 100 interdisciplinary courses and research across faculties, including digital arts, music phenomenology, and transformation studies.
• Professional Campus – Berufsbegleitendes Studium und Weiterbildung Continuing education offerings including the Witten MBA and professional development programs for working professionals pursuing part-time study alongside their careers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% student satisfaction rate (very good/good ratings)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• 39 Clinics NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive network of 39 clinics providing practical training opportunities for medical, dental, and nursing students. Enables hands-on clinical experience from early stages of education.
• 500+ Practice PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 500 practice partners in business and healthcare sectors providing internship opportunities, project collaborations, and career networking for students.
• 70 International Partner UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExchange partnerships with 70 universities across 5 continents enabling student mobility and international academic collaborations.
• Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeaching hospital partner providing clinical training sites and joint research opportunities. Part of the shareholder structure.
• Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary research partnership focusing on neurodegenerative diseases with the DZNE research center.
• Double Degree ZHAWminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual degree program partnership with Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) offering international credentials.
• Double Degree Victoria/Kanada (PPÖ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual degree program with University of Victoria, Canada for Philosophy, Politics and Economics students.
• DRK-Schwesternschaft BonnmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the German Red Cross nursing association strengthening practical cooperation and career development in nursing science.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bucerius Law School: Hamburg-based private, non-profit German university founded by the ZEIT-Stiftung; comparable as a small, foundation-backed, tuition-charging German private university with elite admissions and strong graduate outcomes.
• Constructor University (formerly Jacobs University Bremen): Private, English-language research university in northern Germany offering interdisciplinary bachelor, master, and doctoral programs; closely comparable to UW/H as another private, non-state German university with international student base and STEM/health/social-science portfolio.
• WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management: Top-ranked private German business school offering bachelor, master, MBA, and doctoral programs; comparable as a German private, tuition-charging institution focused on management education with strong practice orientation and corporate partnerships.
• SRH Universities (SRH Hochschulen): Network of state-recognized private universities in Germany offering career-oriented bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs; comparable as a German private higher-education platform serving similar student demographics with tuition-funded operations.
• EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht: Private German university with a focus on business and law, offering undergraduate and graduate programs; comparable to UW/H's Faculty of Economics and Society in structure, tuition model, and target student segment.
• Hochschule Fresenius (University of Applied Sciences): One of Germany's largest private university groups with campuses across the country; comparable as a multi-site private German higher-education operator with strong practice orientation across health, business, and digital programs.
• PFH Private Hochschule Göttingen: Private, state-recognized German university offering bachelor, master, and doctoral programs with emphasis on small-group learning and practice integration; structurally comparable to UW/H in size, tuition model, and program breadth.

Emerging players

• Hertie School: Berlin-based private, non-profit graduate school focused on public policy and international affairs; comparable as a small, foundation-backed, tuition-charging German institution competing for the same elite graduate-student segment in management/social sciences.
• Asklepios Campus Hamburg (Semmelweis University cooperation): Private medical-education initiative in Germany offering human-medicine studies outside the traditional public medical-school structure; a comparable alternative for German students seeking tuition-funded medical education outside NC-restricted public slots.

Broad incumbents

• Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin: Germany's largest and most prestigious university hospital and medical school (joint Humboldt and FU Berlin); the dominant public benchmark for medical education against which UW/H's Modellstudiengang Medizin competes for student mind-share.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UniWH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/witten-herdecke-university

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Witten/Herdecke University