Duales Studium

What Duales Studium does

Duales Studium GmbH, operating the marketplace duales-studium.de, is a German three-sided placement platform for dual study programs (duale Studiengänge), connecting school graduates seeking career-oriented higher education, companies recruiting young talent, and universities offering dual programs. Founded in 2009 by Nils Frohloff and Christian Buck — both dual-studies alumni — and headquartered in Löhne, North Rhine-Westphalia, the company runs a privately-held GmbH with 1-10 employees and operates exclusively in Germany.

The platform's core product is a web-based matching engine ("Bewerber-Matching") that compares student profiles (psychological traits, competencies, experiences, geographic preferences) against company requirements and university programs to recommend suitable dual study placements. Adjacent products include a psychometric strength test for students, employer-branding profiles with multimedia and corporate design, an experience reports (Erfahrungsberichte) community, and a salary study (Gehaltsstudie). Named customers include enterprise employers such as REWE Group, BASF SE, BayernLB, Techniker Krankenkasse and WL BANK, alongside a broad set of universities and Berufsakademien including DHBW Ravensburg, FH Aachen, Nordakademie and HSBA.

The business model is freemium for students (free registration, testing, and matching) while companies pay for premium profile placement via individually negotiated subscription contracts and per-placement fees (Vermittlungspauschale) when contact data is released. Distribution is essentially self-serve through the website, supplemented by content marketing (SEO, newsletters), community forums, and career fair partnerships (Einstieg, karriere:dual, Stuzubi). The company has not raised institutional funding and remains founder-owned.

Name

Duales Studium

Legal name

duales-studium GmbH

Website

https://duales-studium.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Duales Studium operates duales-studium.de, a German three-sided marketplace connecting school graduates, companies, and universities for dual study programs through psychometric matching, employer branding profiles, and paid placement services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dual Study Marketplace Platform

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHADAE

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Community & Junior Colleges

SECONDARYEDAHADAF

Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Community & Junior Colleges

SECONDARYEDAAABAK

College & Career Transition Services (Bridge Programs, Dual Enrollment Pathways)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Adult Secondary Education (ASE) / High School Equivalency (GED/HiSET)

Keywords

• Dual study programs
• Student recruitment platform
• Employer branding services
• Psychometric career assessment
• Education-to-employment matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Vlotho

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Student Profile Matching Services: Free basic access for students to browse and register. Psychometric tests and matching services provided at no cost to help students find suitable dual study programs.
2. Company Profile Premium Services: Companies pay for enhanced profiles with individual design (Corporate Design) including multimedia elements. Pricing negotiated individually per contract.
3. Student Data Placement Fee: When companies express interest in a student and the student agrees to share contact details, duales-studium.de charges a placement fee (Vermittlungspauschale). Details negotiated in writing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Duales Studium operates a three-sided online placement community platform (duales-studium.de) that connects German school graduates, companies, and universities for dual study programs. The platform combines a proprietary psychometric matching algorithm with employer branding profiles, a candidate database, and recruiting services. Students register for free and access matching, psychometric testing, and experience reports; companies and universities pay for premium profiles and placement services.

Product overview

duales-studium.de is a comprehensive online placement community platform connecting students seeking dual study opportunities with companies offering dual study positions and universities providing dual study programs. The core platform consists of a proprietary Matching-Technologie that performs algorithmic matching between student profiles and company/university requirements based on psychological, social, and geographic factors. The platform provides Employer Branding tools for companies to create detailed profiles, psychometric testing tools for students, and a recruiting service for matching. Additional features include experience reports, application tips, and a salary study tool. The platform serves three main user groups: students/school-leavers, companies seeking young talent, and universities wanting to attract students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Duales Studium Online Matching Platform Three-sided web-based placement community platform that connects German school graduates seeking dual study programs with companies offering dual study positions and universities providing dual study programs. Includes proprietary matching technology based on psychological, social, and geographic factors.
• Company Premium Profiles (Employer Branding) Paid employer branding offering that lets companies create enhanced profiles in their own corporate design with multimedia elements to attract dual study candidates and improve applicant matching.
• Psychometric Strength Test (Psychometrischer Stärkentest) Standalone psychometric assessment tool provided free to students and school graduates to identify strengths and match them with suitable dual study programs and companies.
• Recruiting and Placement Service (Vermittlungspauschale) Placement service for companies: when a company expresses interest in a student and the student agrees to share contact details, duales-studium.de charges a placement fee negotiated in writing per contract.

Quantifiable outcome

• University dropout rate reduction
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• REWE GroupmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeading German retail and tourism conglomerate founded 1927 in Cologne. Uses the platform for dual study recruitment across multiple business units.
• BASF SEmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorld's largest chemical company headquartered in Ludwigshafen. Offers multiple dual study programs in Engineering, IT and Business through the platform.
• BayernLB (Bayerische Landesbank)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBavarian state bank with ~8,300 employees worldwide. Partners with DHBW Ravensburg for dual Banking and Business Informatics programs.
• Techniker KrankenkassemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGermany's second largest health insurance fund. Offers dual IT study programs with Nordakademie, headquartered in Hamburg with 14,000 employees.
• DHBW Ravensburg (Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState university of cooperative education with strong ties to regional industry. Multiple dual study programs listed on platform.
• Fachhochschule AachencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Applied Sciences offering dual study programs in engineering and technology disciplines.
• Nordakademie Hochschule der WirtschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Applied Sciences in Elmshorn specializing in dual study programs with multiple partner companies.
• HMKW Hochschule für Medien, Kommunikation und WirtschaftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate university founded 2008 with campuses in Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt. Offers dual study programs in media and communications.
• Hochschule Osnabrück - Campus LingencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity with IDS Institute for Dual Studies offering eight dual programs across business and engineering disciplines.
• HSBA Hamburg School of Business AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-recognized private business school founded 2004 by Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. ~730 students with 220+ partner companies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AZUBIYO: German matching platform focused on apprenticeships and dual study programs (duale Studiengänge) from universities of applied sciences and Berufsakademien. Competes head-to-head with duales-studium.de for the same applicant pool and the same employer branding budgets.
• Stuzubi: Berlin-based education and career fair organizer for school graduates, also publishing matching content for dual studies and apprenticeships. Acts as both partner (event organizer) and direct competitor in driving the same graduating cohort toward its preferred dual study platform.
• Einstieg: Germany's leading organizer of education and career fairs for school leavers (Abiturienten) with a strong dual study focus. Listed as an event partner of duales-studium.de but operates events and matching content targeting the same students, employers, and universities.
• Ausbildung.de: Germany's largest online marketplace for vocational training, apprenticeships, and dual study programs (Ausbildung + Duales Studium). Operates the same two-sided model connecting school graduates with employers in the work-integrated learning space, directly competing for the same students, companies, and universities.

Broad incumbents

• Xing (New Work SE): Germany's leading professional networking platform with integrated job listings including dual study programs. Provides an alternative employer-branding channel for the same companies seeking dual study candidates.
• Stepstone: One of Germany's largest generalist job boards, owned by Axel Springer. Offers dedicated sections for dual study programs alongside regular postings and benefits from vastly larger employer and candidate pools than niche platforms.
• Indeed Germany: Global job aggregator with a dedicated German dual-study / duale Studiengänge section. Competes via scale and SEO rather than specialization, but reaches many of the same students and employers.
• Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Jobbörse): Germany's Federal Employment Agency operates a free national job board including apprenticeship and dual study positions. Functions as a free incumbent alternative for both students and employers that institutional players must compete against.
• Hochschulstart: German centralized service for allocating university admissions, including some dual study programs at participating institutions. Dominant in standardized admissions and could plausibly expand its role in dual study placement.

Emerging players

• karriere:dual: A focused career fair and matching initiative dedicated specifically to dual study programs in Germany. Smaller and more specialized than the major job boards; partial competitor in the dual-study placement niche with regional fair events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Duales Studium