Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University

What Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University does

Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW), branded in English as Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University, is Germany's first state dual (practice-integrated) university, established on 1 March 2009 by the state of Baden-Württemberg under the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts. It continues the dual study model of the predecessor Berufsakademie Baden-Württemberg, which had operated for over 40 years. DHBW delivers three-year dual Bachelor programs and part-time dual Master programs across four academic areas — Business, Technology, Health, and Social Sciences — combining theoretical phases at the university with practical phases at partner companies. As a state-funded public institution, it charges no tuition; students earn a salary from their Duale Partner during practical phases, and over 85% receive a job offer from their partner during studies.

The university operates 12 campuses across Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart headquarters, Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Heidenheim, Lörrach, Mosbach/Bad Mergentheim, Ravensburg/Friedrichshafen, Villingen-Schwenningen, and Horb), serving more than 33,000 current students with approximately 12,000 new study places each year, 140+ study programs, and roughly 10,000 teaching staff. Its technology stack includes the DHBW Portal (intranet), DUALIS (student information system), Moodle (learning platform), the Online-Self-Assessment (OSA), and the StudyUp matching platform operated by DHBW Mannheim to connect prospective students with the 9,000+ Duale Partner companies. The institution also participates in the EU4Dual European University alliance and runs support services including the RESI resilience program and the Academic Career Center.

DHBW is financed primarily through state funding from Baden-Württemberg, supplemented by partner-company contributions that take the form of student salaries and reserved study places. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market combines direct student recruitment through the website and OSA, event-driven outreach at education fairs and information days, and partner-mediated enrollment in which Duale Partner companies reserve study places. Governance is exercised through the DHBW Präsidium led by Präsidentin Prof. Dr. Martina Klärle (since 1 February 2022) and Kanzler Dr. Wolf Dieter Heinbach, with David Wolf joining as Verwaltungsdirektor of DHBW Mannheim on 1 July 2026.

Name

Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University

Legal name

Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg

Website

https://www.dhbw.de/startseite

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DHBW is Germany's first state dual (practice-integrated) university, offering three-year bachelor and part-time master programs across 12 Baden-Württemberg campuses. It serves 33,000+ students with no tuition, supported by 9,000+ corporate partners providing paid practical training phases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Dual Study Programs)

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers) (EDAHALAL)

Keywords

• Dual higher education
• Practice-integrated study
• Bachelor degree programs
• Master degree programs
• Work-integrated learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Higher Education Funding: State-funded public university in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. No tuition fees for students. Operates through government funding and partner company collaborations.
2. Student Salary Contribution: Students earn salaries from partner companies (Duale Partner) during their studies, creating indirect economic value through the dual study model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DHBW operates Germany's first state dual university, delivering practice-integrated higher-education programs that alternate academic theory at the university with paid practical training at one of more than 9,000 partner companies. It offers three-year dual Bachelor programs and part-time dual Master programs across Business, Technology, Health and Social Sciences, supported by digital tools such as the Online Self-Assessment (OSA) and StudyUp platform.

Product overview

DHBW (Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg) is Germany's first state dual university, offering practice-integrated study programs. The institution provides a unified portfolio consisting of dual Bachelor and Master programs across four academic faculties (Business, Technology, Health, and Social Sciences), supplemented by digital platforms including the Online Self-Assessment (OSA) tool for prospective students, the StudyUp matching platform for connecting students with dual partners, and internal systems like the DHBW Portal and DUALIS for academic management. The university also participates in the EU4Dual European University initiative and offers student support services such as the RESI resilience program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EU4Dual: European University initiative under which DHBW participates as part of a transnational university alliance.
• StudyUp
• DUALIS
• Online-Self-Assessment (OSA)
• Academic Career Center (ACC)
• Center for Advanced Studies (CAS)
• DHBW-Stiftung

Products and services

• Dual Bachelor Programs Three-year dual study programs combining theoretical learning at one of 12 DHBW campuses with paid practical phases at a partner company, leading to a Bachelor degree in Business, Technology, Health or Social Sciences. Targeted at high school graduates and career changers in Germany.
• Dual Master Programs Part-time dual Master programs offered through the Center for Advanced Studies (CAS), designed for graduates with professional experience to pursue advanced qualifications while continuing employment, without interrupting their careers.
• Online Self-Assessment (OSA) A publicly accessible interactive online assessment platform that helps prospective and current students evaluate their fit for dual study programs, with modules covering motivation ('Meine Gründe für ein duales Studium'), resilience, learning behavior, and subject-specific aptitude for Technik, Wirtschaft and Sozialwesen.
• StudyUp Platform A digital matching platform connecting prospective students with DHBW's dual partner companies, enabling companies to find suitable candidates and students to discover available study positions via applicant profiles and company search functionality.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85%+ of students receive job offers from their dual partner during studies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Initiative KlischeefreimajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023National initiative promoting gender-neutral career and study choices, free from stereotypes. DHBW joined in September 2023 to support diverse and tolerant higher education environment.
• Stifterverband (Diversity Audit)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022DHBW participated in the Diversity Audit 'Vielfalt gestalten' (Managing Diversity) program, a two-and-a-half year process including internal auditing and diversity forums with other participating universities, successfully completing certification in February 2025.
• Academic Career Center (ACC)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2022Supported by Förderprogramm FH-Personal des BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research), ACC focuses on increasing proportion of professors, women, and diversity in hiring, providing mentoring network 'TraumProf+' for female academics.
• Familie in der Hochschule e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2015DHBW joined the Best-Practice-Club 'Familie in der Hochschule' (Family in Higher Education) in 2015, a network of over 150 universities from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland committed to family-oriented work and study conditions.
• Studierendenwerk SeezeitmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Student services organization providing counseling, childcare (Villa Kunterbunt for student parents), housing, and financial aid services for DHBW Ravensburg students.
• Duale Partner (9,000+ companies)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2009Over 9,000 companies and organizations across Germany partner with DHBW to provide practical training positions for dual students. These partners range from small and medium enterprises to large corporations, spanning industries including business, technology, health, and social services. Partners reserve study places and employ students during their practical phases.
• berufundfamilie Service GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Initiated by the Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung, berufundfamilie GmbH provides audit certification for family-friendly workplaces. DHBW has been certified since 2008 (DHBW Mosbach first) and as entire institution since 2012, with regular re-audits every 3 years.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie & Management: One of Germany's largest private universities, offering dual and part-time study programs in business and management. Direct competitor in the German dual education market, though FOM operates nationwide rather than being limited to one state.
• Duale Hochschule Gera-Eisenach: State-funded dual university in Thuringia offering practice-integrated bachelor programs in a similar cooperative model. Most direct comparable peer as another German state-funded dual university, though significantly smaller in scale.
• Northeastern University: US university famous for its cooperative education (co-op) program that integrates classroom learning with professional work experience. Shares the same fundamental academic model of practice-integrated higher education.
• Drexel University: Pioneer of cooperative education in the United States with a mandatory co-op program integrated into most undergraduate degrees. Closely aligned with DHBW's model of alternating academic and practical phases.
• University of Waterloo: Canadian university renowned for its co-op education program, the largest of its kind in North America. Shares DHBW's emphasis on employer partnerships as a core part of the academic experience.
• University of Cincinnati: Often credited as the founder of modern cooperative education in 1906. Operates one of the largest and most established co-op programs in the US, providing a direct international analog to DHBW's dual model.

Broad incumbents

• IU Internationale Hochschule: Germany's largest private university with flexible study programs including dual variants. A broad incumbent in German higher education competing for the same prospective students, though with different delivery model (primarily online).

Regional players

• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT): Major public research university in Baden-Württemberg (same state as DHBW) offering traditional engineering and science programs. Regional peer competing for top students and faculty, but without DHBW's dual/cooperative model.
• SRH Hochschule Heidelberg: Private state-recognized university in Baden-Württemberg offering applied bachelor's and master's programs. Regional peer in the same geographic market, though operating under a private rather than state-funded model.
• Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (HTW Berlin): Large public university of applied sciences in Berlin offering practice-oriented programs in business, technology, and design. Comparable in mission and applied orientation but operates in a different geographic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DualeHochschuleBW
• Facebookde-de.facebook.com/DHBWHEIDENHEIM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/duale-hochschule-baden-w%C3%BCrttemberg
• Instagraminstagram.com/dhbw.dualstudieren

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University