Avans University of Applied Sciences

What Avans University of Applied Sciences does

Avans University of Applied Sciences is a Dutch publicly funded university of applied sciences (hogeschool) founded in 1812 and headquartered in Breda, the Netherlands, with an additional applied research presence in Tilburg. The institution delivers practice-oriented higher education through bachelor's, master's, and exchange programmes, and operates seven named Centres of Applied Research — Perspective in Health, Wellbeing Economy and New Entrepreneurship, Safe & Resilient Society, MNEXT (energy and material transition), Future-proof Education, Art/Design/Technology, and Sustainability — which conduct practice-based research for businesses, government agencies, and civil society organisations. Avans serves two primary customer segments: domestic and international students enrolling in degree programmes, and external organisations seeking applied research collaboration, student talent, and innovation expertise.

The institution's underlying technology is a practice-based research methodology that combines academic teaching with real-world application rather than a packaged software or hardware product. Its revenue model is anchored on Dutch government funding allocations tied to student enrollment and programme accreditation, supplemented by regulated tuition for EU students and programme-specific fees for non-EU international students, consistent with the recurring revenue characteristics of publicly funded higher education. Distribution is direct to consumer: prospective students engage via the avans.nl portal, social channels (Instagram @avansinternational, Facebook Avans International, YouTube studyatavans), and an 'Ask a Student' ambassador programme, while research partnerships are brokered through the seven Centres of Applied Research. Recently, Avans has extended its research footprint into the Power-to-X consortium in Tilburg alongside TNO and Bosch, signalling deeper embedding in the Dutch green-hydrogen and sustainable chemicals ecosystem.

Name

Avans University of Applied Sciences

Legal name

Avans University of Applied Sciences

Website

https://studyatavans.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1812

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Avans University of Applied Sciences is a Dutch hogeschool headquartered in Breda, offering bachelor's, master's, and exchange programmes alongside seven Centres of Applied Research serving students, businesses, government agencies, and civil society organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Applied research
• Bachelor's degree programmes
• Master's degree programmes
• University exchange programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Breda

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Higher Education Services: As a Dutch University of Applied Sciences, Avans operates as a publicly funded educational institution offering bachelor's, master's, and exchange programmes. Revenue is derived from government funding allocation based on student enrollment and programme accreditation, supplemented by tuition fees for international students.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Avans University of Applied Sciences delivers practice-oriented higher education through Bachelor's, Master's, and Exchange programmes to domestic and international students. It also operates seven Centres of Applied Research that conduct practice-based research for businesses, government agencies, and civil society organisations. The institution combines dedicated lecturers, personal student guidance, and strong connections to the business community to develop new knowledge for education and society.

Product overview

Avans University of Applied Sciences offers a unified portfolio of educational products consisting of Bachelor's programmes, Master's programmes, Exchange programmes, and Orientation activities. The institution also operates through a network of seven named Centres of Applied Research (Perspective in Health, Wellbeing Economy and New Entrepreneurship, Safe & Resilient Society, MNEXT, Future-proof Education, Art Design and Technology, and Sustainability) that conduct practice-based research for external organisations. These research centres operate alongside the academic programmes to develop new knowledge for education and society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Perspective in Health: Centre of Applied Research focused on health-related research.
• Wellbeing Economy and New Entrepreneurship
• Safe & Resilient Society
• MNEXT
• Future-proof Education
• Art, Design and Technology

Products and services

• Bachelor's Programmes
• Master's Programmes
• Exchange Programmes
• Orientation Activities
• Practice-based Research Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked second among large universities of applied sciences in Keuzegids hbo 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TNO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast wetenschappelijk onderzoek)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026Avans is part of a consortium of ten organisations led by TNO that signed a letter of intent to establish a Power-to-X campus in Tilburg. The campus focuses on green energy-conversion technologies including hydrogen, CO, methane, and sustainable chemicals. Avans contributes academic expertise to this open innovation ecosystem bridging scientific research and industrial application.
• BoschcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBosch's existing site in Tilburg serves as the center for pre-development of hydrogen-electrolyser stacks. Avans participates in this ecosystem as part of the P2X campus initiative, contributing research capabilities to the decarbonisation project.
• Business Community PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAvans maintains ongoing collaborative relationships with businesses through its seven Centres of Applied Research. Lecturers, lecturing researchers and students conduct practice-based research for businesses seeking innovation support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tilburg University: Research university in Tilburg (same region as Avans' second campus) focused on social sciences and humanities. Overlaps with Avans on regional student catch and Tilburg-based industry collaboration.

Direct peers

• Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA): Largest Dutch UAS by enrollment, operating in a major city with applied research centers. Highly comparable to Avans in size, structure, and practice-based research offering.
• Fontys University of Applied Sciences: Largest UAS in Southern Netherlands (Eindhoven, Tilburg, Venlo), directly competing with Avans for students and industry partnerships in the same regional catchment.
• NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences: Dutch UAS formed by a multi-campus merger, focused on practice-based learning and applied research across several cities. Directly comparable to Avans on size and applied research orientation.
• Zuyd University of Applied Sciences: Southern Netherlands UAS (Heerlen, Maastricht, Sittard) with practice-based research focus. Operates in adjacent regional market with similar UAS structure to Avans.
• HAN University of Applied Sciences: Major Dutch UAS with multi-campus presence (Arnhem, Nijmegen) and practice-based research centers. Closely comparable in scale, applied research model, and student segments to Avans.
• Hogeschool Utrecht (HU): Large Dutch University of Applied Sciences offering bachelor's, master's, and applied research programs. Directly comparable to Avans in mission, scale, and UAS positioning in the Netherlands.
• Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences: Large Rotterdam-based Dutch UAS offering applied bachelor's and master's with research centers. Directly comparable to Avans in program mix and city-based UAS model.
• Saxion Next University of Applied Sciences: East-Netherlands UAS with applied research and centres of expertise. Comparable to Avans in UAS model, applied research portfolio, and student target segments.
• Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas): Smaller Dutch UAS located in the same city as Avans' headquarters. Direct local competitor for students, faculty, and Breda-region industry partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/studyatavans
• Facebookfacebook.com/avansinternational
• Instagraminstagram.com/avansinternational
• Xx.com/avanshogeschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Avans University of Applied Sciences