What Heilbronn University does

Heilbronn University (Hochschule Heilbronn, HHN) is a public university of applied sciences (Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften) founded in 1961 and organized as a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts under the supervision of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Science, Research and the Arts. The institution serves approximately 7,000 students and 800 staff across four campuses — Heilbronn-Sontheim (TechCampus), Heilbronn-Bildungscampus, Künzelsau, and Schwäbisch Hall — delivering 60 bachelor's and master's degree programs spanning Computer Science, Technology, International Business, Business and Transport, Technology and Business, and Management and Sales. Sub-brands include Heilbronn University Graduate School (HUGS), Heilbronn Institute for Lifelong Learning (HILL), School of Applied Artificial Intelligence (HHN-SAAI), and the STARTKLAR Grünungszentrum startup center.

The university's core technology stack centers on the ILIAS learning management system for course delivery and student resources, with self-hosted Matomo for web analytics. HHN integrates with YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, OpenStreetMap, and WhatsApp for marketing and student communications. Its School of Applied AI (HHN-SAAI) supports research in human-centered AI, generative AI, and process automation, including the SeLLMA framework for secure large language model adaptation. Specialized units include Promotion @ HHN (doctoral support), Studium Generale (extracurricular education), Career Service, International Career Service, WoMent mentoring program for female students, and doctora for female researchers.

HHN operates under a public funding model: primary revenue flows from Baden-Württemberg state appropriations, supplemented by third-party research grants (BMBF, EU/Erasmus+, Dieter Schwarz Stiftung, EXIST-Women federal program, DAAD), fee-based continuing education through HILL, and semester fees covering student services, student union, and a regional transportation ticket. Degree programs are tuition-free. The go-to-market motion is event-driven: HHN recruits students through online info sessions, orientation semesters, career fairs (MeetING, MeetBUSINESS, MeetIT, vitaminb, kompass), and direct application to its 60 programs, supported by social media presence and an international exchange network of 220 partner universities.

Name

Heilbronn University

Legal name

Hochschule Heilbronn

Website

https://hs-heilbronn.de

Company type

Public

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Heilbronn University (Hochschule Heilbronn) is a public German university of applied sciences founded in 1961, serving approximately 7,000 students across four campuses in Baden-Württemberg with 60 bachelor's and master's degree programs in computer science, technology, business, and management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Graduate & Professional School Preparation (EDALABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marketing, Sales & Brand Management Schools (EDAHAHAE), Corporate Training Course Marketplaces (B2B Content Libraries) (EDAFAIAH), Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Applied sciences programs
• Bachelor master degrees
• University research
• Continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Heilbronn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public University Funding: As a German public university (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts), HHN receives primary funding from the state of Baden-Württemberg through the Ministry for Science, Research and the Arts. This covers operational costs, staffing, and infrastructure.
2. Third-Party Research Funding: Research activities funded through grants from federal ministries (BMBF), EU programs (Erasmus+), foundations (Dieter Schwarz Stiftung), and industry partners. Includes funding for specific initiatives like WoMent, STARTKLAR, and doctora.
3. Continuing Education and Certificate Programs: Revenue from fee-based continuing education programs, language courses, Studium Generale certificates, and specialized training offerings through Heilbronn Institute for Lifelong Learning (HILL).
4. Semester Fees: Students pay semester fees that include contributions to student services, student union, and transportation ticket. These are standard fees rather than tuition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Heilbronn University is a public university of applied sciences delivering 60 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs across four campuses in Heilbronn, Heilbronn-Sontheim, Künzelsau, and Schwäbisch Hall, serving approximately 7,000 students. The portfolio spans faculties of Computer Science, International Business, Management and Sales, Technology, Technology and Business, and Business, augmented by applied AI education through HHN-SAAI, continuing education via HILL, doctoral support through Promotion @ HHN, and career and entrepreneurship services including the Career Service, STARTKLAR startup center, and gender-equality programs (WoMent, doctora).

Product overview

Heilbronn University (Hochschule Heilbronn) operates as a multi-campus public university with approximately 7,000 students across 4 locations. The institution offers 60 degree programs through faculties in Computer Science, International Business, Management and Sales, Technology, Technology and Business, and Business. The product portfolio centers on academic education with integrated student services including the Career Service for job placement and professional development, the International Career Service for international students, and STARTKLAR for startup entrepreneurship support. Gender equality initiatives include WoMent mentoring program for female students and Doctora for female researchers. Additional services include the ILIAS learning management system for course delivery, Studium Generale for extracurricular learning, and Firmenkontaktmessen career fair events connecting students with employers. The university also maintains a School of Applied Artificial Intelligence (HHN-SAAI) for AI research and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heilbronn University Graduate School (HUGS): Graduate school division offering advanced academic programs
• Heilbronn Institute for Lifelong Learning (HILL)
• School of Applied Artificial Intelligence (HHN-SAAI)
• STARTKLAR Gründungszentrum

Products and services

• Degree Programs (60 programs across 4 campuses) Bachelor's and Master's degree programs across faculties of Computer Science, International Business, Management and Sales, Technology, Technology and Business, and Business, available to prospective and enrolled students at Heilbronn, Heilbronn-Sontheim, Künzelsau, and Schwäbisch Hall campuses.
• Career Service Career support services including job portal, seminars, workshops, application coaching, and career counseling for HHN students and graduates.
• International Career Service Specialized career service for international students seeking employment in Germany or internships abroad, with application checks and career counseling.
• STARTKLAR Gründungszentrum (Start-up Centre) Startup support center for HHN students and members interested in founding companies; offers entrepreneurship guidance, EXIST-Women program support, and startup culture resources.
• WoMent Mentoring Program Cross-mentoring program for female students and doctoral candidates; includes career counseling, FutureFem Hub platform, and networking for women in leadership.
• doctora Program Program supporting women in pursuing academic careers; offers PhD orientation, networking, co-working spaces, workshops, and the Ursula Ida Lapp Scholarship.
• Studium Generale Non-curricular seminars and events covering languages, culture, and Ethics certificate; open to all students and staff with option for external participants.
• ILIAS Learning Management System Learning management system used for course management, seminars, career service materials, and general studies registration.
• Promotion @ HHN (Research and Graduate Centre) Support for doctoral candidates including supervision, cooperative doctorate procedures, industrial doctorates, and networking with Promotionsverband BW.
• School of Applied Artificial Intelligence (HHN-SAAI) Dedicated school for applied artificial intelligence research and education; part of the university's organizational structure for AI-focused programs.
• Firmenkontaktmessen (Career Fair Events) Recruitment events including MeetING (engineering), MeetBUSINESS (business), MeetIT (IT), vitaminb (Künzelsau), and kompass (Schwäbisch Hall) connecting students with employers.
• Deutschlandstipendium and Scholarship Services Scholarship programs including Germany Scholarship, company scholarships, technology study scholarships, and various foundation-funded awards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 campus locations serving regional economic development needs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DHBW Heilbronn (Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg Heilbronn)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner in the WoMent cross-mentoring program alongside Die Wissensstadt Heilbronn gGmbH. Enables joint career support services for female students across both Heilbronn higher education institutions.
• Die Wissensstadt Heilbronn gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in the WoMent initiative combining higher education institutions and regional economic development organization to strengthen women's careers in the Heilbronn innovation region.
• Erasmus+ Programme (European Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU mobility program enabling student and staff exchanges with 220 partner universities. HHN participates in Erasmus+ for study abroad, traineeships (internships abroad), and staff teaching/mobility grants.
• 220 Partner Universities (International Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner institutions enabling student exchange, dual degrees, and faculty collaboration. Network spans multiple countries for global mobility opportunities.
• Arbeiterkind.deminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork supporting first-generation university students. HHN partners with Arbeiterkind.de to help prospective students from non-academic families navigate higher education.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart: Public Baden-Württemberg university of applied sciences with strong applied engineering, computer science, and business programmes. Directly comparable to HHN in mission (HAW model), funding structure (state-funded, tuition-free), and student segment (regional bachelor/master intake), and competes for the same Baden-Württemberg applicant pool.
• Hochschule Mannheim: Mid-size Baden-Württemberg HAW with engineering, design, and social-work faculties. Closely comparable to HHN on scale (~5,000 students), tuition-free public funding, and applied-sciences mission, and serves an overlapping regional applicant pool in the Rhine-Neckar/Baden-Württemberg corridor.
• Hochschule Pforzheim University: Nearby Baden-Württemberg HAW with design, engineering, and business faculties. Shares HHN's business-and-technology profile, tuition-free state funding model, and regional-recruitment focus, competing for similar applicants in the greater Stuttgart/Neckar region.
• Hochschule Karlsruhe (HKA): Baden-Württemberg HAW with strong technical and informatics faculties and a comparable mid-size footprint. Directly comparable to HHN on engineering and computer-science curriculum, tuition-free state funding, and regional recruitment focus.
• Hochschule Reutlingen (ESB Business School): Baden-Württemberg HAW with strong international business and applied sciences programmes. Comparable to HHN in applied-business orientation, state funding model, and mid-size regional scale, competing for similar German and international bachelor/master applicants.
• Hochschule Aalen: Baden-Württemberg HAW with technical and business programmes and comparable student headcount. Direct competitor to HHN's TechCampus and Künzelsau offerings in applied engineering and business-information, operating under the same state funding regime.

Broad incumbents

• Technische Hochschule Köln (TH Köln): One of Germany's largest public universities of applied sciences with broad engineering, business, and computer science faculties. Comparable to HHN in applied-sciences mission and tuition-free model, but operates at materially greater scale and across multiple NRW cities.
• IU Internationale Hochschule: Germany's largest private university with a broad applied catalogue (business, IT, engineering) delivered online and at multiple German locations. Represents the principal private-sector competitor for HHN's continuing-education (HILL) and adult-learner segments, with a distance-learning model that HHN's campus-centric approach does not match.

Direct peers

• DHBW Heilbronn (Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg): Dual-study HAW with a co-located campus in Heilbronn, already a WoMent programme partner. Competes directly with HHN for the same local applicants, particularly for work-integrated bachelor's degrees with corporate partners in the Heilbronn economy.

Emerging players

• SRH Hochschule Heidelberg: Private but state-recognised Baden-Württemberg higher-education provider with applied bachelor/master programmes in business, engineering, and computer science. Comparable to HHN in regional applicant pool and applied-business curriculum, but differentiated by tuition-based for-profit model — a competitor for price-insensitive and adult-learner segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hochschulehn
• Facebookfacebook.com/hochschule.heilbronn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hochschule-heilbronn
• Instagraminstagram.com/hochschule_heilbronn

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Heilbronn University