Carl Remigius Fresenius Education Group

What Carl Remigius Fresenius Education Group does

Carl Remigius Fresenius Education Group operates as one of Germany's largest private and independent education conglomerates, delivering vocational training, higher education, and continuing professional development across 15 brands and 63-80+ physical locations in Germany and Austria. The group serves approximately 35,000 students and pupils through core subsidiaries including Ludwig Fresenius Schulen (100+ vocational schools holding market leadership in physiotherapy and occupational therapy training), Hochschule Fresenius and Charlotte Fresenius Hochschule (state-recognized universities), and Charlotte Fresenius Privatuniversität in Vienna (Austria's first private university, founded 2022). Its portfolio is supplemented by therapy practices offering physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, an entrepreneurship ecosystem (Pioneer Labs, Pioneer Ventures, Entrepreneur Academy), and corporate training services.

The group generates revenue through three primary streams: recurring tuition and educational program fees across degree, vocational, and continuing education tracks; B2B corporate training and employer services including talent networking through the Ludwig Fresenius Talentnetzwerk and Talents4Tomorrow annual event; and therapy services delivered through its practice network. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer enrollment via campus locations and online portals, a sales-led B2B motion targeting German companies for employer branding and employee upskilling, and event-driven recruitment. Distribution is primarily through owned physical campuses supplemented by online/distance learning, certificate sales via the Zertifikatswelt e-commerce storefront, and corporate on-site programs.

Technology infrastructure includes an integrated educational technology platform with an online applicant portal (hr-portal.crf-education.com) and the NextGeneration:AI initiative, which deploys text, speech, and graphic-based AI applications for administrative support, teaching assistance, and student services. The group maintains ISO 50001 energy management certification, GDPR compliance, TÜV Austria quality certification, and SSL/TLS-secured web infrastructure. The company is structured as Carl Remigius Fresenius Education AG, registered in Hamburg, with executive leadership by Dr. Stefan Endriß and Hannes Weißensteiner, and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Lambert T. Koch as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Name

Carl Remigius Fresenius Education Group

Legal name

Carl Remigius Fresenius Education AG

Website

https://crf-education.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Carl Remigius Fresenius Education Group is one of Germany's largest private education providers, operating vocational schools, universities, and continuing education across 15 brands and 63+ locations in Germany and Austria, serving 35,000 students plus corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Teacher Training, Professional Development & Education Leadership (BPADAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lifelong Learning Institutes (Osher/OLLI-style) & Senior Academies (EDAAAMAA), Language & Communication Continuing Education (EDAAAEAF)

Keywords

• Private higher education
• Vocational training programs
• Continuing professional education
• University of applied sciences
• Therapy practice services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Educational Program Fees: Revenue from tuition fees for university programs, vocational training, and continuing education courses. Students and pupils pay for access to educational programs including Bachelor, Master, and professional qualification programs. The group offers loyalty discounts (10% for graduates continuing studies) and sibling discounts (10% for first program enrollment).
2. Corporate Training and Employer Services: B2B revenue from employer branding services, talent finding, practical projects, and professional development programs offered to companies. Services include recruitment events, job boards, networking events, and continuing education programs for employees.
3. Therapy Services: Revenue from therapy practice offerings in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy through the group's practice network.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Carl Remigius Fresenius Education Group is a private German education conglomerate that delivers vocational training, university-level education, and continuing professional development through 15 brands operating more than 63 locations in Germany and Austria. It serves around 35,000 students and pupils with programs spanning therapy and healthcare, business, technology, psychology, and sustainability, and complements its educational portfolio with corporate training, employer branding, and a therapy practice network offering physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

Product overview

The Carl Remigius Fresenius Education Group operates as a diversified educational conglomerate with 15 brands offering vocational schools, universities, and continuing education programs. The portfolio includes Hochschule Fresenius (university of applied sciences), Ludwig Fresenius Schulen (100+ vocational schools, market leader in physiotherapy/occupational therapy), Charlotte Fresenius Hochschule (psychology-focused university), and Charlotte Fresenius Privatuniversität (Austria's first private university focused on sustainability). Supporting initiatives include Pioneer Labs/Ventures for startups, Entrepreneur Academy, StudyPLUS for additional skills, NextGen Education Podcast, and Campus Connect community platform. The group also offers corporate training solutions, certificate programs through Zertifikatswelt, and talent networking services. The education group has embraced AI through its NextGeneration:AI initiative, deploying text, speech, and graphic-based AI applications across administrative, teaching, and student service functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ludwig Fresenius Schulen: Vocational schools with over 100 facilities in more than 35 cities, offering training in therapy and wellness, nursing and pedagogy, medicine and laboratory, and technology. Market leader in Germany for physiotherapy and occupational therapy training.
• Hochschule Fresenius
• Charlotte Fresenius Hochschule
• Charlotte Fresenius Privatuniversität
• Bildungszentrum für Gefahrenabwehr und Krisenmanagement (BZGK)

Products and services

• Hochschule Fresenius (University of Applied Sciences) One of the largest private universities of applied sciences in Germany, offering bachelor's and master's programs across health, business, technology, and related disciplines, delivered through on-campus and distance learning formats.
• Ludwig Fresenius Schulen (Vocational Schools) Network of more than 100 vocational schools in over 35 German cities offering training in therapy and wellness, nursing and education, medicine and laboratory, and technology; market leader in Germany for physiotherapy and occupational therapy vocational training.
• Charlotte Fresenius Hochschule State-recognized university equivalent to public universities, offering psychology and psychotherapy programs at six German locations with university outpatient clinics in Wiesbaden and Munich.
• Charlotte Fresenius Privatuniversität (University of Sustainability) First private university in Austria, headquartered in Vienna, with a clear focus on sustainability in research and teaching and offering psychology programs.
• Zertifikatswelt (Certificate Shop) Online storefront selling professional certificates and continuing education credentials through hs-fresenius.de/shop, targeting individuals and SMBs seeking stackable qualifications.
• StudyPLUS (Additional Skills Platform) Platform offering additional courses including IT skills, language courses, and other key competencies that complement degree and vocational programs for students and employees.
• Corporate Training and Employer Branding Services B2B portfolio for German companies covering employer branding, talent recruitment, practical student projects, and customized employee continuing education, delivered through a dedicated Corporate Operations team and events such as Talents4Tomorrow.
• Therapy Practice Network (Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy) Therapy services delivered through the group's practice network covering physiotherapy (Physiotherapie), occupational therapy (Ergotherapie), and speech therapy (Logopädie) for individual patients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue growth from 100 million EUR (2013) to 218 million EUR (2022)
• +2 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

Integration10 records

AI capability4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Pioneer LabsminorOthersIncubator program supporting young entrepreneurs in founding and developing their startups. Part of the group's entrepreneurial ecosystem including Pioneer Ventures (financial support) and Entrepreneur Academy.
• Pioneer VenturesminorOthersFinancial support vehicle for startups emerging from the Pioneer Labs ecosystem, providing capital to promising ventures.
• Entrepreneur AcademyminorOthersEducational program expanding the training offerings for aspiring entrepreneurs within the education group's ecosystem.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AKAD University: Germany's longest-established private distance-learning university with bachelor, master, and MBA programs for working professionals. Comparable to CRFEG's distance-learning and continuing-education offerings.
• Bernd Blindow Group: German private education group operating vocational colleges, technical schools, and health academies (incl. BTS and Diploma Hochschule). Directly comparable to Ludwig Fresenius Schulen for German vocational training and adjacent university offerings.
• Hochschule Macromedia / Macromedia University: German private university group offering bachelor and master programs in business, design, and media across multiple German campuses. Comparable private, multi-campus German higher-education competitor with similar target learner segments.
• FOM Hochschule: One of Germany's largest private universities, focused on working professionals with dual-study and part-time programs across business, engineering, health, and IT. Direct competitor to CRFEG's university arm for the same working-learner demographic.
• SRH Hochschulen: A private German education group operating multiple universities and vocational institutions including SRH Fernhochschule and SRH Hochschule Heidelberg. Directly comparable to CRFEG in scope, German presence, and the integration of higher education with healthcare and therapy programs.
• IU Internationale Hochschule: The largest private university in Germany, offering bachelor, master, and doctoral programs across business, tech, health, and social sciences with a strong online/distance learning model. Most direct competitor to Hochschule Fresenius in the German private higher-education market.
• PFH Private Hochschule Göttingen: Private German university offering business, technology, and psychology programs with applied-science and dual-study models. Comparable to CRFEG's university positioning in the German private higher-education segment.

Regional players

• Universidad Europea: Leading private Spanish university group with multiple campuses and strong healthcare/therapy program offerings. Comparable to CRFEG as a regional private-education operator with similar program mix, though geographically distinct.

Broad incumbents

• Galileo Global Education: A large European private higher-education operator owning numerous universities across France, Spain, Germany, and beyond. Relevant as a broader multi-country private higher-education incumbent in the same category as CRFEG's portfolio.
• Laureate International Universities: One of the largest global networks of private higher-education institutions. Comparable as a multinational private-education platform against which CRFEG's DACH-focused offering competes and benchmarks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xlinkedin.com/company/carl-remigius-fresenius-education-group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crf-education
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Carl Remigius Fresenius Education Group