FernstudiumCheck.de

What FernstudiumCheck.de does

FernstudiumCheck.de is an independent German-language review and comparison portal for distance learning programs, operated by OAK - Online Akademie GmbH and headquartered in Cologne, Germany. Founded in 2013, the platform catalogs 8,452 distance learning programs from 401 providers across categories such as Wirtschaft & Recht, Gesundheit & Soziales, and IT & Medien, and aggregates 130,884 student-submitted reviews. Its core differentiator is a proprietary review authenticity verification algorithm that checks each submission against more than 30 criteria, producing what the company describes as the largest verified review corpus for the German distance learning market.

The platform operates a B2B2C model: prospective and current students consume the database free of charge, while education providers (Fernhochschulen, Fernschulen, Fernstudienanbieter) generate revenue for the platform via premium profile listings (Infoprofile) and a self-serve Reputationsmanager dashboard that allows institutions to manage reputation, view reviews, and respond to feedback. Distribution is heavily SEO-driven, with 400,000+ monthly page views and rankings across thousands of high-intent distance-learning keywords. The same parent company also operates StudyCheck.de, a sister review portal covering on-campus study programs, providing cross-vertical infrastructure leverage.

The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds and operates with a lean team of 6 employees under managing directors Jörn Michelsen, Thomas Tibroni, and Fabian Siegberg. It has received sustained third-party recognition, including the 2014 'Innovation des Jahres' Studienpreis from Forum DistancE-Learning, the 2016 Stiftung Warentest Testsieger designation, and the 2025 Handelsblatt 'Beste Online-Portale' recognition, and runs annual 'Beliebteste Fernhochschulen' / 'Beliebteste Fernschulen' awards including the 2026 cohort. The business model is Germany-only, with no disclosed geographic expansion plans, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

FernstudiumCheck.de

Legal name

OAK - Online Akademie GmbH

Website

https://fernstudiumcheck.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FernstudiumCheck.de is Germany's leading independent review portal for distance learning programs, serving prospective students (free) and 401+ education providers (paid premium profiles and reputation management) via a database of 8,452 programs and 130,884 verified reviews.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Premium Profiles for Providers: FernstudiumCheck.de generates revenue by offering premium profiles to education providers (Fernhochschulen, Fernschulen, Fernstudienanbieter). These premium profiles provide enhanced visibility and an individualized presence for providers on the platform.
2. Provider Reputation Services: The Reputationsmanager (Reputation Manager) tool allows providers to manage their presence and reputation on the platform, likely as a paid service for educational institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FernstudiumCheck.de is an independent German review and comparison portal for distance learning programs (Fernstudiengänge), aggregating reviews, ratings, and profiles for over 8,452 programs from 401 providers across categories like Wirtschaft & Recht, Gesundheit & Soziales, and IT & Medien. The platform is free for prospective students to use and monetizes through premium provider profiles and the Reputationsmanager reputation-management dashboard sold to education providers.

Product overview

FernstudiumCheck.de operates as an independent review portal for distance learning in Germany, offering a searchable database of over 8,400 distance learning programs from more than 400 providers. The platform's core product is its review portal, which aggregates student ratings and experiential reports. It complements the core portal with two additional offerings: the Reputationsmanager (a provider-facing dashboard for managing reviews and institutional reputation) and Infoprofile (premium profile listings with enhanced visibility). The sister brand StudyCheck.de serves on-campus programs under the same parent company, OAK - Online Akademie GmbH.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StudyCheck.de: Germany's largest review portal for campus-based (in-person) study programs, operated by the same team as FernstudiumCheck.de.

Products and services

• FernstudiumCheck.de Portal Independent German review portal for distance learning programs (Fernstudiengänge), featuring ratings, reviews, and provider profiles for Fernhochschulen, Fernschulen, and Fernstudienanbieter. Free for consumer use.
• Reputationsmanager Paid provider dashboard tool allowing distance learning providers to manage their reputation, view reviews, and respond to student feedback on the FernstudiumCheck.de platform.
• Premium Provider Profile (Infoprofil) Subscription-based premium profile listings for distance learning providers, featuring detailed institution information, program listings, and enhanced visibility on the platform.
• StudyCheck.de Sister review portal operated by the same parent company for on-campus (in-person) study programs in Germany, complementing FernstudiumCheck.de's distance learning focus.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130,884 verified reviews on the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered moderate, minor and core.

• Bundesverband der FernstudienanbietermoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Federal Association of Distance Learning Providers in Germany. The association is listed as a partner on the FernstudiumCheck.de website, indicating mutual cooperation between the review platform and industry association.
• Gemeinsam gegen FakebewertungenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership initiative against fake reviews, demonstrating commitment to review authenticity and quality. FernstudiumCheck.de participates in this industry-wide effort to combat fraudulent reviews.
• OAK - Online Akademie GmbHcoreOthersOAK - Online Akademie GmbH is the parent company of FernstudiumCheck.de. The same company also operates StudyCheck.de, the largest German review portal for classroom/study programs, demonstrating cross-platform expertise in education reviews.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hochschulkompass.de: HRK-operated German higher education information portal providing program and institution listings. Comparable function as a discovery/comparison resource for German prospective students, though without a strong consumer review layer.
• eKomi: Berlin-based review platform collecting verified buyer feedback for e-commerce and services, offering provider-side reputation tools. Comparable B2B review-and-reputation business model in the DACH region.
• ProvenExpert.com: German review and reputation platform serving SMBs and professionals with verified customer ratings and a provider-facing dashboard. Closely comparable B2B2C reviews/reputation model in the German market.
• Ausbildung.de: German platform helping users discover vocational training and dual-study programs, with provider information and review-like content. Comparable education-discovery portal serving a related but distinct segment of the German education market.
• StudyCheck.de: Sister review portal operated by the same parent OAK - Online Akademie GmbH, covering on-campus study programs in Germany with the same review/authentication model. Directly comparable product, customer base, and revenue mechanics.
• Studieren.de: German study-program database and information portal for prospective students. Comparable product as a program-comparison resource targeting the same student demographic in Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Trustpilot: Global consumer review platform covering virtually every business category. Comparable open review model and provider-facing business tools, but operates across all verticals rather than specializing in distance learning.
• Check24: Germany's largest comparison portal across insurance, finance, travel, and education verticals. Comparable marketplace/monetization model with provider-side lead generation, but operates as a broad incumbent rather than a specialist.
• Google Reviews (within Google Business Profile / Search): Default consumer reviews layer on Google Search and Maps, increasingly surfaced for education providers in Google results. The principal structural incumbent and indirect substitute for FernstudiumCheck.de's review-and-discovery function.

Regional players

• CourseCheck (UK): UK distance-learning review portal offering student ratings and provider listings. Closest functional analogue operating in a different geography; useful proxy for the model FernstudiumCheck.de operates within Germany.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fernstudiumcheck

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 FernstudiumCheck.de