Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (Fhdw)

What Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (Fhdw) does

Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (FHDW) is a private German university of applied sciences operated as Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft Nordrhein-Westfalen gGmbH, a non-profit limited company sponsored by the Bildungszentrum für informationsverarbeitende Berufe (bib) educational foundation headquartered in Paderborn. The institution specializes in dual and part-time Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programs in Business Administration, Information Systems, and Applied Computer Science, serving approximately 2,059 students across five campuses in Nordrhein-Westfalen (Paderborn, Bielefeld, Bergisch Gladbach, Mettmann, and Marburg) with 140 teaching staff.

FHDW's core product is its dual-study model that integrates academic coursework with recurring practical phases at partner companies. The dual Bachelor program and the part-time Bachelor, Master, and DBA programs are designed to allow students to remain employed while earning accredited degrees. The underlying delivery infrastructure is a conventional stack — Microsoft Teams, ClickMeeting, Microsoft Cloud Services, and Cloudflare CDN support online lectures and virtual events; Gravity Forms, Mailchimp, BorlabsCookie, and Wordfence handle applications, marketing, consent, and security. No proprietary technology platform or AI capability is disclosed.

The business model is tuition-driven and recurring. As a private Fachhochschule, FHDW generates revenue primarily through tuition and study fees for its dual and part-time programs; pricing is not publicly disclosed and prospective students are directed to contact the university. Customer segments are dual: individual students (working professionals and Abitur graduates) who consume the educational product, and approximately 550-800 partner companies (including 3M, dSPACE, Renault, REWE Systems, RheinEnergie, Koelnmesse, All-for-One-Group) that host dual-study placements and recruit graduates. FHDW holds system accreditation from the German Akkreditierungsrat and Wissenschaftsrat recognition. Group structure includes subsidiary bib International College and related entities FHDW Hannover gGmbH and eduUP gGmbH, alongside three affiliated research institutes (IFF for finance, CAM for automotive, DIVA).

Name

Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (Fhdw)

Legal name

Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft Nordrhein-Westfalen gGmbH

Website

https://fhdw.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (FHDW) is a private German university of applied sciences offering dual and part-time Bachelor, Master, and DBA programs in Business Administration, Information Systems, and Applied Computer Science across five NRW campuses to ~2,059 students, funded by tuition and anchored by 550-800 corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Business and Secretarial Schools (611410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Management Research Institutes & Doctoral (PhD/DBA) Programs (EDAHAHAO)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Dual study programs
• Business administration
• Information systems
• Vocational training

Headquarters

HQ city

Paderborn

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. Tuition and study fees: As a private university of applied sciences, FHDW generates revenue through tuition fees for its dual and part-time Bachelor and Master programs in Business Administration and Business Informatics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FHDW is a private University of Applied Sciences that sells state-recognized higher-education programs, primarily Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degrees delivered in dual and part-time formats. Core subject areas are Business Administration (Betriebswirtschaft), Information Systems (Wirtschaftsinformatik), and Applied Computer Science (Angewandte Informatik), with practical phases embedded inside partner companies forming part of the curriculum.

Product overview

Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (FHDW) is a private university of applied sciences in Germany offering a portfolio of dual and part-time study programs at Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral levels. The institution provides three core program types: Dual Bachelor's programs (combining academic study with practical phases in partner companies), Part-time Bachelor's programs (for working professionals), and Part-time Master's programs (enabling career advancement without employment interruption). Additionally, FHDW offers a DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) professional doctorate. Programs are available in Business Administration (Betriebswirtschaft), Information Systems (Wirtschaftsinformatik), and Applied Computer Science (Angewandte Informatik). The university operates three affiliated research institutes (IFF for finance, CAM for automotive, and DIVA). Support services include Talent Service for student advising and Career Service for job placement. FHDW maintains five campus locations in Germany (Paderborn, Bielefeld, Bergisch Gladbach, Mettmann, and Marburg) and partnerships with approximately 550-800 companies for dual study placements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FHDW Bachelor: Dual and part-time bachelor's degree programs in Business Administration and Business Informatics
• FHDW Master
• DBA Program

Products and services

• Bachelor Dual — Business Administration (Betriebswirtschaft) Dual Bachelor program in Business Administration; students alternate between academic study at FHDW and employment at a partner company, earning a state-recognized Bachelor degree and work experience.
• Bachelor Dual — Information Systems (Wirtschaftsinformatik) Dual Bachelor program in Information Systems (Wirtschaftsinformatik); students combine academic study at FHDW with company-based practical training at a partner company.
• Bachelor Dual — Applied Computer Science (Angewandte Informatik) Dual Bachelor program in Applied Computer Science; students combine academic study at FHDW with company-based practical training at a partner company.
• Bachelor Part-Time (Berufsbegleitend) Part-time (berufsbegleitend) Bachelor program in Business Administration and Information Systems, designed for working professionals; classes are typically scheduled in block weeks.
• Master Part-Time (Berufsbegleitend) Part-time (berufsbegleitend) Master's program for working professionals who hold a first academic degree; classes are typically delivered in block weeks alongside employment.
• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Professional Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program offered by FHDW, aimed at senior practitioners who want to combine their professional experience with applied research and a doctoral qualification.

Named customers7 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

Integration9 records

Partnerships

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

• bib International CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerbib International College has an academic partnership with FHDW, sharing an Intranet platform (bib & FHDW) and collaborating on educational programs. Both institutions are part of the same educational group.
• 3MminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing practice placements for dual study students at FHDW.
• All-for-One-GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing practice placements for dual study students at FHDW.
• dSPACEminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing practice placements for dual study students at FHDW.
• REWE SystemsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing practice placements for dual study students at FHDW.
• RenaultminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing practice placements for dual study students at FHDW.
• RheinEnergieminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing practice placements for dual study students at FHDW.
• KoelnmesseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing practice placements for dual study students at FHDW.
• Partner Universities (International)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerFHDW has cooperation agreements with universities worldwide for student exchange, enabling international experience during studies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Universität Paderborn: Universität Paderborn is the public full-university located in the same city as FHDW's headquarters. While not a direct private competitor, it draws from the same regional student pool and employer network.

Direct peers

• SRH Hochschulen: SRH is a private university group offering Bachelor, Master, and doctoral programs with a strong focus on practice-integrated learning. Its model parallels FHDW's dual and part-time approach in business and IT.
• ISM International School of Management: ISM is a private business school with multiple German campuses offering Bachelor and Master programs in management-focused specializations. It competes directly with FHDW for business-oriented students seeking applied degree programs.
• IU Internationale Hochschule: IU is the largest private university in Germany, offering flexible Bachelor, Master, and doctoral programs largely online or part-time in business and IT. It targets the same working-professional and career-switcher segments as FHDW with a much larger scale.
• Hochschule Macromedia: Hochschule Macromedia is a private, state-recognized university with multiple German campuses offering practice-oriented Bachelor and Master programs. It competes in the same private, applied business/IT segment as FHDW.
• Hochschule Fresenius: Hochschule Fresenius is a private university group with multiple campuses across Germany offering business, health, and design programs. It is a direct private competitor with similar multi-campus, professionally oriented positioning to FHDW.
• FOM Hochschule: FOM is Germany's largest private university and operates a similarly dual/part-time study model focused on working professionals in business and IT. It competes directly with FHDW for the same student and partner-company segments across NRW and beyond.
• EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht: EBS is a private German business university offering Bachelor, Master, and doctoral programs. It competes with FHDW for business-oriented students, particularly at the Master and DBA levels.

Broad incumbents

• Technische Hochschule Köln: TH Köln is a large public university of applied sciences in NRW with broad program offerings including business and IT. It is a broader incumbent competing for the same regional student pool but at much lower tuition than FHDW.

Emerging players

• FH Aachen: FH Aachen is a public university of applied sciences in NRW offering dual and part-time programs in business and IT. It competes with FHDW in the same region but as a public institution at lower tuition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fhdw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FHDWNRW
• Facebookfacebook.com/FHDW.Fachhochschule.der.Wirtschaft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fachhochschule-der-wirtschaft-fhdw-
• Instagraminstagram.com/fhdwnrw
• TikToktiktok.com/@fhdwnrw

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (Fhdw)