Hochschule Rottenburg

What Hochschule Rottenburg does

Hochschule Rottenburg (HFR), formally Hochschule für Forstwirtschaft Rottenburg, is a public German University of Applied Sciences located at the historic Schadenweilerhof estate in Rottenburg am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg. Founded in 1954 as a state forest school and re-established in its current form in 1995 as an open public university, HFR specializes in sustainability-focused applied sciences. It serves approximately 1,200 students across 5 bachelor's and 3 master's programs covering forestry, renewable energy, wood management, water resource management, sustainability management, and resource-efficient construction. The university's distinctive physical infrastructure includes approximately 2,500 hectares of teaching and research forest directly adjacent to the campus, alongside specialized facilities such as a GIS laboratory, central laboratory, technology workshop, arboretum, climate station, and renewable energy installations.

HFR operates proprietary digital tools including the Wald360 3D-VR-360° virtual forest excursion platform and the Logbuch digital forest management planning program, and has contributed to the DIN SPEC 35808 technical specification for bio-based growing containers. The institution holds multiple sustainability credentials including five consecutive UNESCO Project designations for Education for Sustainable Development, EMAS certification, and Fairtrade-University status. It maintains an international network of 65+ partner universities supported by the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education and a joint M.Sc. SENCE program with Hochschule Stuttgart.

The business model combines base funding from the State of Baden-Württemberg (under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Research and Art), regulated semester tuition fees, third-party research grants from federal ministries (BMWK, BMEL) and EU programs (Erasmus+), and fee-based continuing education (Waldjägerlehrgang, SÜDWISSEN platform). Distribution is direct on-campus at the single Rottenburg location, with no satellite campuses; international reach is delivered through outgoing and incoming student exchange rather than transnational operations. Customer segments consist primarily of prospective undergraduate and graduate students, with secondary engagement of industry partners in forestry, wood, energy, water and construction sectors, and working professionals seeking certifications in forest management and rope-climbing techniques.

Name

Hochschule Rottenburg

Legal name

Hochschule für Forstwirtschaft Rottenburg

Website

https://hs-rottenburg.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hochschule Rottenburg is a public German University of Applied Sciences specializing in forestry, renewable energy, water management, and sustainability, serving approximately 1,200 students through 8 degree programs at its Rottenburg am Neckar campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rottenburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Students pay tuition fees for enrollment in bachelor's and master's degree programs. The university charges semester fees and tuition as per Baden-Württemberg regulations.
2. Government Funding: As a public university of applied sciences (Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften), HFR receives base funding from the state of Baden-Württemberg for teaching and operations.
3. Research Grants and Projects: Third-party research funding from federal ministries (BMWK, BMEL), EU programs (Erasmus+), foundations, and industry partners for applied research projects in forestry, renewable energy, water management, and sustainability.
4. Continuing Education: Fee-based continuing education programs including Waldjägerlehrgang (game hunting training), specific programs on request, and the SÜDWISSEN continuing education platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hochschule Rottenburg (HFR) is a state-funded University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule für Forstwirtschaft) that delivers bachelor's and master's degree programs, applied research, and continuing education focused on forestry, renewable energies, wood industry, water resource management, sustainability management, and resource-efficient building. Its academic portfolio comprises 5 Bachelor's and 3 Master's programs, supplemented by applied research through the Institut für Angewandte Forschung (IAF) and the affiliated Energie- und Umweltinstitut Rottenburg, as well as fee-based continuing education offerings such as the Waldjägerlehrgang.

Product overview

Hochschule Rottenburg is a University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule für Forstwirtschaft) offering a portfolio of 5 bachelor's degree programs and 3 master's degree programs focused on sustainability, forestry, renewable energies, water management, and resource-efficient building. The institution also operates research institutes including the Institut für Angewandte Forschung (IAF) and Energie- und Umweltinstitut Rottenburg, along with continuing education offerings such as the Waldjägerlehrgang and the SÜDWISSEN Weiterbildungsplattform. The academic programs are complemented by research facilities including the Versuchs- & Lehrwald (2,500 hectares), Arboretum, Technikum, Zentrallabor, GIS-Labor, and Klimastation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• B.Sc. Forstwirtschaft (Forest Management) Bachelor program covering ecological and social aspects of forests, sustainable wood utilization, and responsible resource management, preparing graduates as interdisciplinary generalists. Intended for prospective undergraduate students seeking careers in forestry and natural resource management.
• B.Sc. Erneuerbare Energien (Renewable Energies) Bachelor program focused on renewable energy provision, efficient utilization, technology development for renewable energy systems, and transformation of energy supply systems. Intended for prospective undergraduate students pursuing careers in the renewable energy sector.
• B.Sc. Holzwirtschaft (Wood Management and Technology) Bachelor program providing scientific and technological foundations for sustainable, innovative, and efficient use of wood as a raw material, covering material and product development in sawmill, paper, pulp, wood-based panels, and construction industries. Intended for prospective undergraduate students pursuing careers in the wood industry.
• B.Sc. Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement in der Raumentwicklung (Sustainability Management in Spatial Development) Bachelor program enabling students to shape societal transformation toward sustainability with people, companies, governments, and politics, covering energy, nutrition, health, transport, and sustainable economic and consumption patterns. Intended for prospective undergraduate students interested in sustainability and regional development.
• B.Sc. Ressourcenmanagement Wasser (Water Resource Management) Bachelor program addressing the globally scarce resource water, providing project-oriented, multifunctional, and interdisciplinary competencies including scientific, technical, and social science foundations. Intended for prospective undergraduate students pursuing careers in water resource management.
• M.Sc. Forstwirtschaft (Forest Management) Master program for graduates of forestry bachelor programs seeking competencies in strategic planning and management of forest operations following principles of sustainable and multifunctional forest management. Intended for prospective graduate students pursuing leadership roles in forestry.
• M.Sc. SENCE (Sustainable Energy Competence) Cooperative master program with Hochschule Stuttgart covering theory and practical application of renewable energies for heat and power generation using solar energy, heat pumps, hydro and wind power, and wood as a renewable energy source. Intended for prospective graduate students pursuing careers in sustainable energy management.
• M.Sc. Ressourceneffizientes Bauen (Resource-efficient Building) Four-semester master program providing comprehensive knowledge on resource and energy efficiency in construction with focus on modern timber construction, enabling graduates to evaluate building concepts under ecological, economic, social, technical, and process-oriented aspects. Intended for prospective graduate students pursuing careers in sustainable construction.
• Waldjägerlehrgang (Forest Ranger Course) Continuing education course for forest rangers, part of the university's Weiterbildung (continuing education) offerings. Intended for working professionals in forestry and game hunting.
• SÜDWISSEN Weiterbildungsplattform Regional continuing education platform for professional development and training programs. Intended for working professionals seeking continuing education in sustainability-related fields.
• Institut für Angewandte Forschung (IAF) Institute for Applied Research conducting application-oriented research in areas including biomass logistics and conversion, forest and wood economics, and management of rural spaces. Provides applied research collaboration, contract research, technology transfer, and expert consulting services.
• Energie- und Umweltinstitut Rottenburg Affiliated energy and environment institute operating as a separate legal entity at the HFR campus, conducting research and providing expertise in sustainability and environmental sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful system accreditation by ZEvA through 2026
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Hochschule Stuttgart (University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint cooperative program for M.Sc. SENCE (Nachhaltige Energiewirtschaft und -technik / Sustainable Energy Competence). The HFR serves as the central coordination point for this accredited joint master's program.
• Over 65 International Partner UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of partner universities across all continents enabling student and faculty exchange, study abroad opportunities, and international research collaborations.
• Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK) / Nationale Klimaschutzinitiative (NKI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded the integrated climate protection concept (Integriertes Klimaschutzkonzept) 2022-2025 through the National Climate Protection Initiative. Project coordination by Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH.
• Vermögen und Bau Baden-Württemberg - Amt TübingenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner for the integrated climate protection concept. State construction and property management authority for Baden-Württemberg.
• Geschäftsstelle der Studienkommission für Hochschuldidaktik (GHD) / Hochschule KarlsruhecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in HUMUS project (Hochschuldidaktische und methodische Unterstützung der Selbstinitiierung von Lernprozessen) funded by MWK Baden-Württemberg for innovative teaching-learning projects.
• Energie- und Umweltinstitut RottenburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated institute at HFR campus focusing on energy and environmental research, operating as a separate legal entity at www.eui-rottenburg.de
• Gartenbau-BerufsgenossenschaftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited HFR as official training location for rope climbing techniques (SKT-A and SKT-B) providing European-recognized certification.
• ISTAT - Institut für angewandte Statistik, KasselminorOthersCoordinates the KOAB (Kooperationsprojekt Absolventenstudien) graduate survey project involving over 60 German universities with approximately 70,000 graduates annually.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wageningen University & Research: Dutch research university with overlapping forestry, sustainability, water, and renewable-resource programs. A larger, internationally dominant European peer in life-sciences and sustainability education and research.
• University of Freiburg: Comprehensive Baden-Württemberg university with forestry and environmental sciences faculty and adjacent sustainability research. Broader portfolio than HFR but operating in the same regional academic and funding ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt (HfWU / Nürtingen-Geislingen): Baden-Württemberg Fachhochschule with sustainability, agriculture, and resource management programs. Similar small-scale, applied-sciences, sustainability-focused profile within the same state funding system.
• Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart: Stuttgart-based Fachhochschule focused on architecture, civil engineering, and built-environment disciplines. Adjacent academic positioning to HFR's M.Sc. Ressourceneffizientes Bauen program and joint SENCE partner.
• Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart (HdM): Stuttgart-based University of Applied Sciences and partner in the cooperative M.Sc. SENCE program. Comparable Fachhochschule size and Baden-Württemberg funding base.
• Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (HNEE): Public German Fachhochschule of similar small size focused on forestry, wood technology, landscape management, and sustainability. Closest direct comparison to HFR given overlapping program portfolio and Fachhochschule status.
• Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf: Bavarian University of Applied Sciences covering agriculture, horticulture, forestry, landscape architecture, and food technology. Comparable applied-sciences profile with overlapping forestry and renewable-resource programs.

Regional players

• BOKU University (Universität für Bodenkultur Wien): Austrian university specializing in forestry, wood technology, water management, and renewable resources. Direct overlap in academic portfolio but serves the Austrian market rather than competing in Germany.
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU): Scandinavian agricultural and forestry university with comparable forestry, wood, and sustainability programs. Operates in a different European geography with similar academic mandate.
• Hochschule für Forstwirtschaft Schwarzach: Bavarian forestry vocational/academic institution focused on mid-level forestry training. Comparable forestry education mission in a neighboring German state, though more narrowly vocational than HFR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Hochschulef%C3%BCrForstwirtschaftRottenburg
• Facebookde-de.facebook.com/HS.Rottenburg
• Instagraminstagram.com/hochschule_rottenburg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hochschule-rottenburg

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Hochschule Rottenburg