Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau

What Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau does

Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau is a non-profit public institution (Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts) established in 1991 under the Free State of Saxony, Germany, mandated to deliver student welfare services to enrolled students at Technische Universität Chemnitz, Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau, and the Duale Hochschule Sachsen campuses in Glauchau, Breitenbrunn, and Plauen. The organization is headquartered in Chemnitz with a regional office in Zwickau and an additional dormitory location in Schneeberg, and is led by Executive Director Anja Schönherr. Its service portfolio comprises six core areas: subsidized dining halls and cafeterias (including the PETA 2026 award-winning Mensa StraNa); student dormitories priced at 258.50€-400.50€ per month all-inclusive; processing of federal BAföG financial aid applications; free social, legal, and psychological counseling including international student support; cultural funding and leisure programs; and the wholly-owned Kita Campulino daycare center.

The technology footprint is conventional public-sector web delivery: online portals including wohnheimbewerbung.swcz.de for housing applications, bafoeg-digital.de for federal aid processing, and bilderspeiseplan.swcz.de for meal planning, all hosted by Mittwald CM Service. There is no disclosed proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, or mobile application. Service delivery is anchored in physical presence on or near university campuses.

The business model is funded through four streams: mandatory per-student semester fees, annual state subsidies from the Free State of Saxony (13.5 million euros allocated across all Saxon studentenwerke in 2025/2026, with an additional 5 million euros approved in June 2025), dormitory rental revenue, and cafeteria transaction revenue. The May 2025 decision to raise the semester fee by a temporary 15 euros reflects structural cost pressure in catering and counseling services. Capital expenditures are predominantly publicly funded, exemplified by the 15 million euro Zwickau residence modernization (2025-2026) of which 10 million euros derives from the federal-state 'Junges Wohnen' program. The institution is subject to the Saxon Transparency Act (effective January 1, 2023) and is not owned by private investors.

Name

Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau

Legal name

Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau, Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts

Website

https://swcz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau is a non-profit public institution under the Free State of Saxony that provides subsidized dining, affordable student housing, BAföG financial aid processing, counseling, cultural programs, and daycare to students at TU Chemnitz, WH Zwickau, and DHS campuses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Support Services

NAICS

Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Residence Halls & Dormitory Management (On-/Near-Campus) (EDAIALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee Shops, Cafés & Beverage Programs (EDALADAG), Student Wellbeing & Counseling for International Students (Non-Clinical Support) (EDAIAKAF), University Dorms & Affiliated Summer Housing (THAMAGAA)

Keywords

• Student housing services
• University dining services
• Financial aid processing
• Student counseling services
• Campus support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chemnitz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Student Semester Fees: Mandatory semester fees paid by enrolled students at affiliated universities (TU Chemnitz, WH Zwickau, DHS). These fees contribute to funding student services operations.
2. State Funding (Free State of Saxony): Annual state subsidies from the Free State of Saxony for ongoing operations. The 2025/2026 budget increased state funding to 13.5 million euros annually for all Saxon student services organizations.
3. Dormitory Rental Revenue: Rental income from student dormitories. All-inclusive rent covers heating, electricity, water, internet, and cable TV. Rental prices range from 258.50€ to 400.50€ depending on room type and location.
4. Mensa and Cafeteria Revenue: Revenue from food service operations in mensas and cafeterias serving students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau is a non-profit public institution (Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts) that operates affordable student dormitories, university dining halls (mensas and cafeterias), processes German federal student financial aid (BAföG) applications, provides free social/legal/psychological counseling, cultural and leisure programs, and operates an on-site daycare (Kita Campulino) for students at TU Chemnitz, WH Zwickau, and Duale Hochschule Sachsen campuses in Saxony, Germany.

Product overview

Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau is a public service organization providing comprehensive student services across multiple locations (Chemnitz, Zwickau, Schneeberg, Glauchau, Breitenbrunn, and Plauen). The organization operates a multi-service portfolio centered around six core service areas: (1) Mensen & Cafeterias - university dining facilities serving affordable meals including vegan and vegetarian options; (2) Student Housing - affordable dormitory accommodation across multiple residence halls with various room types including accessible units; (3) BAföG - processing federal student financial aid applications for students at affiliated universities, including support for studying abroad; (4) Social Services & Counseling - free counseling including social, legal, and psychological support for students; (5) Culture & Leisure - cultural funding, game rentals, and event spaces; and (6) Kita Campulino - daycare services for children of students and staff. The organization also provides digital service channels including the BAföG Digital online application portal and Residence Hall Registration portal for streamlined student access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mensa and Cafeteria Dining

Quantifiable outcome

• Students receive up to 60,000€ over a 5-year degree program through BAföG, repaying only 10,010€ maximum interest-free
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW): National umbrella organization for all German Studentenwerke, representing 57 member works and coordinating policy on student services funding. Not a direct operator but the relevant industry association and the political counterpart for state funding discussions.

Direct peers

• Studentenwerk Thüringen: State-level Studentenwerk for Thuringia, performing an analogous student services mandate (housing, dining, BAföG, counseling) for universities in a neighboring eastern German state. Closely comparable in scope, regulatory role, and target population.
• Studentenwerk Dresden: The other Saxon Studentenwerk, providing the same Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts mandate for TU Dresden and other Dresden-area institutions. It shares the regulatory structure, the same 13.5M EUR Saxon state funding pool, and operates a directly comparable portfolio of housing, mensas, BAföG, and counseling services.
• Studentenwerk Leipzig: Saxon Studentenwerk serving students at Universität Leipzig and other Leipzig institutions under the same state law and funding framework. Direct structural and operational peer, also receiving the 2025/2026 budget uplift and additional 5M EUR Saxon funding.
• Studentenwerk Magdeburg: Studentenwerk for Saxony-Anhalt serving Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg and other institutions. Comparable as an eastern German, state-mandated, non-profit student services organization with overlapping service mix.

Broad incumbents

• Studierendenwerk Frankfurt am Main: Studentenwerk serving Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and other Frankfurt institutions. Comparable in service mix and mandate, and useful for benchmarking dormitory pricing (258-400 EUR range vs. Frankfurt rents) and digital service models like the BAföG portal.
• Studentenwerk München (Münchner Studentenwerk): Studentenwerk for Munich's universities, operating an extensive housing, dining, and counseling portfolio. Comparable in mandate and service mix; representative of large, well-resourced Studentenwerke against which the Chemnitz-Zwickau entity can be benchmarked.
• Studentenwerk Berlin: Largest German Studentenwerk, serving Berlin's universities and providing the same housing, dining, BAföG, and counseling portfolio. Significantly larger in scale, but offers the same service lines under an analogous legal mandate and is a natural benchmark for best practice and scale economics.
• Studentenwerk Hamburg: State-level Studentenwerk for Hamburg's higher education institutions, offering housing, dining, BAföG, and counseling services. Comparable in legal structure and core service offering though operating in a larger, higher-cost-of-living market.

Emerging players

• IZG Wohnheim GmbH (private student housing operator, Chemnitz): Private student and micro-apartment housing provider active in Chemnitz and other German university cities, competing with the Studentenwerk for off-campus and private student tenants. Relevant as the private-market counterpart against which dormitory pricing (258.50-400.50 EUR) and quality are benchmarked.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Studentenwerk.CZ
• Instagraminstagram.com/studentenwerk_chemnitz_zwickau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studentenwerk-chemnitz-zwickau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau