- Founded
- 1974
- Students
- 33,000
- International
- 5%
- Programmes
- 89
- Taught in English
- 3
About Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg
The Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW), or Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University, is a state university in southwest Germany built around a dual study model. Its roots go back to the Berufsakademie Baden-Württemberg, founded in 1974, and it became a university in its own right with around 33,000 current students and over 230,000 alumni.
DHBW is distinctive in that students alternate in roughly three-month intervals between classroom instruction and practical work phases at a partner company or social institution. Undergraduates are paid a salary during their workplace phases, and enrolment is only possible once a training contract with a workplace training provider has been signed. The university works with almost 9,600 corporate and social partners.
The university is organised into four schools - Business, Engineering, Social Work, and Healthcare - and is spread across nine locations throughout Baden-Württemberg. All undergraduate programmes award 210 ECTS credits, and DHBW was the first university in Baden-Württemberg to achieve system accreditation, in 2011.
Distinctive dual study model: students alternate roughly every three months between university and paid work at a partner company
Around 33,000 students and over 230,000 alumni across nine locations in Baden-Württemberg
Almost 9,600 corporate and social partner organisations
First university in Baden-Württemberg to gain system accreditation (2011)
Four schools: Business, Engineering, Social Work, and Healthcare
Strong industry integration in one of Germany's leading economic regions
Key facts
- Type
- Duale Hochschule
- Founded
- 1974
- Students
- 33,000
- International
- ~5%
- Faculties
- 4
- Programmes
- 89
Study programmes
89 accredited degrees at Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg, 3 of them taught in English.
Showing 25–48 of 89 programmes
Admissions & fees
What it costs
As a public university DHBW charges no general tuition for the academic programme itself, but Baden-Württemberg levies €1,500 per semester for non-EU/EEA international students (some exemptions apply). In addition, students pay a per-semester administration fee of €120.00 plus a €12.00 student-union contribution.
Admission requirements
International applicants need a recognised school-leaving certificate (e.g. upper secondary graduation diploma / baccalaureate) with an overview of subjects and grades. German-taught programmes require proof of German (DSH2, TestDaF min. 16 points, Goethe C2, or telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule); English-taught programmes require English instead and waive the German requirement. Applicants from China, Vietnam, and India must obtain an APS (Akademische Prüfstelle) certificate before admission can be considered. Because of the dual model, enrolment is only possible after signing a training contract with a workplace training provider (partner company).
Application deadlines
There is no central application deadline: in the dual model applicants must first obtain a training contract (Studien- und Ausbildungsvertrag) with one of the roughly 9,600 dual partner companies, and company recruitment typically starts around a year before studies begin. Enrolment at the DHBW is only possible after this contract is signed; the study year always starts on 1 October. International applicants additionally need an equivalence check of their foreign school certificates by DHBW International Admission & Services (allow 2 to 3 weeks), and applicants from China, Vietnam and India must complete an APS verification procedure first.
How international applicants apply
No uni-assist. Dual model: applicants first obtain a training contract (Studienvertrag) with a dual partner company; enrolment is then completed through the DHBW's own process/portal of the respective location. Foreign school certificates are assessed in-house by DHBW International Admission & Services ([email protected], Friedrichstr. 14 Stuttgart) via a PDF application form sent by post as certified copies - free of charge, approx. 2-3 weeks; APS certificate mandatory for China/Vietnam/India applicants. DHBW does not appear on uni-assist's official member list.
Languages of instruction
Programmes are taught primarily in German. DHBW offers two English-taught study programmes for non-German speakers. Applicants to German-taught programmes must prove German proficiency (e.g. DSH2, TestDaF min. 16 points, Goethe-Zertifikat C2, or telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule); applicants to English-taught programmes are exempt from the German requirement.
Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree.
Student accommodation
What Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
From the university
DHBW's Central International Office and local International Offices support international students with applications, credential verification, residence permits, bureaucracy, financial and health questions, accommodation searches, and other concerns.
Campuses & locations
Headquarters / Central International Office (Friedrichstraße 14); includes Campus Horb
Includes Campus Bad Mergentheim
Includes Campus Friedrichshafen
Living in Stuttgart
DHBW is headquartered in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg and one of Germany's major economic hubs, home to global engineering and automotive employers. However, DHBW is decentralised across nine locations - ranging from larger cities such as Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe to smaller towns like Lörrach, Mosbach and Heidenheim - so the campus city depends on the chosen programme and partner company.
Student life & support
DHBW's Central International Office and local International Offices support international students with applications, credential verification, residence permits, bureaucracy, financial and health questions, accommodation searches, and other concerns. Since winter semester 2025/26 the university has offered free cross-location online German courses at several levels several times a week. Because of the dual model, students spend their practical phases working at a partner company and earn a salary during those periods.
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