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.
Key facts
- Founded
- 1974
- Students
- 33,000
- Faculties
- 4
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
Admissions & costs
Tuition & fees
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).
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.
Campuses & locations
Headquarters / Central International Office (Friedrichstraße 14); includes Campus Horb
Includes Campus Bad Mergentheim
Includes Campus Friedrichshafen
Living in Baden-Württemberg
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.
89
Accredited Programmes
58
Bachelor/Bakkalaureus
31
Master
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