The WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is a private German business school with campuses in Vallendar and Düsseldorf, Germany. As of September 2024, there are 2,007 students (including doctoral students) at WHU, about 251 employees and 59 professors (including assistant professors). Academics
Rankings WHU is regularly placed in the top positions in German university rankings. PublisherRankingYearWorldwideGermanyFinancial TimesGlobal MBA202463rd1stMaster in Management202414th1stMaster in Finance202420th1stTop MBAs for Entrepreneurship6th1stExecutive MBA202429th2ndEuropean Business Schools16th1stQSTop MBA202555th3rdExecutive MBA (Joint Programs)202410th.Master in Management202524th1stMaster in Finance202528th1stSubject Ranking: Business & Management Studies2023128th3rdSubject Ranking: Accounting & Finance2023101st-150th2nd-4thSubject Ranking: Business & Management Studies2023451st-500th17thARWUSubject Ranking: Business Administration2023101st-150th1stSubject Ranking: Finance2023151st-200th3rd-4thSubject Ranking: Management2023151st-200th2ndTHESubject Ranking: Business and Economics201888th5th History WHU was founded in 1984 by the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce as the Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Unternehmensführung, with preparations for the founding starting in 1983. Starting in 1986, the school began offering a doctoral studies program, and the process for offering postdoctoral studies began in 1997.
The name was modified in 1993 to honour WHU's benefactor, the businessman Otto Beisheim, after he donated 50 Million Deutsche Mark.
In 1997, an executive MBA with Kellogg School of Management was started. A year later, the school received a EQUIS-accreditation, followed by a FIBAA in 2005 and the beginning of MBA studies the same year. In 2006, the school became a member of AACSB, and was re-accredited by EQUIS in 2009.
Ulrich Lichtenthaler, a professor at the university, had his right to teach revoked in 2013 after accusations of scientific misconduct.
Entrepreneurship A study by the Technical University of Munich titled Entrepreneurial Impact of Academic Institutions 2025 – DACH Ranking: Munich Impact Study found that, according to the study, WHU has the highest number of startups per student in Germany, with approximately 350 startups per 1,000 students. The same study also identified WHU as the university with the second-highest absolute number of startup foundations in Germany between 2014 and 2024.
The University Startup Index 2025, published by Redstone and RWTH Aachen University, ranks WHU as the most efficient university in Europe according to its methodology in terms of startup creation relative to its budget, reporting the highest number of new startup foundations (88.0) per €100 million in university funding.
Reports published by the venture capital firm Antler in 2022 and 2023 also indicate that WHU ranks first among German universities and second in Europe—after the University of Oxford—in terms of the number of founders of so-called unicorn companies.
The business school's critics say it fosters an overly competitive environment, places too much emphasis on rankings, and that it focuses excessive memorisation. After the death of a student who was believed to have died due to overworking himself during an internship but was found to have died due to an underlying condition, the school responded that high pressure is an unfortunately norm in the business world and that they are taking steps to address it.
Notable alumni Verena Hubertz, German Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building Thomas Buberl, CEO of Axa Group Julian Deutz, CFO of Axel Springer, diploma Robert Gentz, founder and board member of Zalando, diploma 2007 Andreas Nick, Member of the Bundestag (German parliament), diploma 1990, PhD 1994 Matthias J. Rapp, CFO of TÜV SÜD AG Oliver Samwer, CEO of Rocket Internet Christoph Schweizer, CEO of the Boston Consulting Group David Schneider, founder and board member of Zalando, diploma 2007 Margret Suckale, board member of BASF, EMBA Oliver Zipse, board member of BMW, EMBA 1997
References
External links WHU homepage Spiegel Business School Rankings 2005 Alumni organisation