University of Applied Sciences - HTW Berlin vs Humboldt University - HUB vs IU International University of Applied Sciences vs Ironhack vs CareerFoundry

Side-by-side comparison from 235 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: Forward College (4.70)
University of Applied Sciences - HTW Berlin: wins 0/7 categories
Humboldt University - HUB: wins 1/7 categories
IU International University of Applied Sciences: wins 0/7 categories
Ironhack: wins 3/7 categories
CareerFoundry: wins 0/7 categories
Forward College: wins 2/7 categories
Catalyst – Institute for Creative Arts and Technology: wins 1/7 categories
Comparing
Best programme: Applied Computer Science
Best programme: British Studies
Best programme: MBA
Barcelona, Spain
3.00
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2 reviews
×
Best programme: UX/UI Design (User Experience / User Interface Design)
Berlin, Germany
Not rated
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0 reviews
×
Paris, France
4.70
Top
Read more reviews
32 reviews
×
Best programme: Data Science
Best programme: Music Production and Sound Engineering
Category ratings
Facilities
3.91
3.94
4.23
5.00
Win
Not rated
4.45
4.75
Location
4.00
4.81
4.40
5.00
Win
Not rated
4.83
4.25
Professors
4.00
4.44
4.43
3.00
Not rated
4.91
Win
3.88
Internationality
4.19
4.38
4.44
3.00
Not rated
4.56
5.00
Win
Student life
4.04
3.81
4.11
5.00
Win
Not rated
4.58
4.75
Value
3.98
4.63
Win
4.32
3.00
Not rated
4.56
4.13
Accommodation
3.88
3.06
3.68
4.00
Not rated
4.29
Win
2.25
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Supportive environment and academic resources
  • +Vibrant campus life and social engagement
  • +Opportunities for personal growth and development
  • +Flexible, customizable curriculum
  • +Inspiring and expert faculty
  • +Practical, real-world engagement opportunities
  • +Flexible online study for work-life balance
  • +Modern, intuitive digital platform for easy access
  • +Relevant, high-quality educational content
  • +Practical, hands-on learning with immediate application
  • +Experienced, professional instructors with industry expertise
  • +Engaging hybrid learning format

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  • +International and diverse community
  • +Interactive and engaging learning approach
  • +Focus on personal growth and development
  • +Hands-on learning and practical experience
  • +Access to professional gear and facilities
  • +Supportive and collaborative environment
Cons
  • -Poor quality instruction and unhelpful teachers
  • -Lack of administrative and management support
  • -Outdated facilities and resources
  • -Curriculum and staff attitude are disliked.
  • -Outdated facilities and administrative issues are concerns.
  • -Slow and unresponsive administrative processes, including grade processing and student support.
  • -Poor staff attitude and lack of accountability for errors in student records and applications.
  • -Inadequate support and guidance for online students.
  • -Administrative and management issues.
  • -Perceived lack of value for money.

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  • -Administrative and management issues are frequent sources of frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and poor maintenance are consistently criticized.
  • -A lack of clarity or support regarding curriculum and academic expectations is a common complaint.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and equipment are a recurring problem.
  • -Lack of clear communication and support is a major concern.
Rating summary
What students say

Overall, the university garners positive feedback with its strongest area being **Internationality**, scoring 4.19. Student life also performs well at 4.04. Areas with slightly lower, though still respectable, ratings include **Facilities** at 3.91 and **Accomodation** at 3.88. Professors, location, and value all received a solid 4 or close to it, indicating a well-rounded student experience.

Outstanding ratings highlight the university's strengths in **Location** (4.81) and **Value** (4.63). **Professors** (4.44) and **Internationality** (4.38) also received very positive scores. Conversely, **Accomodation** (3.06) presents the weakest area, with **Student Life** (3.81) and **Facilities** (3.94) also falling below the higher-rated aspects. This indicates a university excelling in its environment and offerings, though residential options require attention.

This institution garners notable praise in several key areas, with **Internationality** and **Professors** receiving particularly high scores. The **Value** proposition is also well-regarded. Conversely, **Accomodation** stands out as the lowest-rated aspect. Other aspects like Facilities, Location, and Student Life fall within a more moderate range of positive feedback.

With exceptional marks in Facilities and Location, this institution clearly excels in its physical environment and accessibility. Student Life also receives top scores, suggesting a vibrant campus experience. Conversely, the university's weakest areas lie in its Professors and Internationality, both rated a moderate three. Value also sits at this mid-tier rating, indicating areas for potential improvement.

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Evaluations reveal a strong academic offering, with **Professors** receiving the highest marks at 4.91. **Location** also scores exceptionally well at 4.83. The university demonstrates good performance in **Student Life** (4.58) and **Internationality** (4.56), with **Value** also rated favorably at 4.56. **Facilities** are rated at 4.45, and **Accomodation** stands out as the area with the lowest score at 4.29.

This institution achieves outstanding scores in several key areas, notably Internationality (5.0) and Facilities and Student Life, both at an impressive 4.75. However, Accomodation presents a significant challenge, receiving the lowest rating at 2.25. Professors and Value also received solid, above-average scores.

Reviews summary
Highlights

Approximately 98% of reviews are positive, highlighting enjoyable campus life, supportive environments, modern facilities, and ample opportunities for social engagement and personal development. A small amount of negative feedback points to inconsistent teaching quality and interpersonal issues.

With a 4.26 average rating, ~83% of 19 reviews are positive, praising exceptional flexibility, strong academic programs, and inspiring professors. One review noted a dislike for curriculum and staff attitude.

~95% of reviews are positive, praising flexibility, modern platforms, and accessible materials. A small percentage (~5%) mention issues with grading delays and slow administrative support.

With an average rating of 3/5, feedback is evenly split, with ~50% positive and ~50% negative. Positive comments highlight practical, hands-on learning and professional instructors. Negative reviews express dissatisfaction with program value and staff.

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With an average rating of 4.66/5 from 32 reviews, students praise Forward College's enriching international environment and innovative, interactive teaching methods. Personal and academic growth are frequently highlighted.

University reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with ~88% of feedback being 4-5 stars. Students praise hands-on learning, creative freedom, and access to professional-grade equipment. There is virtually no negative feedback.

Rating distribution
5★
4%
53%
63%
50%
0%
66%
25%
4★
85%
26%
27%
0%
0%
34%
63%
3★
9%
16%
6%
0%
0%
0%
13%
2★
0%
5%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1★
2%
0%
3%
50%
0%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
A university that takes away its student's spirit

Project management teacher fails people and tells them straight into their face it’s because she doesn’t like them. The Law teacher had us do presentations and didn’t even do one single class in a year. Ethics teacher claims that women deserve to get sexually assaulted if their dress is an inch too short. The Economics teacher does not speak English even though the major is taught in it. Half the students are internationals without German coming to Berlin to study, yet most “International” subjects are talking only about Germany and giving presentations in German. There is nothing applied about this university, it is all old theory. Marketing classes did not even include advertising, social media, digital media or anything more relevant in the past decade. Same for other subjects. The administration is disorganised. The international student office is always on holidays and never replies. The administration does not answer at all until you send your e-mails to their bosses. Due to the error OF THE ADMINISTRATION, they did not want to count my two semesters abroad until I fought them for seven months and emailed everyone at school when suddenly it was a matter of one document. One thesis supervisor steals his students' work for his own publications and has plenty of lawsuits. The other master’s supervisor did not answer any of the e-mails during the writing, except for one which said ‘I don’t know, google it”. There is so much more I could say. This school is a disaster and if you are reading this review DO NOT GO HERE, they really don’t care about their students. Neither does the school administration, nor the teachers. If at least one person decides not to go there due to this review I already did a good deed. Try HWR, Free University, Humboldt, or anything else. It was a horrible experience that made me not want to continue educating myself for at least a few years until I can forget all those horrible moments and people (except some single people and students)

Great (and free) education

My experience at Humboldt has been more than great so far. University is free in Germany, and the student facilities are amazing. The canteen food is good and cheap, the public transport is much cheaper as a student, the accomodation too (but there is a long waiting list!). My master is in English and I am super happy with the opportunities, the professors, and the general academic environment__

The best university in the world

My experience with IU is very wonderful and exceptional. The learning process is smooth and easy especially for online students and the exams are well tailored to test your knowledge on what you have been learning. It is quite great indeed.

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Great modern university approach

I am currently a 3rd year student at Forward College and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to other students. The interactive approach of Forward where questions, debate, and discussion were encouraged enhanced my learning so much and I feel like I genuinely enjoyed every class. Having the experience of living in 3 different cultures, surrounded by people from all over the world made this experience even more special and helped me develop and grow in so many ways. Another aspect I have loved are the professors. Speaking with friends at other university I am so grateful to have teachers that actually know us, are excited to teach and interact with us, and will always take the time to help you.

The Challenge

I'm a Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering graduate. My experience at Catalyst was generally positive. It had a culture of friendliness, kindness and helpfulness from the staff, professors and students. The classes are not the typical classes but are more so akin to workshops. You get introduced to a subject, technique or idea and you are very quickly thrown in the deep end to get your hands dirty in experimentation and practice, which I prefer. You get access to studios and a lot of fancy audio gear. One downside I experienced is the limited studio time. I loved working in the big studios but they increasingly over the years kept getting harder to book due to limited availability. What I found to be the most impactful experience was how challenging the projects were. There were no exams, fun fact. Instead of exams, we had big projects that spanned the entirety of each semester with hard milestone deadlines in between. Since these projects span the whole semester, you can begin to imagine the scale of work involved in completing them. The challenge in handling all the projects pushed me to achieve more than I could have imagined. I needed an environment like that. In conclusion, my time at Catalyst was great. Through all the hard work my skills increased exponentially in a short period of time. The staff and teachers are amazing and always ready to help.

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