The South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences [German : Fachhochschule Südwestfalen] is a high-ranked research institution located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

It offers a total of about 52 bachelor and master courses in the fields of Engineering, Natural Sciences, Information Technology, Business management and Agriculture.

The oldest forerunner of the university was the trade school in Hagen, founded by the Prussian reform politician Beuth on 1 December 1824, for the qualification for the Berlin Royal Technical Institute, which later became the State Engineering School for Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, and then the Märkische Fachhochschule, based in Iserlohn and the two locations Iserlohn and Hagen.

The Fachhochschule was founded on January 1, 2002, when the entire university education was disbanded in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Märkische Fachhochschule with the Fachhochschulabschaltungen Meschede and Soest of the former Gesamthochschule Paderborn was united as an equal partner.

The Fachhochschule Südwestfalen and its predecessors The South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences has four campuses located in Iserlohn (seat), Hagen, Meschede and Soest and a subsidiary in Lüdenscheid.