How many first-year students are there in Germany?
According to the German Federal Statistical Office, there were a total of 481,962 first-year students (i.e. students in their first semester at any university) at German higher education institutions in the 2023 academic year. Of these, 404,800 began their studies in the winter semester 2023/24, with a further 77,162 starting their studies in the summer semester 2023. The Federal Statistical Office publishes detailed figures on the GENESIS portal for the respective winter semesters, in which more people regularly start a degree course in Germany. The following observations therefore only refer to the development of first semester numbers in the respective winter semesters.
Overall, the number of first-time enrolments in the winter semester 2023/24 remains at a lower level than in the peak phase from the winter semester 2011/12 to the winter semester 2018/19, despite another slight increase compared to the previous year. As the following figure shows, the number of first-year students in Germany initially rose sharply until the winter semester 2011/12, but reached a high plateau there. From the 2019/20 winter semester, the number then fell to a slightly lower level.
How high is the proportion of women among first-year students?
Currently (winter semester 2023/24), the proportion of women among first-year students in Germany is 52.3%. Until the winter semester 2015/16, the proportion of women among first-year students in Germany was always below 50 percent, with the exception of the winter semester 2002/03. Since then, however, more women than men have enrolled in higher education in Germany every year. A particularly low proportion of women can be observed over time for the winter semester 2011/12 (46.6%). This can be explained by the suspension of compulsory military service in Germany in 2011 and the resulting particularly high number of male first-year students.
How high is the proportion of foreign first-year students in Germany?
The proportion of foreign first-year students in Germany was 23.7 percent in the winter semester 2023/24. According to the definition of the German Federal Statistical Office, this includes all students without a German citizenship. The proportion has risen significantly over time, from 14.4 percent in the 1998/99 winter semester. In the 2020/21 winter semester, there was a slight slump to 18.1 percent, which was mainly due to developments during the coronavirus pandemic. In the meantime, however, the proportion of foreign first-year students has reached a record level.
Which subjects have the most first-year students?
The most popular subjects among first-year students in Germany are currently business administration, computer science and law. They are followed by psychology, which has seen a significant increase in the number of first-year students in recent years.