They are still in the minority: students without university or technical college entrance qualifications. But their number has quadrupled since 2002.
In 2020, the number of students without a university or technical college entrance qualification increased by 2,060 to around 66,000 compared to the previous year. According to an evaluation by the Center for Higher Education Development (CHE) published on Monday, this corresponds to 2.2 percent of the entire student body in Germany.
While in 2002 3,240 qualified first-year students began their studies (almost one percent of all first-year students), according to the current figures from the Federal Statistical Office for 2020, there were 15,161, more than four times as many. However, this corresponds to only 3.1 percent of all freshers in Germany.
Thuringia tops the rankings for first-semester students without a high school diploma
In a national comparison, the evaluation by the CHE shows regional differences: With a proportion of professionally qualified first semester students of 10.8 percent, Thuringia is in first place for the first time, followed by the previous leader Hamburg (4.7 percent). Bremen (3.7 percent) was able to keep its third place from the previous year . The main reason for Thuringia's top position is given by the CHE as the relocation of the IU International University, which has moved its headquarters from North Rhine-Westphalia to Erfurt.
When comparing the types of higher education institutions, the importance of the universities is declining for the professionally qualified first semester students: while in 2012 almost half of all first semester students without a high school diploma decided to study at a university (5,759 of 12,464), this is now only a quarter (3,860 of the named 15.161). Three quarters chose a university of applied sciences or a university of applied sciences in 2020 (10,773). 528 first-semester students enrolled at an art and music college on the so-called "third educational path". Around nine out of ten of the professionally qualified students chose a bachelor's degree. Only twelve percent of all students without a high school diploma in Germany completed a master's degree.
For the first time in 2020, more women than men began studying without a high school diploma, which is related to the courses on offer in the field of health and care, as the study authors explain.
If you want to study without a high school diploma or a technical college entrance qualification, you can apply for a place on the course after completing vocational training and with proof of professional experience. The evaluation of the CHE "Update 2022: Studying without Abitur in Germany" can be viewed online.
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