Home Special Topics Statistics Content

Number of students in Germany at record high

next article

05.12.2012

The number of students in Germany continues to grow. While 1.9 million students were enrolled at German institutions of higher education in 2001, in the last ten years their number increased by 27% to 2.4 million (2011).

As Roderich Egeler, President of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), today said at a press conference on the situation of higher education in Germany - 2012 in Berlin, provisional data showed that the number of students increased to 2.5 million in the winter semester of 2012/13, thus reaching a new record high.

The fact that the higher education landscape is expanding becomes apparent in various aspects. In 2011, the number of first semester students who enrolled at a German institution of higher education for the first time amounted to a record high of 518,700.

Compared with 2001, that was a 50% increase. Although, according to provisional results, the number of first semester students declined to 492,700 in the academic year 2012, this was the second highest number ever recorded.

Some 337,100 people were employed as academic or artistic staff at German institutions of higher education or university clinics in 2011. That was a 10% increase on ten years ago. In particular the number of staff who performed a secondary job - like temporary lecturers or academic assistants – rose markedly.

It was up 85% to 119,600. Regarding staff who performed a primary job, above all the number of academic or artistic personnel recorded a strong increase (+60% to 162,100) compared with 2001. In addition, the number of professors was up 14%. It totalled 42,900 in 2011.

In 2011, a member of academic or artistic staff assisted 15.9 students at German institutions of higher education. To meet the students’ increasing need for intensive guidance and support associated with the introduction of bachelor's and master's degree courses, in 2008 the German Council of Science and Humanities had recommended to improve the relevant situation. In 2008, a staff member assisted 15.2 students. Consequently, the current situation is slightly less favourable compared with 2008.

For more detailed results of higher education statistics, please refer the german Version.

For further information please call:
Thomas Feuerstein,
tel: +49 611 75 4140

Bernd Racky | Source: Statistisches Bundesamt
Further information: www.destatis.de

next article