Universities - Every second degree program in Berlin has restricted admissions
In no other federal state is the number of degree programs with restricted enrollment as high as in Berlin. According to an analysis by the Center for Higher Education (CHE), around 55 percent of degree programs require applicants to have a specific grade or to go through a selection procedure or aptitude test. This analysis refers to the winter semester 2024/2025.
Berlin significantly exceeds the nationwide average of roughly 35 percent. Only Hamburg has a higher percentage with roughly 62 percent of restricted degree programs - that is, programs with a Numerus Clausus (NC) or another enrollment cap. Universities, universities of applied sciences, and universities of applied sciences for applied sciences: At all these institutions in Berlin, every second subject has an enrollment cap.
Berlin is particularly popular among students
In city-states, there are tendencies for there to be more enrollment caps than in other federal states, explained study leader Cort-Denis Hachmeister. This is due to a high concentration of young people at a location with a limited number of universities. Berlin is also very popular as a study city, even among interested students from abroad. Berlin universities could not possibly accommodate all applicants and therefore had to be more selective.
Despite the relatively high rankings, the percentage in Berlin, according to the analysis, has decreased compared to the previous year. In the winter semester 2023/2024, around 61 percent of degree programs had enrollment caps. According to CHE, this is not just the case in Berlin. Since the winter semester 2018/2019, the percentage of restricted degree offerings nationwide has continuously decreased from around 41 percent to around 35 percent in this year. "This can largely be attributed to the decline in first-semester enrollments and the simultaneous expansion of degree offerings," explained Hachmeister.
Hurdles for Bachelor's programs are higher
For the upcoming winter semester, the hurdles for a Bachelor's degree in Berlin are slightly higher than for a Master's degree (around 52 percent). For engineering sciences (around 56 percent), the most frequent requirement is a specific NC or other prerequisites. In second place come law-, economics-, social sciences- and social sciences (around 53 percent). In third place are mathematics and natural sciences (around 49 percent), and in fourth place are language- and cultural sciences (just under 47 percent).
The CHE analysis is based on the entries in the nationwide Hochschulkompass database as of the end of May 2024. In the database, around 22,000 degree programs are recorded for the upcoming winter semester nationwide.
- In Hamburg, similar to Berlin, approximately 62% of degree programs have an admission restriction, often requiring a specific grade or an aptitude test.
- Many universities in Berlin, including those offering Bachelor's, Master's, and applied sciences programs, have enrollment caps for around half of their study subjects due to high demand and limited resources.
- Interested students from abroad also find Berlin appealing as a study city, leading to a high number of applications and the need for strict admission processes for a significant portion of the study programs.
- According to the CHE analysis, there has been a slight decrease in the percentage of restricted degree programs in Berlin from the previous year, from around 61% in the winter semester 2023/2024 to 55% in the upcoming winter semester 2024/2025.
