University studies - Only a third of degree courses are admission-restricted
In the coming winter semester, only about one third of all degree programs nationwide will have access restrictions. The proportion of degree programs with a Numerus Clausus or a qualification assessment procedure has been decreasing continuously for years, reported the CHE Center for University Development. By WS 2024/25, the share will be 35.2%, which is 2.7 points lower than the previous year. The differences between federal states and degree programs can be significant.
The highest shares of access-restricted degree programs exist in Hamburg, Berlin, and Baden-Württemberg, where more than half of the degree offerings are access-restricted. Hamburg has the highest share in the federal comparison with 62.4%. The best chances of obtaining a study place exist in Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia, where not even every fifth degree program requires a Numerus Clausus or a qualification test.
"We have been observing a decline in access-restricted degree programs in Germany for years," said Study Leader Cort-Denis Hachmeister. This can be largely attributed to the decline in first-semester enrollments and the simultaneous expansion of degree programs. "The prospects for students interested in studying in their desired field are currently almost non-existent."
Even in the nationally access-restricted fields such as medicine, the relationship between study places and applicants has significantly improved. On average, there are 2.8 applicants for a study place in the central application procedure for the fields of Pharmacy and Human, Animal, or Dental Medicine.
Forty-one percent of all degree programs nationwide have access restrictions in the fields of Law, Economics, Social Sciences, and Humanities. In contrast, in the fields of Language and Cultural Sciences, approximately 80% of the offerings are open to all first-semester students regardless of Abitur note or other qualification criteria.
Access restrictions tend to occur more frequently in large cities, but also in typical "student cities" such as Konstanz, Freiburg, Göttingen, or Heidelberg.
- Despite the decrease in access-restricted degree programs nationwide, Hamburg, Berlin, and Baden-Württemberg continue to have over half of their degree offerings with access restrictions, as reported by the CHE Center for Higher Education Development in Germany.
- Cort-Denis Hachmeister, the study leader, mentioned that they have observed a decrease in access-restricted degree programs in Germany for several years, which can be largely attributed to the decline in first-semester enrollments and the expansion of degree programs.
- In contrast to fields like Law, Economics, Social Sciences, and Humanities, where about 41% of the degree programs have access restrictions, the fields of Language and Cultural Sciences in Germany typically have around 80% of their offerings open to all first-semester students.
- Despite having a high number of access-restricted degree programs, near-university institutions in Gütersloh, like the University of Applied Sciences, may have different access policies, as these institutions often focus on providing access to a broader range of students to meet the growing demand for higher education.
- The University of Chemnitz in Saxony, located in a city not traditionally seen as a typical "student city," also has a high number of degree programs with access restrictions, reflecting the broader trend of access restrictions in Germany.
- Interested students seeking to study in their desired field in Berlin, one of the high-access-restricted cities, may need to explore alternative study programs or universities in less-restricted areas of Germany, such as in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate or Thuringia.
