Universities - Second study - Fewer students in North Rhine-Westphalia
In North Rhine-Westphalia, there were significantly fewer female students and males enrolled at the universities during the winter semester 2023/2024. According to the IT.NRW Statistical Office, there were 710,019 students, which is approximately 32,500 or 4.4% fewer than in the comparison period 2022/2023. This includes both first-semester students and those enrolling for a second degree.
According to statisticians, this is the largest decline since the winter semester 2004/2005. Tuition fees for long-term students were introduced 20 years ago.
There was a 2.3% increase in first-semester students (from 103,305 to 105,684). However, this increase could not offset the decrease in the total number of students. According to IT.NRW, the high dropout rates in second-degree programs were the cause. Here, there was a decrease of 24.3% to 49,324 students. Students in second-degree programs have already obtained a university degree before.
The largest drops were observed in the top 20 most popular fields of study: Physics (23.3%), Mathematics (15.2%), and Chemistry (13.8%).
There were increases of 1.5% in the previous year in Medicine and Psychology (1.2%).
IT.NRW Communication
In Düsseldorf, a city located in North Rhine-Westphalia, the decline in university enrollment was notably significant during the winter semester 2023/2024. This data is sourced from the North Rhine-Westphalia Statistical Office, which reported a total of 710,019 students, representing a decrease of 4.4% compared to the 2022/2023 comparison period. Among these students, there were fewer females and males enrolled as first-semester students or pursuing a second degree at universities in North Rhine-Westphalia.
