In 2025, roughly 1.9 million people in Germany began higher education, entered an apprenticeship, started a program in the transitional area between school and vocational training, or embarked on the path toward a university entrance qualification. According to provisional data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) released on Thursday, the total number of newcomers in these educational fields was virtually unchanged from 2024, rising by only 0.1 % (about 1,100 persons).
Of those 1.9 million, about 688,200 began an apprenticeship after completing secondary level I. This represents a 1.2 % decrease-roughly 8,200 fewer apprentices than in 2024. Conversely, the number of students who started a university degree after finishing secondary level II rose by 1.6 % (about 7,700 people) to reach approximately 502,300.
Around 262,200 young people entered a transitional program between school and vocational training in 2025. This marked a 0.7 % increase-around 1,700 people higher than in 2024-and was the fourth consecutive year of growth. Sixty‑one percent of the entrants were male. These programs aim to provide basic vocational skills, teach German, or allow students to obtain a missed school qualification.
In the same year, about 463,800 students pursued the route to an Abitur or another university entrance qualification-either in gymnasial upper secondary schools or at vocational schools. This figure remained flat compared with the previous year.
While 2024 had seen strong gains across all sectors for students with foreign nationality, that trend did not persist in 2025. Only two areas recorded notable increases: 132,500 foreigners began an apprenticeship-a rise of 11 % or 13,500 more than the year before. Additionally, 49,900 foreigners (a 7 % increase, or 3,400 more than 2024) started a program to obtain a university entrance qualification.
The number of foreign students starting university grew only marginally, by 1.7 % (about 2,400 people) to reach 148,100 in 2025. In the transitional area, foreign entrants actually fell slightly by 1.1 % (about 1,200 persons) to 108,500.
Statisticians suggest that the modest growth in foreign participants across these three sectors largely reflects young migrants who have recently arrived in Germany and are progressively integrating into the various branches of the German education system.
