Increasing numbers of students without an Abitur are successfully completing university studies. In 2024 the number of graduates lacking this qualification topped 10,000 for the first time, according to the Centre for University Development (CHE) on Tuesday. Since 2009, more than 104,000 people who are professionally qualified have earned a university degree.
About 70,000 students without the university entrance qualification (Hochschul- and Fachhochschulreife) are currently enrolled at German universities, accounting for roughly 2.4 % of the student body. The number of first‑semester students with professional qualifications rose slightly to around 13,000, representing about 2.7 % of all new starters. A significant share of these students is enrolled at institutions in Bremen, Thuringia, and Hamburg, and the Fernuniversität Hagen is particularly popular among those without an Abitur.
Law, economics, social sciences, and engineering courses are especially in demand among this group, while the fields of health and nursing also attract substantial interest.
