According to a study published Tuesday by the Centre for University Development (CHE), more than two-thirds of study programs across German universities will offer unrestricted admission during the Winter Semester of 2026/27. This means the nationwide quota for programs with admission requirements stands at 31.6 percent, marking a decrease of 0.9 percentage points compared to the previous year.
The trend towards less restriction is particularly pronounced at the Bachelor level, where the quota for regulated courses is even lower, at 28.7 percent. As a result, students now have the ability to enroll in seven out of ten Bachelor programs regardless of their high school grades. This is a significant change from just ten years ago, when nearly half (47.6 percent) of all Bachelor programs featured an admission requirement.
Regional differences in these admission quotas are notable. Berlin (53.5 percent) and Baden-Württemberg (46.2 percent) maintain the highest proportions of restricted courses. Conversely, Hamburg has seen a radical improvement, with the proportion of restricted programs plummeting from 62.4 percent to 37.6 percent over just two years. Those seeking study placements have the best statistical chances in Thuringia, Brandenburg, and Rhineland-Palatinate, where fewer than one in five programs have admission restrictions.
Cort-Denis Hachmeister of the CHE noted that the “so-called Numerus Clausus is increasingly losing its importance for prospective students in Germany,” suggesting that the odds of successfully enrolling in a desired field at the intended university are better than ever before. Even in highly contested, nationally restricted disciplines such as medicine or pharmacy, the ratio of applicants to available spots is improving in favor of the students.
