In 2025, about 341,700 pupils in Germany earned either the university‑entrance qualification (Abitur) or the Fachhochschulreife. According to preliminary figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Wednesday, this represents an eight‑percent drop compared with the previous year, a decline of 29,900 students. The steep fall can be traced almost entirely to the termination of the eight‑year Gymnasium (G8) system in 2024 and the resulting incomplete Abitur cohort in 2025 in Bavaria. Across the remaining federal states-excluding Bavaria-the drop was only 0.7 % from the year before.
While the overall population of 17‑ to 19‑year‑olds increased by 0.9 % at the end of 2024, the rise was largely driven by immigration of that age group from abroad and therefore has little impact on the number of eligible students.
Bavaria witnessed the largest decrease in eligible students, falling by 51 % (27,600 fewer). This severe decline is directly linked to the switch from G8 to G9 in general Gymnasien. Other states also saw reductions: Saarland fell by 7 %, Schleswig‑Holstein, Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania, and Saxony‑Anhalt each by 3 %. In contrast, Saxony and Thuringia recorded growth, up 6 % and 4 % respectively.
Of the eligible population, 80 % obtained either the general or subject‑specific university‑entrance qualification. The remaining 20 % earned the Fachhochschulreife. Two‑thirds of all eligible students achieved their qualification at a general school, while one‑third did so at a vocational school. Women made up 54 % of the eligible cohort; among those with the general or subject‑specific qualification the share was slightly higher at 55 %, whereas the gender split for those earning the Fachhochschulreife was nearly even, with 52 % women and 48 % men.
