The majority of incoming students begin their university studies in the German state where they obtained their higher education certificate. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), this was true for 69 percent of all new students in the winter semester of 2025/26.
A key factor influencing this decision is the breadth of study options available within a state; greater diversity tends to keep more young people in that region. For example, North Rhine-Westphalia, a populous state with numerous university locations, saw 82 percent of its qualification holders remain to study. In comparison, the proportion was much lower in Brandenburg at 33 percent. A nearly identical number moved to the neighboring state of Berlin (32 percent).
Beyond local university diversity and quality of life, geographical proximity plays a significant role in the choice of study location. When students do move to a state different from where they acquired their qualification, they frequently opt for a nearby location. Data shows that 17 percent of students beginning studies in Hamburg in the winter semester came from Schleswig-Holstein, while 16 percent came from Lower Saxony. Additionally, 35 percent of students enrolling in Bremen originated from Lower Saxony, a similar percentage were native to Bremen itself (38 percent).
Thuringia recorded a particularly low rate of local residency among new students, with only 34 percent having obtained their qualification there. The International University (IU) in Erfurt, Thuringia, is Germany’s largest university by student numbers. However, since the IU primarily offers distance learning programs, students from other states do not need to relocate to Thuringia to enroll.
Overall, in the last winter semester, Destatis reported that one quarter of the approximately 308,000 eligible students in Germany obtained their qualification in North Rhine-Westphalia, 14 percent did so in Baden-Württemberg, and 11 percent did so in Bavaria.
