A recent analysis by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reveals the proportion of students successfully completing their bachelor’s degrees within a defined timeframe in Germany. Data from the 2019 academic year, encompassing 515,700 students, indicates that approximately 30 percent achieved completion within the standard eight-semester period.
The study, which calculates completion rates based on the Study Progress Statistics, provides insight into the time taken to finish academic programs. The data doesn’t account for individual factors such as study breaks for exchange programs or internships; the observation period remains consistent regardless of interruptions. Consequently, extending the observation period tends to yield higher completion rates, reflecting the fact that many students require more than eight semesters.
Significant variations exist across academic disciplines. The highest completion rate within the eight-semester window was observed among students in “Law, Business and Social Sciences” at 39 percent, while the lowest rate was recorded in “Humanities” at 22 percent.
A gender disparity emerged, with female students demonstrating higher completion rates compared to their male counterparts. This difference was most pronounced in the “Humanities” field, where the completion rate for women was 27 percent compared to 12 percent for men. The gap was smallest in “Engineering” (26 percent for women, 22 percent for men).
Turning to master’s programs, the analysis looks at completion rates six semesters after the start of a program. Among the 206,200 master’s students who began their studies in 2019, 51 percent achieved completion within that timeframe. As with bachelor’s programs, female students exhibited a higher completion rate (54 percent) compared to male students (49 percent), although the gender difference was less pronounced at the master’s level.
