Quickfacts: Education

Last update: 03-20-2002

Literacy: 95 %.
Compulsory School Attendance: 10 years
Elementary school 'Grundschule': ages 6 through 10
Academic high school 'Gymnasium': ages 11-19
Vocationally oriented 'Realschule': ages 11-16
The diploma from the Gymnasium is the basic requirement for admission to a university, the Realschule diploma to a commercial or technical college, or to the last three years of Gymnasium. A diploma from a Hauptschule, a vocationally oriented branch with five years of education, ages 11-15, is generally required to enter a formal three-year vocational training program for skilled technicians, craftsmen etc., combined with classroom instruction at a vocational school (dual system of vocational training).

School beginners, 2001/2002**:
796,700 children (48.5% girls), 1.9% less or down by 15,100 from the previous year,
East: -2%, west: -1.9%.

Student enrollment not including higher education,
School year 2001/2002**: 9.9 million students,
Down by 90,500 students (0.9%) from 2000/2001,
West: down by 127,200 students (6.2%),
East: up by 36,700 students (0.5%).
Elementary schools: -4.2% or by139,800 students
High schools: +1.2% or by 28,100 students
Realschule: +1.1% or by 14,500 students
Hauptschule: +0.8% or by 8,900 students, 49.2% of all students are girls (54.5 % at high schools).

Student enrollment at colleges and universities,
Winter term 2001/2002**: 1,864,000 students, +4% from the year before, the highest enrollment since the record high rate in 1994/1995, women: 46.6% (+0.5%),
New enrollments: 342,000, +9% from the previous year, including 168,000 women (49%).
Foreign students in 1998/1999: 166,000,
26.2% from countries of the EU
22.4% from other European countries
20.7% from Asia
14.3% Turks
9.9% from Africa
5.4% from the Americas
1.1% other

Graduates 1999, higher education:
221,700, women: 96,400 or 43.5%,
From
Universities: 44.8% or 99,3000,
Specialized colleges: 31.6% or 70,100
Teacher colleges: 12.5% or 27,7000,
PhDs: 11.1% or 24,500.

Post-doctoral lecturing qualifications 2000: (Habilitationen): 2,128, up 10% or by 202 from 1999,
Women: 392 or 18%, 52 more than in 1999, a record high,
Foreign nationals: 111 or 5%, +7% from 1999.

Educational costs, 1999: ?4,200/$3,738
(Public expenditures, average per student at a public school, tuition is free.)
Grundschule: ?3,500/$3,115
Realschule: ?4,300/$3,827
Gymnasium: ?5,100/$4,539
Vocational and trade schools: ?3,100/$2,759
Special schools: ?10,500/$9,345.

Expenditure for education, research and science, , 2000:** ?180.5 bn ($93.5bn), +2.0% over 1999, 8.9% of the GDP,
Education: ?114.3 ($101.7 bn), R&D: ?50.3 bn ($44.8 bn),
Students, job trainees: ?11.6 bn ($10.3 bn).

Internet in education, 2001:
100% of 35,000 schools connected, (1998:15%),
1,270 public libraries with Internet media corner,
27,000 students were studying computer science in the winter semester 2000/2001, up from 11,000 in 1997.

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