Over 297,000 Earn First University Degree in Germany in 2023

In 2023, approximately 297,000 individuals achieved their first higher education degree in Germany, marking a slight decline from the previous year's figure of 301,000, according to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. Despite this decrease in absolute numbers, the percentage of first-time graduates within the same age demographic remained stable at 32 percent for both years.

The majority of these first-time graduates were young adults aged 21 to 29, with a significant portion--86 percent--obtaining bachelor's degrees. Notably, the graduation rate for women was significantly higher at 36 percent compared to 28 percent for men.

The first-time graduate rate represents the proportion of individuals who obtained their first university degree during an academic year (comprising both the winter semester and the subsequent summer semester) in relation to the same age population in Germany. In 2023, Berlin led the country with an impressive first-time graduate rate of 51 percent, while Brandenburg recorded the lowest rate at 23 percent. It is important to note that many first-time graduates from Berlin's universities likely belong to the population of Brandenburg.

Urban areas, particularly city-states, benefitted from a surge in student enrollment due to an influx of students from surrounding regions. In 2023, the first-time graduate rate in city-states was 41 percent, contrasting with 31 percent in rural states.

Despite the small decrease in the number of graduates, the first-time graduate rate in 2023 was still 1.7 times higher than two decades ago, when it stood at 18 percent in 2003. This upward trend was particularly notable until 2012, while the rate stabilized between 31 and 32 percent from 2013 onward, with only slight declines observed in 2020 and 2021 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.