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Student numbers in MV are falling – where is the future generation?
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is recording declining student numbers. Causes and current statistics at a glance.
Student numbers in MV are falling – where is the future generation?
The universities and colleges in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have to prepare for a worrying trend: the number of students fell again in the 2024/2025 winter semester. Around 36,000 young people are currently enrolled, which corresponds to a decrease of 2.8 percent compared to the previous year. Only Schleswig-Holstein has recorded an even more drastic decline. The exact causes for this development remain unclear, as ndr.de reports.
The decline in first-semester students is particularly noticeable: there was a decline of 1.1 percent, so that 5,562 new students are now starting at universities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. A good proportion of the new students, namely 43 percent, come from the region. Did you know that the proportion of female students is almost 55 percent? There are also clear trend lines in the diversity of subjects: a third of students are enrolled in law, economics and social sciences, followed by engineering, human medicine and health sciences.
Subjects of study are changing
The popularity rankings of the courses are particularly interesting. According to hochschuldaten.che.de, medicine is currently in first place with 3,854 students. This means that the course has a clear lead, followed by business administration and biology. However, a significant decline in the number of law students can also be observed - a trend reversal appears to be taking place here.
It is also worth noting that many subjects, such as Italian, Baltic Studies, Russian and Polish, currently report very low enrollment numbers. In some of these subjects, the number of students has even fallen to fewer than nine participants per course. An alarming sign of the diversity of study opportunities in the region.
Successful deals despite decline
The developments in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania reflect a larger trend that has been emerging for years. The number of students has gradually fallen since its peak in the winter semester of 2011/2012, when over 40,000 students were enrolled. The number of students is currently at the level of the 2007/2008 winter semester. As the statistics on statista.com show, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania only occupies 15th place among the federal states in terms of the total number of students. The challenges are obvious, and one can only hope that the local educational institutions have a good hand in attracting more students to the universities again soon. An exciting topic that will certainly result in some further discussions and solutions.