Ivory Towers in Decline

According to the latest figures from the Federal Statistics Office, the number of new students enrolling at university has dropped for the third year running, despite the rise in the number of school leavers graduating with a high school diploma.

German universities registered 343,700 new students this year, 3.5 percent fewer than last year.

As German Research and Education Minister Annette Schavan pointed out in response to the survey, the development is particularly worrying given Germany's need for academics and the overall brain drain of recent years.

The biggest declines come in the fields of engineering, technology and computer studies. Over all, the number of school-leavers opting for further education at universities and colleges in 2006 fell to 35.5 percent -- short of the German government's target of 40 percent.

What's behind the drop?

The report cites several reasons for the decline. One sticking point is that German states have tightened up entry requirements, and another is that many courses are available to a limited number of students. First and foremost, however, is the fact that new students are being deterred by the introduction of higher education fees.

"This is a slap in the face for the government," Achim Meyer auf der Heyde of the German Students Association told Berlin's daily taz, adding that education politicians should ask themselves whether the introduction of university fees and reduced students grants has sent the "wrong signals."

Across the country, many students are simply refusing to pay up. The Action Group Against Student Fees hopes to have recruited some 400,000 students over the next 12 months, and many have the support of the universities themselves.

But Schavan told the Handelsblatt newspaper on Thursday that the introduction of fees was not behind the overall drop in students choosing to attend university as increasing numbers of students are enrolling in Bavaria and Hamburg's universities despite students fee in place there.

Regional differences

The Federal Statistics Office also pointed out that differences in enrollment numbers vary according from state to state. Saxony has 13 percent fewer new students, while Baden Württemberg and North Rhine Westphalia saw a drop of 10 percent.

In eastern Germany, many fear the current development is just the thin end of the wedge and that students are dying breed.

"Universities in eastern Germany need to become better-known and more attractive," said Dieter Dohmen, director of the Berlin Research Institute for Education and Social Economics. "They especially need to attract more women."

Women make up 49 percent of students in this part of the country compared to almost 60 percent in western Germany, he said.

Optimism among graduates

Another study published this month revealed that German students are optimistic about the future, with 60 percent saying they are confident they will get a job.

Published by the Center of Human Resources Information Systems, it questioned over 11,000 people about their employment prospects and established that graduates, especially those with degrees in economics and engineering, feel more upbeat about their professional lives than others.