University of Kassel: More than 25,000 students again - university becomes more international

According to the preliminary figures now available, 25,365 people are enrolled at the university in North Hesse. In the previous year, there were 25,043. Exactly 12,300 of the enrollees are female. The number of students in the 1st semester ("freshmen") is 5781 (previous year 5941), the number of so-called first-time and new enrollments is 4894 (previous year 5211).

The increased number of international students is striking: 3121 of the enrollees have a nationality other than German, which is more than ever before (previous year: 3034). 2126 of them are considered "Bildungsausländer", i.e. they acquired their university entrance qualification in another country. The ratio of international students is thus 12.3 percent. In the previous year, it was 12.1 percent, a significant increase even then. Turkish nationals again make up the strongest group (526), followed by people from China (384), Syria (146), Iran (128) and Russia (96). All these figures are preliminary. Final numbers are expected at the end of November.

"We warmly welcome all new students to the University of Kassel and wish them a good start to their successful studies," said Prof. Dr. Reiner Finkeldey, President of the University of Kassel. "I am personally particularly pleased about the increasing number of international students. They represent an enrichment for us and this increase is an important step on the way to further internationalization of our university." At the same time, he said, a student body that is becoming more heterogeneous overall requires more tailored support and assistance.

"Now that the phase of ever-growing freshman classes has come to an end, we want to continue investing in the best study conditions," Finkeldey added. "This includes infrastructure such as the renovated campus library, but it also includes the quality of support and the degree programs themselves. For that, we need a reliable financial framework." In this context, Finkeldey welcomed the assurance given by the state government in Wiesbaden that it would work to ensure the continuation of the Higher Education Pact 2020 of the federal and state governments. He expressed the expectation that the future federal government would also commit to permanent support for universities.

More places for elementary school teaching

In the admissions process for this winter semester, there were again a number of courses in which demand significantly exceeded the number of places available. Admission to 23 courses was restricted, one less than a year ago. 9961 applicants applied for one of the 2474 places with restricted admission. The Bachelor of Psychology (1031 applicants for 80 places), Elementary School Teaching (1527/210) and Social Work (1794/335) programs were again in particularly high demand.

The University of Kassel increased the number of places for first-year students in the elementary school teaching program from 180 to 210, based on an agreement with the state of Hesse; the increase is intended to meet the increased demand. A total of 140 courses of study are offered in Kassel. New to the program this year is the master's degree in "Functional Safety Engineering" (FUSE), in which students study the development, modification, testing and research of safe and reliable electronic systems.

Digital admission letters for the first time

For the first time, the university delivered admission notices digitally for bachelor's degree programs with restricted admissions. Successful applicants received an email with a link where they could retrieve their digital decision and start enrollment immediately. With this new procedure, first-year students were able to enroll almost a week earlier than in previous years. Around 200 applicants alone accepted their desired course of study on the very day they received the e-mail.

For the first time, the university is also starting an academic year with its renovated campus library. The first construction phase of the central library building on Holländischer Platz opened last April, making the library more modern, more digital, clearer and offering more places for independent study.

The lecture period begins next Monday.

Contact:

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
www.uni-kassel.de