What changed
2026-07-26 07:56 UTC → 2026-07-27 10:22 UTC ·
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North Rhine‑Westphalia education enrollment trends & graduations
In the The 2025/26 winter semester, semester saw master‑level enrolments at universities in North Rhine‑Westphalia reached hit a record 158,200 students, a 4.6 % rise increase over the previous year, while overall higher‑education participation remained slightly below its 2018/19 peak. year. Master enrolments grew by rose 6.1 % and accounted for now represent a larger share of total higher‑education students, participation, with economics, computer science and psychology remaining the most popular fields. Anticipating a drop decline in Abitur graduates due to after the G9 school reform, the University of Duisburg‑Essen responded by removing lifted the Numerus Clausus for 12 programmes to broaden access. Around the same time, vocational and secondary schools in the state awarded hundreds of diplomas. Mid‑2026 data showed extensive secondary‑level certification activity. Agricultural schools in cities such as Münster, Herford, Cologne and Essen conferred awarded more than 500 certificates and master‑level diplomas to 371 graduates, master‑craft diplomas, including 371 qualifications for state‑certified agricultural agribusiness managers and horticulture specialists. In Laichingen, a The Realschule in Laichingen granted 96 school‑leaving certificates, highlighting high underscoring strong academic performance among its pupils. Together, these performance. In July 2026, graduation ceremonies across Germany reaffirmed the trend. At the Fachschulen of the Landwirtschaftskammer Nordrhein‑Westfalen, the same 371 students received agricultural and horticultural qualifications, confirming the earlier figures. Additional ceremonies in Bavaria and elsewhere highlighted hundreds of vocational diplomas and secondary school certificates, but the NRW data points illustrate a continued expansion remained central to the picture of both expanding higher‑education enrolments and secondary‑level secondary qualifications in North Rhine‑Westphalia during mid‑2026. the state.