The German secondary, pre-university schooling period is changing from 9 to 8 years, reducing the length of general schooling before entrance into university to 12 instead of 13 years. The effect of this development is a temporary doubling of German school-leavers with a university entrance qualification, which will happen on a yearly basis rolling through several German states each year, starting in 2008 and ending in 2016. The high school students going through this phase belong to the so called “Generation G8”. G8 standing for 8 years of Gymnasium. The number of German students with a university entrance qualification will remain above today’s level until about 2020, reaching about 2.5 million at the development’s peak.

There aren’t enough study places available in the German higher education to meet this demand.

Overview per German state:

2010     Hamburg
2011     Lower Saxony, Bavaria
2012     Bremen, Berlin, Brandenburg, Baden-Württemberg, Hessen (10%)
2013     North Rhine-Westphalia, Hessen (30%)
2014     Hessen (30%)
2016     Schleswig Holstein, Rhineland-Palatinate

Source: Kultusministerkonferenz

This is an unique opportunity for universities who wants to increase their international character with a greater influx of German students.border concepts has developed recruitment products tailor-made for this situation. For more information, go to the topic Generation G8 products.