Limited availability: Just a quarter of study programs in MV are not open to all. - Approximately a quarter of study programs offered in MV
The Centre for Higher Education (CHE), a think tank for the university landscape and a non-profit institution based in Gütersloh, has released an analysis of study programme access restrictions across German states for the upcoming winter semester 2025/26. The findings reveal significant differences in access restrictions across the 16 federal states, with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern being one of the least restrictive.
In contrast to states like Baden-Württemberg and Berlin, where more than half of the study programmes will have access restrictions, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 10th with 25.1% of study programmes having such restrictions. This lower incidence of restrictions can be attributed to state-specific educational policies and regulatory frameworks that foster inclusivity and flexibility.
Research suggests that participation in education, including university study programmes, is influenced more by external factors stemming from state-level regulations rather than individual or family resources. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, more inclusive and less restrictive policies regarding school enrollment and access for asylum seekers and migrants delay access less and reduce barriers in choosing educational pathways.
The state's approach to education regulation also emphasizes greater flexibility and accommodation within the public education system, which likely extends to higher education program admissions. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is categorized among federal states with relatively less restrictive frameworks in terms of choice and access to education options, contributing to the lower incidence of study program limitations.
On the other hand, other German states implement more restrictive access controls or longer delays before enrolling asylum-seeking children and students, which affects overall participation and leads to a higher percentage of study programmes with entrance restrictions.
The CHE's analysis is based on data from the Higher Education Compass of the German Rectors' Conference for around 22,000 study programmes in the winter semester 2025/26 and corresponding data from previous years. Rhineland-Palatinate also has 17.7% of study programmes with access restrictions, while the fewest restrictions are in Brandenburg with 17.4%. In Baden-Württemberg, 50.2% of study programmes will have access restrictions, and in Berlin, the figure stands at 54.4%. Thuringia has 18.0% of study programmes with access restrictions in the upcoming winter semester 2025/26.
The data underscores the importance of state-level policies in shaping access to higher education and the need for continued dialogue and collaboration between policymakers, educational institutions, and stakeholders to ensure equal opportunities for all.
- In light of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's approach to education, which prioritizes inclusivity and flexibility, vocational training opportunities in the EC countries could be explored more extensively, especially in online-education and learning platforms, to further reduce barriers and provide equal access to education-and-self-development for all citizens.
- While Baden-Württemberg and Berlin, like many other German states, have over half of their study programmes with access restrictions for the winter semester 2025/26, the findings in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern indicate that vocational training programs could contribute to a more accommodating educational landscape, especially for migrants and asylum seekers, thus fostering a more diverse and productive society.
