Thousands of new students at Saxony's universities

Thousands of students have started studying in Saxony this fall. The new students are not only coming from Germany, but also from abroad in increasing numbers, according to the universities. The data is not yet final, as enrolment is still possible until the end of October.

Slightly fewer new students in Leipzig

Leipzig University has so far enrolled 6,700 new students. According to the university, this is slightly fewer than last year because fewer applicants are now being accepted for some degree courses and the selection process is more targeted. Around 39,000 applications have been received.

A particularly large number of places have been allocated to prospective teachers (1,110), law students (750) and medical students (340). The psychology bachelor's degree was once again very popular this year, with 3,700 applications for 57 applicants per place. Around 30,000 people are currently studying at Leipzig University, 11.1 percent of whom come from abroad.

A good quarter of first-semester students in Dresden come from abroad

Around 6,200 new students have enrolled at TU Dresden so far. Of these, 1,700 came from abroad, or more precisely: from 107 nations, as the university announced. "This means that the trend towards the internationalization of the student body is continuing this year," it said.

According to spokesperson Mario Steinebach, more foreign students have also enrolled at Chemnitz University of Technology this winter semester than in the previous year. A total of 2,052 new first-year students have been accepted so far. This is already more than at the end of the enrolment phase in the winter semester 2024/2025.

Psychology particularly in demand

"The total number of applicants for this semester so far is more than 11,000," explained Steinebach. "Experience has shown that the number of applications to universities is always far higher than the number of students ultimately enrolled, as prospective students apply to several universities at the same time."

In Chemnitz, the bachelor's degree course in psychology was also in particularly high demand, as well as the teaching degree for elementary school, the bachelor's degree in economics and advanced manufacturing in the master's degree course.

More students expected in Saxony again

According to the Ministry of Science, last year there was an increase of around five percent compared to the previous year, with a total of 17,620 first-semester students. The figures apply to state and state-recognized universities in the Free State. In the 2010s, the figures were even higher and hovered around 20,000 first-year students.

The Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs assumes that the number of first-semester students in Saxony will rise again in the coming years. They are expected to climb to 19,100 by 2035.