According to the German Federal Statistical Office, a total of 33,200 guest students attended courses at German universities during the winter semester of 2024/2025. This represents a three percent increase compared to the previous winter semester, but still eleven percent lower than the pre-pandemic level of 37,200 in the winter semester of 2019/2020. The number of guest students had dropped significantly in the winter semester of 2020/2021 due to the pandemic.
The recent increase in guest student numbers was primarily driven by the age group of 60 years and above. As a result, the average age of guest students increased from 51 to 52 years during this period. The proportion of female guest students decreased slightly from 49 to 48 percent. The number of German guest students rose by three percent to 29,400, while the number of foreign guest students increased by five percent to 3,800, accounting for twelve percent of the total.
Guest students, who can participate in individual courses and lectures at universities without formal higher education qualifications, can benefit from scientific further education and are a key element in the context of “lifelong learning”. In comparison to the 2.9 million regularly enrolled students in the winter semester of 2024/2025, guest students made up only one percent, according to the Federal Statistical Office.