North Rhine-Westphalia: Around three out of ten study places in NRW are NC

Gütersloh (dpa/lnw) - In the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, around three out of ten study places in the 2022/2023 winter semester have restricted admission.

North Rhine-Westphalia: Around three out of ten study places in NRW are NC

Gütersloh (dpa/lnw) - In the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, around three out of ten study places in the 2022/2023 winter semester have restricted admission. According to a study by the Center for Higher Education Development in Gütersloh (CHE), NRW is well below the national average for the so-called numerus clausus (NC) and ranks 10th in a comparison of the federal states. From autumn onwards, the national average fell slightly from 40.1 to 39 compared to the previous year. 7 percent. In NRW, the proportion of degree programs with an NC has fallen from 31.3 to 30.9. Hamburg is at the top with a rate of 64.8 percent.

The authors of the CHE study, a joint subsidiary of the Bertelsmann Foundation and the German Rectors' Conference (HRK), point to major regional differences. In Cologne, the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, more than every second university place (53 percent) has an NC, while in Paderborn the rate is only 8 percent.

The proportion of NC subjects in NRW is highest in law, economics, and social sciences at 40.8 percent. Then come mathematics and natural sciences (32.7), followed by languages ​​and cultural studies (24.3) and engineering (19.7). These figures therefore deviate significantly from the nationwide data: law, economics, social sciences (48.6), mathematics and natural sciences (36.4), engineering (33.1) and languages ​​and cultural studies (26 ,0).

In the case of a subject with admission restrictions, the university sets a maximum number of students to be accepted (numerus clausus, Latin for a closed number). School leavers then have to apply for a place. The selection is then made on the basis of grades, test results or professional experience.