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Social Background

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity should be too.

Department for Equity and Diversity

Education Funnel

Educational pathways still depend heavily on the parental home. Current data from the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) show that this is still the case: If no one in the family has studied, only 25 out of 100 children go on to study. In families with a university degree, the figure is 78 out of 100 children. A look at primary school pupils also makes this clear: out of 100 children from non-academic households, only 27 make it to university. For children from academic households, the figure is 79 out of 100 children.

These differences are also reflected in the figures: while around 72 per cent of children at schools come from non-academic families, they only make up 47 per cent of students at universities.

This shows how important it is to break down barriers and specifically promote educational equality.

Participation in higher education in 2021 by social background (in %)
The image shows three adjacent bar charts and pie charts to illustrate the correlation between social background and the probability of studying at university. Four categories of parental education are distinguished, each with their share of the total population, their educational participation rate (enrolment) and their share among first-year students. Parents with a degree: Proportion of the population of the same age: 28% Educational participation rate: 78% Proportion of first-year students: 55% Parents with a master craftsman or technician qualification: Proportion of the population of the same age: 10% Educational participation rate: 55% Proportion of first-year students: 14% Parents with a vocational qualification: Proportion of the population of the same age: 52 % Educational participation rate: 22 % Share among first-year students: 29 % Parents without a vocational qualification: Share of the population of the same age: 10 % Educational participation rate: 8 % Share among first-year students: 2 % Conclusion: The higher the educational qualification of the parents, the higher the probability that their children will go to university. Children from less educated households are significantly underrepresented among first-year students.
Illustration 1: Participation in higher education in 2021 by social background (in %)
Source: Based on “Bildung in Deutschland 2024: Ein Indikatorengestützter Bericht Mit Einer Analyse Zu Beruflicher Bildung,” 2024.
Education Funnel 2021
Das Bild zeigt zwei nebeneinander stehende Trichterdiagramme, die den Bildungsweg von jeweils 100 Kindern aus unterschiedlichen familiären Hintergründen darstellen: links Kinder aus nicht-akademischen Haushalten (blau), rechts Kinder aus akademischen Haushalten (rot). Kinder aus nicht-akademischen Haushalten: Von 100 Grundschulkindern beginnen 27 ein Studium (27 %). Von diesen schließen 20 den Bachelor ab (76 % der Studierenden). 11 erreichen den Masterabschluss (54 % der Bachelorabsolvent*innen). Nur 2 promovieren schließlich (17 % der Masterabsolvent*innen). Kinder aus akademischen Haushalten: Von 100 Grundschulkindern beginnen 79 ein Studium (79 %). 64 schließen den Bachelor ab (82 % der Studierenden). 43 erreichen den Masterabschluss (66 % der Bachelorabsolvent*innen). 6 promovieren schließlich (13 % der Masterabsolvent*innen).
Illustration 2: Depiction of the 2021 education funnel of the Technischen Unviersität Braunschweig,             

Support

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ArbeiterKind.de

ArbeiterKind.de is an initiative that encourages students from families with no university experience to be the first in their family to study. The volunteers are mostly students or academics from first-generation families themselves and talk about their own experiences of advancing their education, serving as personal role models. Many volunteers are involved in 80 local groups across Germany, including in Heilbronn.


The group meets every second Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in Heilbronn and welcomes you to join. Simply register by email at: heilbronn@arbeiterkind.de


If you have any questions by phone, our information hotline is available Monday to Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: 030-679 672 750

Drei Studierende mit Europabroschüre

Erasmus+ funding for the semester abroad

Erasmus+ is committed to equal opportunities: students with social, health or family challenges can receive additional financial support - through monthly top-ups or individual real cost funding. This makes international education accessible to everyone.

Glas mit Münzgeld, das von einer Frau in die Kamera gehalten wird.

Scholarships

Scholarships provide financial support during your studies. Funding can come from various sources, such as organisations for the promotion of gifted students, companies, foundations, associations or even private individuals.


The awarding of individual scholarships is based on the respective criteria of the funding providers and scholarship formats. On this website and the associated subpages, you will find various scholarship offers with the respective criteria and application requirements as well as current calls for applications.

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