The Student Survey in Germany 2025
On May 27, the second nationwide online survey "The Student Survey" in Germany was launched. More than one million students at over 200 German universities and colleges have been invited to take part. The University of Bonn is also participating.
What is the Student Survey?
The Student Survey in Germany is a nationwide survey conducted by the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) in cooperation with partner universities. Its goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the study conditions, experiences, and everyday realities of students at German higher education institutions.
Every four years, the Student Survey team invites over one million students at more than 200 public and private universities and colleges to participate and share insights about their academic and personal lives.
Objectives
By participating, you help the Student Survey generate reliable insights into the situation of students in Germany. The results are taken into account by universities and education policymakers, and are made publicly available through national education reporting – helping shape the future of higher education.
Survey Content
The data collected will provide a detailed overview of students’ lived realities — including their social and economic circumstances, study progress and conditions, as well as their political views and educational backgrounds. The survey also enables in-depth analyses of smaller student groups. One specific focus is on studying with health impairments — a topic that will be explored in greater depth again following its first inclusion in 2021. The findings will be published in a dedicated report under the label “best4”. These insights serve as an important basis for higher education and social policy decisions, particularly those aimed at reducing barriers and disadvantages caused by health-related impairments.
Who can participate?
Only students who have received an email from their university with a link to the online questionnaire are eligible to participate. In most cases, universities do not invite all students, but rather only those who have been randomly selected in advance as part of a scientific sampling process.
Duration
Participation is voluntary and available in either English or German. On average, completing the questionnaire takes about 34 minutes.
You can save your progress at any time and return later to finish and submit the online survey.
The Student Survey in Germany...
… is the most comprehensive student survey conducted in Germany to date, covering a wide range of topics related to university studies.
… asks about students’ political orientations, their career goals, and any experiences of discrimination they may have had.
… provides an important basis for decision-making and data for various stakeholders: for education and higher education policy in Germany, for universities, student services organizations, and for students.
… is a key component of education monitoring in Germany; the data complement official statistics with information that no other source provides.
… includes a wide range of information about the higher education landscape, study conditions, and digitalization.
… provides researchers, as well as universities and student services organizations, with an empirical basis for advisory and research purposes.
… also includes small groups of students who are often overlooked in typical surveys, such as students with children, students with impairments that make studying more difficult, students in dual or part-time degree programs, and students without formal university entrance qualifications.
… selects its participants randomly to ensure representative results and guarantees complete anonymity for the students.
… continues long-standing empirical research series such as the “Social Survey” (since 1951), the Student Survey (since 1982), EUROSTUDENT (since 2000), and “Studying with Impairments” (since 2006).
BEST 4
The fourth “Studying with Impairments” study – BEST 4 – aims to answer questions such as: Under what conditions is studying with impairments successful?
What hinders academic success? Which support and counseling services for students with impairments have proven effective? How well do compensation measures for disadvantages work?
