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Share of New Tertiary Students in Selected Countries

New tertiary students are students in their first semester of tertiary education (first-time enrolment) or in the first subject-related semester of a specific degree programme. The rate of new tertiary students indicates their share in the age-matched population under 25 years of age.

In 2020, the rate of new tertiary students in Germany fell by one percentage point to 55 percent compared to the previous high of 56 percent in 2019. This put Germany in third place in the comparison of the countries under consideration.

In 2020, the rate in Germany adjusted for international new tertiary students was at the previous year's level of 49 percent.

plotly

No values based on ISCED 2011 are yet available for France and South Korea. These countries are therefore not included in the chart. Instead, three European OECD countries were added: Belgium, Finland and Italy.
Solid lines: The entry rates for under-25s are given according to the ISCED 2011 classification for levels 5, 6, 7 and 8.
Dotted lines: Adjusted rate for under-25s, excluding international new tertiary students.
* In international statistics, the academic year comprises the winter semester and the following summer semester. In the national statistics, the summer and subsequent winter semester are combined. This different method of calculation is likely to be noticeable for 2020 because the international data cannot comprehensively capture the Covid-19 pandemic, which only made itself felt at tertiary education institutions in or during the summer semester of 2020.
* Since 2019, including vocational advancement training.
Source: OECD (Ed.): Education at a Glance, various volumes; as well as OECD database stats.oed.org in Kerst et al. (2023).
© EFI – Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation 2023.

Rates of Change in New Tertiary Students Until 2020

plotly

No values based on ISCED 2011 are yet available for France and South Korea. These countries are therefore not included in the chart. Instead, three European OECD countries were added: Belgium, Finland and Italy.
Solid lines: The entry rates for under-25s are given according to the ISCED 2011 classification for levels 5, 6, 7 and 8.
Dotted lines: Adjusted rate for under-25s, excluding international new tertiary students.
* In international statistics, the academic year comprises the winter semester and the following summer semester. In the national statistics, the summer and subsequent winter semester are combined. This different method of calculation is likely to be noticeable for 2020 because the international data cannot comprehensively capture the Covid-19 pandemic, which only made itself felt at tertiary education institutions in or during the summer semester of 2020.
* Since 2019, including vocational advancement training.
Source: OECD (Ed.): Education at a Glance, various volumes; as well as OECD database stats.oed.org in Kerst et al. (2023).
© EFI – Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation 2023.