Key Takeaways
- Business Administration is Germany’s most popular degree. It recorded 229,753 students in the winter term 2024/25. Computer Science ranks second at 152,472.
- Medicine, Psychology, and Law follow. Each of them reported more than 115,000 students.
- Business-related subjects fill several more spots in the top 20. That includes Business and Economics and Business Informatics.
- Foreign student shares vary sharply among popular subjects. Electrical Engineering is highest in the top 20 at 39.8%. Social Work is lowest at 5.9%.
- Law draws just 8.0% of foreign students. Law’s total enrollment is more than double International Business Studies’ enrollment.
- International students concentrate on engineering and STEM nationwide. Skilled-worker shortages explain part of the pattern. English-taught programs explain another part.
Germany’s Most Popular Degree Programs by Enrollment
| Subject | Total Students | Foreign Students |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | 229,753 | 15.3% |
| Computer Science | 152,472 | 29.7% |
| Medicine (General Medicine) | 117,916 | 12.5% |
| Psychology | 116,474 | 8.4% |
| Law | 115,272 | 8.0% |
| Business and Economics | 88,144 | 17.5% |
| Social Work | 85,311 | 5.9% |
| Mechanical Engineering | 79,424 | 26.2% |
| Business Informatics | 68,809 | 17.8% |
| German Studies/German | 62,047 | 8.1% |
| Business Engineering (Engineering Sciences) | 60,161 | 22.4% |
| Electrical Engineering/Electronics | 59,999 | 39.8% |
| Educational Science (Pedagogy) | 58,970 | 7.0% |
| Civil Engineering/Structural Engineering | 57,300 | 21.6% |
| Biology | 56,661 | 16.8% |
| International Business Studies/Management | 49,891 | 36.5% |
| Mathematics | 48,961 | 13.3% |
| English Studies | 48,061 | 12.3% |
| Physics | 44,317 | 21.7% |
| Architecture | 41,189 | 17.6% |
Source: Destatis
Total students include German and foreign students combined, at all degree levels within each subject. Foreign students refer to students who do not hold German citizenship. Destatis marks these winter term 2024/25 figures as provisional. They may be revised in later releases.
Germany has a reputation as an engineering nation. Its most popular degree program is not engineering. It is Business Administration. Business Administration recorded 229,753 students in the winter term 2024/25.
Germany counted 2,864,122 students in total that semester. Those students were spread across roughly 300 subjects.
Business Administration Leads Germany’s Most Popular Degree Programs
Business Administration ranks first among Germany’s most enrolled degree programs. It recorded 229,753 students in the winter term 2024/25. Computer Science ranks second. It recorded 152,472 students. That is 77,281 fewer than Business Administration. Medicine, Psychology, and Law follow. Each of them recorded more than 115,000 students.
Business and Economics ranks sixth. It recorded 88,144 students. Business Informatics ranks ninth. It recorded 68,809 students. These subjects, together with Business Administration, show how much of Germany’s student population studies business. Engineering is not the country’s only strength.
International Students Concentrate in Engineering
Foreign student shares vary sharply across Germany’s most popular subjects. Electrical Engineering has the highest share in the top 20 at 39.8%. International Business Studies follows at 36.5%. Computer Science follows at 29.7%.
Law sits at the opposite end. Only 8.0% of Law students are foreign. Social Work is lowest in the top 20 at 5.9%. Educational Science follows closely at 7.0%.
The gap between Electrical Engineering and Law fits a wider national pattern. International students are particularly well represented in engineering and other STEM subjects across Germany. A shortage of skilled workers in those fields explains part of the pattern. The wider availability of English-taught programs explains another part.
Germany’s most popular degree programs tell two different stories. By raw enrollment, Business Administration and its related fields lead the country. By international draw, engineering and computer science pull far ahead instead. A subject can be popular with German students without being popular with international ones. The reverse is also true.
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