idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
Student numbers at Heidelberg University have reached a new high in the 2025/2026 winter semester, with nearly 32,200 students currently enrolled. According to student statistics, enrolment at Ruperto Carola has never been so high. Numbers have continually risen over the last five years. This also and particularly applies to the number of students from abroad, which has increased by over five percent over last winter semester. “These figures prove that our university is highly attractive for young people at home and abroad,” says Rector Prof. Dr Frauke Melchior.
Press Release
Heidelberg, 16 December 2025
Over 32,000 Students at Universität Heidelberg for the First Time
Continual rise in the past five years – international students account for just under 21 percent
Student numbers at Heidelberg University have reached a new high in the 2025/2026 winter semester, with nearly 32,200 students currently enrolled. According to student statistics, enrolment at Ruperto Carola has never been so high. Numbers have continually risen over the last five years. This also and particularly applies to the number of students from abroad, which has increased by over five percent over last winter semester. “These figures prove that our university is highly attractive for young people at home and abroad,” says Rector Prof. Dr Frauke Melchior.
While across the state student numbers are falling, due to demographic change, Heidelberg University continues to grow and has for the first time now topped the 32,000 mark. This winter semester total student numbers have risen by 2.6 percent over last year. While last winter semester saw just under 31,400 students enroled at Heidelberg University, five years ago there were a good 28,600 students. The highest number of students in the recent past had been around 31,500 in the 2013/2014 winter semester.
The number of students from other countries has grown from approximately 6,300 last winter semester to currently over 6,600. Last year the rise was already around twelve percent. By way of comparison: five years ago there were approximately 4,900 international students. As far as this can be followed from the statistics, there have never been more young people from abroad enroled at Heidelberg University than in this winter semester. They account for just under 21 percent of total student numbers.
There has also been a rise in new enrolments, which are at nearly 6,400 this winter semester. Last year approximately 6,200 young people began a degree course at Ruperto Carola; in the 2020/2021 winter semester there were around 5,500 new enrolments. Doctoral students at Heidelberg University currently number more than 9,500, according to provisional figures, which exceed those of last year.
Contact:
Communications and Marketing
Press Office
Phone +49 6221 54-2311
presse@rektorat.uni-heidelberg.de
https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/university/facts-figures/students-young-researc...
Criteria of this press release:
Journalists, all interested persons
interdisciplinary
transregional, national
Studies and teaching
English
You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.
You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).
Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.
You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).
If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).
