Since their inception in the 1970s, dual study programmes have been an integral part of the German educational landscape. Since then, this combination of vocational training and higher education has been characterized by strong development dynamics. A new article by Sigrun Nickel and Nicolas Reum from the CHE Higher Education Research-Team gives an overview over the different types of dual study programmes in Germany, the current range of course offerings and the development of student numbers. Furthermore the challenges in interlinking theory and practice are analysed.
Over the past 20 years the importance of dual studies has grown steadily throughout Germany. In addition, this model also arouses considerable international attention, as the combination of higher education and vocational qualifications is highly attractive worldwide, both for prospective students and employers. In October 2025 a total of 1,890 dual study programmes at German HEI were listed in the “Hochschulkompass” database run by the German Rectors Conference (HRK). This corresponds to 8.5 per cent of all 22,306 degree programmes recorded in Germany. Data from an earlier CHE study show an even lower proportion of dual study programmes for 2018, at 5.4 per cent. Currently, 81.9 per cent of dual study programmes lead to a bachelor’s degree. Master’s programmes account for only a small proportion of 17.5 per cent, while other degrees (diploma degrees that have largely been transferred to the Bologna system and state examinations) are hardly available anymore, accounting for 0.6 per cent
The number of students in dual study programmes has been growing steadily for years. According to the latest available data from 2019, 2022 and 2024, there has been a further increase from a total of 121,731 to 143,578. Nevertheless, dual study programmes remain a marginal phenomenon in the German higher education system. This is not even changed by the fact that the proportion of dual students among all students rose moderately from 4.2 per cent in 2019 to 4.8 per cent in 2024. There have also been fluctuations in the number of first-year students in dual study programmes. Although this figure rose from 40,575 to 42,058 during the observation period, a more detailed look reveals a slight decline in between. While 5.6 per cent of all first-year students were enrolled in a dual study programme in 2022, the proportion fell to 4.9 per cent in 2024. A similar trend can also be observed for graduates of dual study programmes: an increase from 24,390 in 2019 to 26,023 in 2022 was followed by a slight decline to 25,919 in 2024.
Yet, experience also shows that it is always a challenge for all those involved to ensure the quality of the core feature, the close integration of theory and practice. For around ten years, Higher Education Institutions and industry partners as well as higher education policymakers and the German Accreditation Council have been working intensively on various improvements in this area. It should be noted that the legal framework for dual study programmes is characterised in some cases by considerable heterogeneity between the 16 German federal states. In order to empirically examine the interlinking of theory and practice in dual study programmes, the CHE has developed an indicator model that can be used to determine and compare their extent on the basis of three criteria: 1. the interlinking of study content, 2. practice-oriented teaching and support by practice partners, and 3. institutional interlinking and quality assurance. Clear, verifiable indicators can be used to award points for each criterion, which are then combined to produce an overall assessment. The article shows how this indicator can be used.
The article is part of the latest edition of the European Journal of Dual Higher Education (EJDHS) published by the initiative EU4Dual – The European Dual Studies University.