This document discusses student organizations and the university system in Germany. It provides an overview of the different types of higher education institutions in Germany, including universities, universities of applied sciences, and arts universities. It describes the degree system including bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. programs. It also outlines the systems of student participation at universities, using the examples of Leipzig and Hanover. Student councils, departments, and faculty student organizations are discussed.

1. Student organizations and the university system in Germany
A presentation by Anja Siebert, Anja Lange, and Valerio Trabandt

2.  Anja Siebert: DAAD lecturer at the KPI
 Anja Lange: Exchange student at the KNU
 Valerio Trabandt: Robert Bosch Foundation
lecturer at the Mohyla Academy

3. 1. The German higher education system: An
overview
2. Institutions and systems of student
participation – the examples of Leipzig and
Hanover
3. Practical examples for concrete situations:
How to participate?
4. Report by a German Student

4.  Higher education institutions:
◦ Universities (Universitäten)
◦ Universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen)
◦ Universitities of music or arts (Kunst- und
Musikhochschulen)
◦ Private universities, army universities, one long-
distance-learning university
◦ Tasks: Research + teaching (Humboldt model)

5.  Degrees:
◦ Bachelor (3 years) and Master (2 years), non-
consecutive, after 12-13 years of school
◦ Staatsexamen (State exam – at least 5 years,
depending on the field of studies)
◦ Before adapting to the Bologna accords: „Magister“
and „Diplom“ (around 5 years)
◦ „Promotion“ (Ph.D.)
◦ „Habilitation“ (professorship)

6.  The first german-speaking university to be
founded was in Prague in 1348, in today‘s
Germany in Heidelberg in 1386
 New wave of foundations in Germany in the
1960s and 70s
 Student movements of the 60s and 70s also
gain momentum and achieve more
participation in the decision-making process,
autonomy of student associations and own
resources (also: extra-parliamentary
opposition)

7.  Bologna accords
 Initiatition of study fees of up to 500€
(additional to already existing study
contributions of up to 300€)
 Elite universities and excellence clusters
 Junior professorships and curricula of
researchers and teachers
 Private universities
 further education

8.  Bologna accords demand strict reforming efforts
in the higher education sector
 Education is only in a very broad way managed by
the federal state: The German “Länder“ take most
responsibilities for their respective universities.
Thus the university system varies strongly
between the regions
 Theoretically, each university is free and
autonomous in what it teaches and researches.
However, political influence especially on basic
questions exists
 There is nevertheless a council of universities,
the “Hochschulrektorenkonferenz” (HRK), to
represent the higher education institutions

9.  Historical overview
 Example I Studentenrat University of Leipzig
 Example II Leibniz University Hanover

10.  19th century
 Urburschenschaft (first German student
fraternity): verbalises the idea of an integrative
organisation for students
 without any aims concerning the higher
educational system
 idea was linked to political issues: national unity
 other students reform movements combined the
national idea with new aims like reform of higher
education, participation, self-help in social issues

11.  AStA: Tübingen (1821), Heidelberg (1885),
 conflicts between different student movements
and organisations
 20th century
 July 1919 “Deutsche Studentenschaft” (DSt)
(German Student Union), merger of general
student committees of all German universities,
democratic representation of interests
 from 1931 onward DSt is dominated by National
Socialist German Student’s League, merged in
1936

12.  after 1945
 prohibition of DSt and National Socialist German
Student’s League
 reorganisation of student’s unions
 urgent problems: accommodation, clothes
 1949 Verband Deutscher Studentenschaften,
Marburg, political neutrality
 dissolution of student councils in GDR in the
course of socialistic rebuilding of the higher
education system, replaced by organs of the FDJ
(Free German Youth)
 important role of students movement in the late
60ies, VdS supports the extra-parliamentary
opposition

13.  today
 most of the „old“ German Länder:
Studentenparlament (legislative organ of the
constituted student‘s union ) and AStA (acting
executive board)
 most of the „new“ German Länder:
Studentenrat (executive and legislative
functions)
 Freier Zusammenschluss von
StudentInnenschaften (fzs), merger of
student‘s unions in Germany above party-
lines, since 1993

15. Studentenrat = student council
Ausschüsse = commissions
Referate = departments
Referenten und Sprecher =
speaker
Arbeitsausschüsse = working
commissions
Arbeitsgruppen = working
groups
Fachschaftsrat = student
organisation in faculties
Studierende der Universität
Leipzig = students

16.  Studentenrat (student council)
 Fachschaftsräte (student‘s organisation in
faculties)
 Senat (central university council), 4 of the
members are students, delegated by the
student council

18.  Studierende = students
 VV = assembly of all
students
 Fachschaftsräte =
Faculty/ Institute
student council
 Studentischer Rat =
student council
 AStA = General student
committee

19.  ASta – the student government
 StuRa – the student parliament
 Fachschaften – the student‘s organizations in
the faculties/ institutes
 Senat – Central university council with 13
members, of which 2 are elected students
◦ Résumé: Students have their own autonomous
institutions, but not much say in general affairs

20.  Who can a foreign student address?
 Where can a young mother get assistance?
 Which institutions are important for the
motivated student who wants to make a
difference?
 Who to contact if you want to realize projects
or events and are looking for support?

21.  The Leipzig Student Council‘s Departments
 Higher education policy, Political education,
Communication and Student’s life (as of 2011)

22.  Departments of the student council form working
groups, every student can attend
 Required: interest in the needs of disabled
persons
 Meetings: every second week, appr. 10 students
 Fields of work and successes:
◦ support students with depressions to improve the
conductions of examination
◦ discuss the accessibility of events and the precautions to
ensure that disabled people can attend them, > result:
brochure about the accessibility of events at the
University of Leipzig, Campus Fest
◦ improve the accessibility of university buildings, contact
architects and local authorities > example: university
assembly hall Paulinum

23.  Questions?
 Remarks?
 Corrections?
 Comparison with the Ukrainian system?

24. http://www.uni-
hannover.de/imperia/md/images/webredaktion/studium/studierende/selbstverwaltung.jpg
http://www.sinan-botros.de/img/uni/universityOfHannover.jpg
https://www.familienservice.de/image/image_gallery?uuid=bc48cedc-9ccd-48dd-8da3-
90d04137e051&groupId=230521&t=1320603463865
http://www.giv-hannover.de/pics/inhalt/inhalts-bilder/Deutschlandkarte.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-
CuPxEhJszpM/TnJZ0s1Py0I/AAAAAAAABDk/N4ejiqsKT8s/s1600/Thank-you-note.jpg
www.uni-leipzig.de http://www.stura.uni-leipzig.de
http://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/artikel/artikel_44409
http://www.stura.uni-leipzig.de/stura/arbeitsbereiche/
http://fachschaft.vetmed.uni-leipzig.de/de/node/125
http://www.zv.uni-leipzig.de/universitaet/profil/leitbild-profil-geschichte/leitbild.html
Peer Pasternack: Die StuRa-StoRy. Studentische Interessenvertretung in Ostdeutschland seit 1989,
in: Peer Pasternack/Thomas Neie (Hg.), stud. ost 1989-1999. Wandel von Lebenswelt und
Engagement der Studierenden in Ostdeutschland, Akademische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2000, S.
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http://www.wikipedia.de
http://study-in.de