Who is studying in Germany, and who isn’t? How do students finance their studies? How much time do they spend studying and how much time working (if they have a part-time job)? How does the situation look like for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses? How many students have children? How many students come from families with a migrant background? The DSW’s Social Surveys provide responses to these questions every three years.

Politically important 

The Social Survey’s findings on educational participation also provide a solid basis for action and orientation in German educational policy.

The DSW’s Social Survey is Germany's largest student survey with the longest tradition. More than 15,000 students from 227 higher education institutions took part in the survey in the summer of 2012. The survey is funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research and conducted by the German Centre for Research on Higher Education and Science Studies (Deutsches Zentrum für Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung – DZHW).

The 21st Social Survey will be conducted in the summer of 2016 with the results published in 2017.

• The most important results of the current 20th Social Survey are summarised in the 12-page information brochure "Studieren heute" (EN: "Studying today").
• The study itself is a 650-page scientific report. You can download it here or order it from us.