University of Kassel continues to grow

Just before the start of lectures next Monday, according to the preliminary figures, 24,573 people are enrolled at the university: 11,836 women and 12,737 men. The number of newly admitted students is 5,361 (1,642 new enrollments, 3,719 first-time enrollments). 2803 of the enrollees are international students (11.4 percent). The final figures will be available in mid-November. Last winter semester, 23,696 students were enrolled at the University of Kassel (of which 5,146 were new first-time enrollees).

"The continuing high demand for our degree programs - with fewer high school graduates in Hesse - shows that our range of courses is very attractive and that the University of Kassel has made a name for itself as a good place to study soundly and successfully," said the new president of the University of Kassel, Prof. Dr. Reiner Finkeldey. "Nevertheless, growth in the future will not be as tumultuous as in past years, and we will now devote more attention to issues of quality development as far as teaching is concerned."

Finkeldey, 53, had been elected the university's new president in January and took office Oct. 1. The forestry scientist was previously vice president of the Georg-August University of Göttingen. In addition, Prof. Dr. Ute Clement and Prof. Dr. Arno Ehresmann took office as the new vice president and vice chair, respectively. In July, Dr. Oliver Fromm also took over the position of Chancellor. In addition, Vice President Prof. Dr. Andreas Hänlein has been a member of the Executive Board since 2011.

Finkeldey emphasized that studies at the University of Kassel already have a high level of quality and that students are demonstrably and measurably very satisfied. In this context, he referred to the results of the latest survey of Bachelor students. According to this, 55 percent of those surveyed expressed themselves as "satisfied" or "very satisfied"; only 12 percent said they were "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied."

A number of new buildings that the university has put into operation in the recent past have contributed to the improvement in study conditions. For example, the university is starting a winter semester for the first time with the Campus Center at Holländischer Platz, which was completed in the spring. It offers six lecture halls and six seminar rooms, and also houses central service facilities for students.

The new president welcomed all new students in particular: "Our university is a place of opportunities. Get involved, take advantage of the opportunities available to you, follow your knowledge interests and make the next few years a springboard to a successful professional life." At the same time, he thanked all employees in research, teaching and administration: "You are doing an outstanding job, and I say that especially in view of the rapid growth of the past years. The good reputation that the University of Kassel has earned is largely due to you."

Image of Prof. Dr. Reiner Finkeldey (Photo: Sonja Rode/Uni Kassel) at http://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/fileadmin/datas/uni/presse/anhaenge/2015/_Q9A8492.jpg

Contact:

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
Email: presse@uni-kassel.de