Winter semester 2021/2022: University of Kassel offers more classroom teaching again

In her video message to all students and employees, the new university president, Prof. Dr. Ute Clement, emphasizes the importance of presence in all areas: "By presence in teaching, I don't just mean physical presence after three Corona semesters, but also excellent teaching, good supervision and interesting study programs." By presence, she further means "presence in research, in all projects, activities and especially in our focus areas of materials science and sustainability in relation to work, employment and university operations."

In opening up the university to face-to-face teaching in the current winter semester, the university administration sees an opportunity to get closer to normal everyday study again. The lecture period officially began on October 18 under the conditions of 3G (vaccinated, recovered, tested). Over the past few days and weeks, students have been offered several vaccination opportunities on campus that have been well received.

According to preliminary figures, 23,681 people are studying at the University of Kassel this winter semester. The number of newly admitted students (first-time and new enrollments) is 3,669; there are 4,181 students in their first semester. Among international students, 3,144 have enrolled this winter semester. Final enrollments are still underway; final numbers will be known in mid/late November.

In the second winter semester under Corona conditions, the University of Kassel is also observing a slightly lower number of first-year students than in previous years. Compared to the previous winter semester, a decrease of 3.8 percent was recorded here. In addition to a changeover from G8 to G9 at some Hessian schools, which reduces the number of those eligible to study, it is likely that some prospective students postpone their start to their studies in the hope of more normality and use the transitional period in a different way - e.g. for a voluntary social year. Analyses of this are still pending.

For the future, the University of Kassel expects great impulses in the direction of an expanded and attractive range of studies through the establishment of the new scientific center for "Sustainable Developments and Transformations". Here, up to 17 new professorships and about ten new study programs along the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN) will be created in the coming years. In total, almost 50 new professorships will be created at the University of Kassel. This represents an increase of 15 percent.