At the end of October 2026, women headed just over a third of the state-run higher education institutions surveyed in Germany. Their share of presidencies and rectorates was around 35 per cent, roughly ten percentage points higher than in 2021. This is according to an analysis published by the Centre for Higher Education Development on 12 November 2026.
The trend varied by type of institution. At universities women accounted for 39 per cent of the leadership. This was below the previous high of 42 per cent in 2023. At universities of applied sciences and universities of applied sciences the share was 31 per cent. According to the specialist magazine Forschung und Lehre it has risen there since the relevant analysis began in 2019; at the time, it stood at 21 per cent.
The longer-term rise does not mean that the balance has changed at the same pace more recently. In December 2024, the Centre for Higher Education Development had already put the share of women at the helm of the institutions surveyed at around 35 per cent. At the time, women accounted for 41 per cent of university leaders and 30 per cent of leaders at universities of applied sciences.
The new survey analysed the CVs of leaders at 183 state-run higher education institutions. The reference date was 31 October 2026. It covered 81 universities and 102 universities of applied sciences. Among others, art and music colleges and teacher-training colleges were excluded. The results therefore do not cover every higher education institution in Germany. Acting leaders were included for the first time.
A different picture emerges at the level below the top leadership. In a separate analysis by the Centre for Higher Education Development, women accounted for vice-presidencies and comparable posts in January 2026. The survey covered 194 state-run higher education institutions. The comparison points to a difference between leadership levels; however, the figures are not directly comparable because the surveys took place at different times and covered different groups of institutions.
The study looks at other biographical characteristics as well as gender. The average age of higher education leaders was 59 in October 2026. Ten of the 183 institutions surveyed were headed by people born in one of the eastern German states, excluding Berlin. Twelve leaders were born abroad.
Differences were also evident in previous employment. According to the analysis, 44 per cent of university leaders came from outside their institution, compared with 33 per cent of leaders at universities of applied sciences. The data describe the make-up of the leadership teams and their career paths. They cannot, on their own, show why particular individuals were selected or what caused the differences.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).