First semester celebration at Bielefeld University: 4,400 new students start their studies!

First semester celebration at Bielefeld University: 4,400 new students start their studies!

The winter semester 2025/26 begins at Bielefeld University on October 14, 2025. Rector Professor Dr. Angelika Epple welcomed the new students to the Audimax on October 13th. About 4,400 freshmen enrolled, an increase of 300 compared to last year. This means that a total of around 23,500 people are studying at Bielefeld University.

The new study season also starts with a number of newly designed offers. A central feature is the Student Service Center located in the main building. This offers various contact points, including the info point, the user advice of the Bielefeld IT Service Center (BITS) and the BAföG office. The International Information Point, which is specifically responsible for international students and concerns about stays abroad, is also located here.

First-semester welcome and the new service offering

The first semester welcome was also an opportunity to celebrate the reopening of the renovated Audimax after six years. The event was attended by, among others, Professor Dr. Dario Anselmetti and student Noah Dorn took part, who reported on the use of artificial intelligence in studying and teaching. The reception was musically accompanied by the brass quintet Bi-Metall, while Katharina Mollenhauer and Kimberley Mohn from the campus radio Hertz 87.9 led through the program.

The Student Service Center, which also includes new “Learning Spaces”, offers over 100 workstations for co-working. These study and lounge areas offer a variety of options, including individual and group workstations as well as quiet workstations and discussion rooms. A digital portal also provides information about the equipment of these learning spaces and the option to book rooms.

Course offerings and enrollment numbers

Enrollments for the winter semester 2025/26 show that educational sciences, sports science as well as English, law, sociology and economics are the most popular subjects. However, the final enrollment figures will not be published until the beginning of December, as replacement procedures and enrollments in NC-free subjects are still ongoing.

In the nationwide context, the winter semester 2024/2025 was also remarkable for universities in Germany. Around 2.9 million people were enrolled at universities and technical colleges. This shows that interest in academic education in general is constantly growing. The most popular fields of study are law and social sciences, but engineering is also becoming increasingly important, especially for first-year students.

Financial issues remain a central issue for many students. In 2024, around 480,000 students received BAföG, with the average monthly funding amount being 657 euros. Many students are forced to work alongside their studies because scholarships and parental support are often not enough. [Bielefeld University] [University of Bielefeld – Welcome to the first semester] [Statista]