More than 50,000 students at German universities are over fifty years old
According to the German Association of Retirees with Higher Education (Akademische Verein der Senioren in Deutschland, AVDS), this is the smallest group – about 5,000 students nationwide. Next comes certificate-based training, in which about 17,000 people participate, and the largest group is auditors. As Deutsche Welle notes, there are about 36,000 of them across the country. Depending on the university and the number of lecture and seminar hours, the cost of tuition for auditors ranges from 40 to 240 euros per semester.
Why do retirees want to study?
“One of the factors explaining the interest of older people in attending university classes is that they can get additional education that matches their interests, and at the same time they are not overloaded like young people who are mastering a future profession,” emphasizes Renate Frech, founder of an internet portal for people of retirement age, in an interview with DW. This service provides information services to older people in various areas, including education, and operates under the motto: “Better to find quickly than to search long.”
According to Frech, studying at a university for retirees is good because it provides freedom of choice. Older students decide for themselves how long they want to study and whether they will receive a diploma. And finally, the third decisive factor is the opportunity to communicate with young people. “The benefits of exchanging knowledge and experience between different generations in the same classroom should not be underestimated. That is why many retirees more often choose regular universities for continuing education,” emphasizes 70-year-old Renate Frech.
Although older people can study on an equal footing with young people at most universities in the country, in 2006 the European Center for University Studies (Europaisches Zentrum fur Universitare Studien, EZUS) opened for them in Bad Meinberg. Every year, 35 students aged 50 to 80 complete two-year courses divided into seven-week study modules. Older people study subjects such as history, healthcare, politics, theology, social sciences, economics, natural sciences, art, and music. Attendance is mandatory on Thursdays and Fridays. For those who cannot attend full-time, there are distance learning courses. Instead of higher education diplomas, graduates receive certificates confirming that they have passed exams in certain subjects. Tuition fees here are higher than at regular universities and amount to 1,200 euros per year.
University of Cologne – Mecca for auditors
The University of Cologne leads many universities in the country in the number of students over fifty. “In the winter semester of 2018-2019, 1,149 people were registered at our university as retired auditors. Among them, 639 men and 510 women. In addition, exactly 600 students over fifty are studying in regular full-time bachelor's and master's programs,” specifies Anne Lehr, head of the coordination department for working with students over fifty.
At the same time, she emphasizes that the average age of students over fifty studying in regular programs is 56.5 years, while for retired auditors it is 68.8. “Based on an analysis of data from the last ten years, we have concluded that the favorite subjects of retired students are the humanities, such as art history, philosophy, and sociology,” emphasizes Anne Lehr.
How a former co-owner of a company became a student
Burkhard Demming graduated from the University of Cologne in 1983 with degrees in Mathematics and Business Administration. In those years, there were no computers on desks. He was practically at the forefront of computerizing the production process and became passionate about programming. After university, Burkhard, as a young specialist, tried his hand at various companies until one day he joined a private firm in Cologne that provided consulting services to enterprises and banks.
The young specialist developed special software for it. Soon Burkhard Demming became one of the co-owners of the firm. For many years, he was practically its brain center, bringing together talented programmers. In 2012, the main owner of the firm decided to sell it. The firm was bought by an Austrian company. Burkhard Demming was 56 at the time. He did not look for a new job and retired early. However, he could not sit idle. Burkhard decided to pursue self-education.
“I did not want to take a place on the student bench from school graduates, so I decided to enroll at the Hagen Distance University. I am a disciplined person, I can study independently, but I need a mentor and a group of people with whom I can periodically exchange information and experience,” emphasizes 63-year-old Burkhard Demming.
Every day he spent several hours at his desk. At the end of each semester, he traveled to three-day seminars. First, he earned a bachelor's degree in Economics and Sociology. Then he continued his studies in a master's program, earning a master's degree in Finance and Sociology. Now the inquisitive mind of the retiree is focused on working on a dissertation titled “Artificial Intelligence and Society.” In it, Burkhard intends to investigate how artificial intelligence affects people and changes everyday life.
Burkhard Demming considers it important not to stand still, but to keep developing. Studying at the university helps him stay young, keep up with the latest scientific research, and actively participate in it himself. According to him, working on and defending his PhD dissertation will confirm that he did not waste his time by continuing his education after more than half a century of life.