Stable start to the semester despite declining numbers of university-entrance graudates

The University of Bayreuth is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. A range of events are planned for the winter semester, including a grand ceremony at the Margravial Opera House. ‘The past summer semester and the winter semester that has just begun are completely dominated by our anniversary,’ says University President Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Stefan Leible. ‘The University of Bayreuth is more than just a place of learning and research, as we have demonstrated over the past 50 years. It is a living environment, and this anniversary year in particular has shown that it is also an important part of the city of Bayreuth. And there's more: we are looking forward to celebrating the grand ceremony for the University's anniversary in the heart of the city.’ This will take place at the Margravial Opera House on 20 October. Before that, on 17 October, students will have the opportunity to celebrate at a party organized in collaboration with the club Fabrik. Other events, such as the popular general knowledge quiz, a tree-planting campaign, and the anniversary ball, are also planned for the winter semester.

But even aside from the celebrations, a lot has happened in 2025. With four ERC Starting Grants from the European Research Council, topics from the fields of sustainability in metal material cycles, artificial intelligence, polymer science, and high-pressure mineralogy are being funded. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has also accepted Dr. Helen Grüninger into the Emmy Noether Programme. She is conducting research into photobatteries that combine the properties of solar cells and batteries. ‘The diversity of our award-winning research is reflected in the broad spectrum of topics covered by the funded projects,’ says Leible.

There was particular cause for celebration at the University of Bayreuth in early summer: funding for the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence was extended. This is a great success for our university, as the cluster impressively demonstrates how international and interdisciplinary cooperation are lived out at UBT.

The starting signal for the implementation of the cluster's new research agenda will be given on 1 January 2026. By early 2025, Bayreuth's Africa-related research, which was previously spread across several locations in the city, will have moved to the campus: in the new Africa Research Centre (FZA), the physical proximity in a state-of-the-art environment will create synergies. ‘One focus is on cooperation with local, African, and other international partners,’ says Prof. Dr Nina Nestler, Vice President for Internationalization, Gender Equality & Diversity. "Our Cluster of Excellence in particular, but also the many other major projects, show that the University of Bayreuth and its scientists are well connected internationally. This offers opportunities for intensive exchange and helps to bring together local knowledge and research in Bayreuth." The coming year will see the expansion and further development of international partnerships, with which the University of Bayreuth is addressing the new (including geopolitical) challenges of our time.

‘The University of Bayreuth's sustainability report documents the progress, challenges, and diverse activities we have initiated since the adoption of our 2021 sustainability strategy,’ explains Prof. Dr Susanne Tittlbach, Vice President for Digitalization, Innovation & Sustainability. This year, these included the appointment of an energy management officer, the development of the University Development Plan 2030+ with sustainability as a field of action, and the publication of the first greenhouse gas balance sheet. "The topic of sustainable mobility in particular is one that is easily comprehensible for employees, students and the urban population alike. With a university-wide survey in 2024, we have laid the foundation for analysing and optimizing mobility."

In order to make cycling even more attractive for employees and students, Buildings & Grounds Maintenance, the University of Bayreuth's Sustainability Office, GreenCampus, and the University Governing Board have also modernized the infrastructure: new bicycle racks have been installed this year. This has resulted in a total of around 180 new or modernized bicycle parking spaces (some of which are covered) being created in recent weeks. After all, 50 years have not left the buildings of the University of Bayreuth unscathed: ‘Behind the scenes, we are of course working on renovating the facilities in and around the buildings,’ says Dr. Nicole Kaiser, Provost of the University of Bayreuth. "In recent months, some classrooms have already been renovated, and we are also considering new room concepts to offer our students the best possible learning conditions. This includes seminar rooms, but also the lounge, which has been renovated in the University Library."

At the University of Bayreuth, the best conditions for students begin as soon as they enrol. Thanks to further steps in the digitization of administration, students can now enrol in most degree programmes completely online.

Despite the best conditions, the special circumstances of the Bavarian Abitur year 2025 are also noticeable at the University of Bayreuth. ‘Every university and college in Bavaria must expect fewer students in their first semester this year,’ says Prof. Dr. Volker Ulm, Vice President for Teaching & Learning.

‘Although we have fewer first-year students than we had last year, as around half of our students come from Bavaria and far fewer potential students have taken their school-leaving exams this year compared to previous years, the number of new students is good compared to the rest of Bavaria.’ This is partly due to the proportion of international students, which has risen from 17.2 to 19.8 percent.

In the winter semester 2025/26, the University of Bayreuth will launch its first entirely English-taught bachelor's programme, ‘Data, Science and AI’. The master's programme ‘Digitalization & Sustainability in Materials Science & Engineering’ began in the summer semester of 2025.

Dates:

17 October 2025 Anniversary party for students

20 October 2025 Ceremony at the opera house

28 October 2025 Knowledge quiz in the Kulturquartier

6 November 2025 Tree-planting campaign with the city

14 November 2025 Night of the Profs at the Turbine (Kulmbach)

29 November 2025 Anniversary ball at the Evangelical Centre