The winter term begins with lots of new faces

Today, around 1,500 first-year students began their studies at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW). Saxony’s largest University of Applied Sciences is thus maintaining the high level seen last year. By the time of the matriculation ceremony on Wednesday, 30 September at 2.00 pm, the freshers will already have attended numerous orientation events and their first lectures. Students from higher years will return to campus next Monday. Around 6,200 students are enrolled for the winter semester (as at 22 September).

Of the 1,508 first-year students (as at 22 September), 670 are women (44 per cent; 2025: 43 per cent). 240 (16 per cent; 2025: 15 per cent) are international students from 45 countries – led by Pakistan, Bangladesh and Austria. In terms of federal states, the top three spots are taken by Saxony with 657, Bavaria with 180 and North Rhine-Westphalia with 47 first-year students. Among the on-campus degree programmes, “General and Digital Forensic Science” is once again at the top with 150 first-year students, followed by “Media Management” with 100 and “Media Technology” with 90 first-year students. This year’s rising star is the English-taught degree programme “Applied Mathematics”, with 78 enrolments (2025: 55), including 77 (99 per cent) international students.  

All the programmes mentioned so far are Bachelor’s degree programmes. Diploma and Master’s programmes naturally do not feature in the ‘ranking for first-year students’, as the Diploma programme in Mittweida is also a postgraduate course. However, the Mathematics department has seen an increase here too: from 15 new Master’s students last year to 26 this year. 

Mittweida University of Applied Sciences is popular across the generations: the oldest first-year student this winter term is 56 years old and is starting the “Industrial Management” Master’s programme. The youngest first-year student is starting a degree in “Business Administration” at the age of 17. 

In total, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences currently has 6,206 students, of whom 2,532 are women (around 41 per cent; 2025: around 40 per cent). 1,304 (22 per cent; 2025: 20 per cent) are international students.

All the figures quoted relate to the reference date of 22 September. They are set to rise further in the coming days, and the percentages will shift slightly. Only the official state-wide figures for 1 November will allow for a year-on-year comparison across all higher education institutions in Saxony.