PRESS STATEMENT "EDUCATION DAY 2022"

Erfurt, 8 December 2022. In a recent survey commissioned by the "Education Day" initiative, the opinion research institute Forsa asked young people ages 14 to 21 about the German education system. The results show that the perception of equal opportunities is at its lowest level since this question was first included in the survey in 2015. According to the survey, around two-thirds of respondents do not believe that all children in Germany have the same opportunities for a good education, regardless of their social and cultural background.

Prof. Dr. Alexandra Wuttig, Chancellor of IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) says: "For us, equal opportunities in the education system are a central motif. We work every day to ensure that all people have access to education. In doing so, we see tremendous progress towards making education available to all. Just a few years ago, studying at university without A Levels (high-school diploma) was not an option. People who wanted to continue their education were therefore denied access to certain subjects and degrees. However, the permeability of the education system in Germany is steadily increasing - studying without A Levels, even for a master's degree, is now often possible without any problems if you have the relevant prior qualifications. The Numerous Clausus at German universities is also declining.

At IU, we work every day to democratise education for all and to break down barriers. We have made it our goal to give as many people as possible access to education. We achieve this, for example, through scholarships in Africa, special support for people with disabilities or through digital offerings so that people in rural areas can also continue their education through distance learning. As Germany's largest University of Applied Sciences with over 100,000 students, we are committed to education for all."

ABOUT IU INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
With over 100,000 students, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the largest university in Germany. The private, state-approved educational institution with its main campus in Erfurt brings together more than 200 bachelor's and master's programmes under one roof, which are offered in German or English. Students can choose between dual studies, distance learning and myStudies, which combines online and face-to-face events, and design their studies independently with the help of a digitally supported learning environment. In addition, IU enables further training and promotes the idea of lifelong learning. The aim of the university is to give as many people as possible worldwide access to personalised education. IU started operations in 2000 and is now represented in more than 30 German cities. It cooperates with over 15,000 companies and actively supports them in the development of their employees. The partners include Motel One, VW Financial Services and Deutsche Bahn. Further information at: www.iu.org.