Exam season in German university towns: In many cities, hundreds of students share a space

2 mins.

Introduction

Especially during exam periods, study spaces in university libraries are highly contested. For many students, this becomes a serious issue, especially for those who do not have a suitable learning environment at home. But how well are study spaces in German university towns actually provided? We have investigated this question in a recent study. The results are alarming. In some cities, there isn't even one study space available per 100 students. For many, this means challenging learning conditions and poorer chances to successfully process the exam material.

Significant differences in the ratio of study spaces to students

For the analysis, study spaces in the university libraries of ten major university cities were recorded and compared to the respective number of students. In total, 16,895 study spaces in 97 libraries were evaluated. The situation is particularly tense in Aachen and Frankfurt am Main. In both cities, there are only 0.26 study spaces per 100 students. Hamburg (0.41), Stuttgart (0.77), Bochum (0.86), and Cologne (0.95) also fall significantly short of one study space per 100 students. Even cities with comparatively better figures do not achieve a comfortable level: Munich has 3.59 study spaces per 100 students, Berlin 3.15, and Münster 3.00. Even there, only a limited number of study spaces are available. The problem is therefore not only the number of study spaces but also their organization, as fair distribution is not possible without binding booking rules and utilization data.

Many students, many libraries – yet still bottlenecks

Berlin has the highest number of students with around 200,339 and also boasts the most recorded study spaces (6,309 spaces in 32 libraries). Munich follows with 136,538 students and 4,903 study spaces in 24 libraries, and Münster with 60,287 students and 1,807 study spaces in six libraries.
The numbers show: Even high absolute numbers of spaces and libraries do not prevent bottlenecks when many students want to study simultaneously. Particularly in such cities, it becomes clear that capacity alone is not sufficient without transparent booking rules and real-time information on utilization.

Without transparency, finding space becomes a stress factor

What exacerbates the situation further: Only a few libraries, such as the specialist library of the Technical University of Munich, currently have a booking and utilization system for study spaces. As a result, students usually only find out on site if spaces are available. At the same time, institutions lack a transparent overview of how heavily individual areas are actually used. During high-demand periods, such as exam times, this leads to unnecessary trips, uneven utilization, and additional organizational effort. Without digital booking and utilization systems, the availability of study spaces remains largely unplannable for students and barely manageable for libraries.

“Especially during exam phases, reliable planning is crucial. Students should not only find out on-site that all spaces are occupied,” says Lucian Holtwiesche, Managing Director and Co-Founder at anny. “Transparent utilization displays and booking options create planning security and relieve both libraries and students equally. Digital solutions can help distribute existing study spaces more fairly and use them more efficiently, so that learning does not fail as early as the journey there.”

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