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 number of students in each city. A total of 25,386 study spaces in 97 libraries were evaluated. The situation is particularly strained in Stuttgart, where only 0.77 study spaces are available per 100 students. Cologne (1.14), Aachen (1.34), and Bochum (1.60) also fall significantly below two study spaces per 100 students. Hamburg has 2.13 study spaces per 100 students. Even cities with relatively better figures do not reach a comfortable level: Berlin has 4.36 study spaces per 100 students, and Frankfurt am Main has 4.15. Munich (3.59), Münster (3.41), and Düsseldorf (3.39) are in the middle range with limited study spaces available. The issue is not just 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

With approximately 200,339 students, Berlin has the highest number of students in comparison and simultaneously offers the most recorded study spaces (6,309 spots across 32 libraries). Munich follows with 136,538 students and 4,903 study spaces in 24 libraries, while Frankfurt am Main has 2,880 study spaces for 69,406 students.
The numbers reveal: Even high absolute numbers of spaces and libraries do not prevent bottlenecks when many students want to study at the same time. Especially in such cities, it becomes evident that capacities alone are not enough if there is a lack of transparent booking rules and real-time utilization information.

Without transparency, finding space becomes a stress factor

What exacerbates the situation further: Only a few libraries, such as the library at the Technical University of Munich, have so far implemented a booking and utilization system for study spaces. Therefore, students mostly only find out on-site whether spaces are available. At the same time, institutions lack a transparent overview of how intensively different areas are actually used. During periods of high demand, such as exam times, this results in unnecessary trips, uneven utilization, and additional organizational effort. Without digital booking and utilization systems, the availability of study spaces for students remains largely unpredictable and hardly manageable for libraries.

"Especially during exam periods, reliable planning is crucial. Students should not have to wait until they're on-site to find out 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, ensuring that learning doesn't fail before even arriving."

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