The Economics of Higher Education in Germany

With more than two million students in higher education in Germany, the economics of higher education are an important, yet only partially covered field of research. Michael Maihaus extends the existing knowledge on two key aspects: students’ starting salary expectations and social mobility. Based on a unique data set including more than 130,000 German higher education students, his findings provide new facts and insights regarding the determinants of starting salary expectations, including the effects of job and career plans, internships, certificates like scholarships, and many more, the accuracy of students salary expectations compared to graduates’ experiences, as well as the influence of social origin on the choice of the type of university. The results provide insights and implications relevant and useful for all parties involved in higher education and the respective labor market, from universities and related higher education institutions to students and employers. Please note that the chapter on social mobility is written in German language.