Normally, around 34,000 young people at grammar schools in the Free State complete their final exams. In 2025, however, only 5,900 students graduated.
According to the Bavarian Ministry of Education, which provided information to the German Press Agency (dpa), the average results this year were a grade of 2.35. In 2024, the average was 2.25. A direct comparison is not possible, however, since this year’s graduating class represents a special case.
The sharp decline is the result of the transition from the eight-year Gymnasium (G8) back to the nine-year program (G9). As a consequence, only about 5,900 students sat for their exams this year. This group was also unusual in its composition: it consisted mostly of students who had failed the exams the previous year, those who had attended the so-called Mittelstufe Plus or introductory classes, as well as a smaller group who completed their Abitur early.
In 2024, around 34,000 students at public and state-recognized grammar schools, evening schools, and colleges successfully obtained their Abitur in Bavaria. Over the next decade, the Ministry expects the annual number of graduates to stabilize again at between 32,000 and 38,000.
The reform to G9 did not affect technical and vocational secondary schools (Fachoberschulen and Berufsoberschulen), which continued to hold their exams as usual this year.
In the long term, the proportion of young people in Bavaria achieving the Abitur remains stable. The share of students attaining either the general or subject-specific university entrance qualification was 31.6 percent of their age group in 2015. In 2023, the figure was 31.1 percent, according to the Ministry. More recent data is not yet available.
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