Country education guide
Germany
The 16 Länder govern schools; the KMK coordinates shared standards and qualification comparability.
📚 School stages
Grades, stages, and local pathways
Kindertageseinrichtung / school entry
Starting age and school-entry procedures are determined by the Land.
Grundschule · usually Grades 1–4
Some Länder use a longer primary phase; transition decisions are Land-specific.
Sekundarstufe I · multiple school pathways
School types and transfer rules vary by Land.
Gymnasiale Oberstufe / Abitur and vocational pathways
Abitur provides the general higher-education entrance qualification; detailed rules remain with the Länder.
Vocational / university
Foreign credentials are assessed through the responsible institutions and recognition services.
📝 Examinations and qualifications
Selectable records for Germany
Each record links to the authority that publishes its current rules.
Abitur
Allgemeine Hochschulreife
The general higher-education entrance qualification awarded after the Gymnasiale Oberstufe pathway.
- Completion or score rule
- Course, examination, and overall-result rules are implemented by the Länder within KMK agreements.
- Where it applies
- 16 German Länder
🔗 Official source library