Demonstration at TU Darmstadt against the Hessian Higher Education Compact continues
In a significant development, the Higher Education Pact in Hesse, signed on July 17, 2025, aims to provide financial stability and flexibility to the state's 14 universities, including TU Darmstadt, during challenging economic times. The pact, which will determine the universities' budget for the next five years, consolidates various funding streams into an expanded base budget, offering more autonomy over budget use.
The pact's key features include an expanded base budget, which replaces many individual funding programs, integrating funds for AI (hessian.AI) and digital projects. Additionally, 18.1% of funds are allocated based on performance criteria such as student intake, graduation rates, doctoral completions, and research success, rewarding particularly successful universities proportionally more.
The pact also includes protection against tariff increases, with at least €37.5 million annually allocated from 2028 to cover salary increases, and additional funds if increases exceed 4%. Furthermore, a new "STEP" funding line supports strategic development and profiling of universities with a transparent and less bureaucratic procedure.
However, concerns over budget cuts and financial strains have led to protests at several universities, including TU Darmstadt, University of Kassel, University of Marburg, and the Goethe University in Frankfurt. The universities themselves, such as Fulda University of Applied Sciences, have been demanding financial improvements from the state government for weeks, expressing fears of significant restrictions in research and teaching, as well as job cuts.
TU Darmstadt and other universities are expecting reduced funding of approximately 30 million euros next year compared to this year from the Higher Education Pact. Despite these challenges, the pact seeks to balance financial discipline with increased flexibility and performance incentives, aiming to stabilize funding and empower universities like TU Darmstadt amid economic constraints.
The pact offers more financial autonomy and reduced detailed state steering to universities, requiring them to manage any budget cuts internally. It also incentivizes efficiency and success through a larger share of funding linked to performance. Moreover, it enhances planning security for long-term projects and staffing, and supports structural development and digital transformation via the newly integrated funds.
As the Higher Education Pact negotiations continue, universities and students alike are keeping a close eye on the outcome, hoping for a fair and sustainable solution that ensures the future viability of Hessian universities. TU Darmstadt, for instance, is preparing for the consequences of the planned pact and has set up a homepage with all relevant information.
In other news, the state of Hesse plans cuts of around 1 billion euros for this period, raising concerns about the impact on various sectors, including education. The "La Mina" case, involving uncertainties about whether the city awarded contracts improperly to an advertising agency, also remains a topic of interest.
[1] [Hessian Higher Education Pact](https://www.hessen.de/ministerium-fuer-wissenschaft-und-kultur/higher-education-pact-2026-2031) [2] [Higher Education Pact: Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.hessen.de/ministerium-fuer-wissenschaft-und-kultur/higher-education-pact-2026-2031/faqs) [3] [Higher Education Pact: University Leaders' Perspectives](https://www.hessen.de/ministerium-fuer-wissenschaft-und-kultur/higher-education-pact-2026-2031/university-leaders-perspectives)
- The Higher Education Pact, currently under negotiation, not only focuses on providing financial stability for Hesse's universities but also aims to increase their autonomy by offering a larger share of funding linked to performance, encouraging efficiency and success.
- Despite the political landscape, the upcoming general news may shed light on the political ramifications of the Higher Education Pact as well as other financial issues such as the proposed cuts of around 1 billion euros in Hesse, potentially impacting various sectors, including education.
