Studying without a high school diploma

Discover how to study for an MBA in Germany without a traditional high school diploma. Learn about vocational pathways, eligibility, and success stories from students like Astrid Hill.

Studying without an Abitur

Our current blog article deals with an interview conducted with student Astrid Hill. She is studying Social and Communication Sciences at the University of Koblenz-Landau, even though she does not have an Abitur. She is a trained educator and has a secondary school leaving certificate. Below, she tells Sara Pipaud , campus reporter and member of the Uniblog team , how she came to the University of Koblenz.

You are studying without an Abitur, what did you do before that?

I received my secondary school leaving certificate in Hockenheim in 2012 and then began training as an educator in a daycare center. The training lasted a total of four years. After that, I worked for three more years in the facility as a team leader. Between my training and my employment, I spent another year as an au pair in Ireland to improve my English skills and gain experience.

Why did you decide to pursue a degree afterwards?

Through my work as a team leader, I realized that I particularly enjoyed organizational tasks and was good at them. In this position, I led a small team of six people. In addition, I designed pedagogical concepts, created duty rosters, trained interns, and also took care of the children. Through this work, I realized that I would like to delve deeper into human resources and would prefer to work in a company's HR department later on. I want to learn more about communication and how to properly guide and select personnel.

Did you know that your training would allow you to study?

No, not really. I only learned about this possibility from a colleague. That was completely new to me. I believe Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the few federal states where this is possible. When I found out about it, I was naturally very happy. Usually, you can only study with an Abitur. It's really great that it also works without one. My salary actually played no role in my decision to study. I was simply interested in the opportunity to learn more about personnel management and human resources.