As of: January 25, 2024, 8:02 a.m
By: Franziska Kaindl
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Depending on the university and course of study, academics' salary expectations vary widely.
A study shows that they have increased on average.
After completing their studies, academics expect an average gross salary of just over 47,000 euros per year.
This is shown by a current study by the personnel consultancy
case
, which is based on the “Fachkraft 2030” survey by Maastricht University.
Between 2012 and 2023, around 400,000 students were surveyed about their study situation and their outlook on the job market.
Salary expectations have increased in recent years – but still not as high as inflation
Today's academics expect more money after graduation than they did almost ten years ago.
© Peter Kneffel/dpa
Since 2014, academics' salary expectations have risen by 22 percent - around half of the increase can be attributed to the years 2022 and 2023, when inflation hit.
However, since prices rose by around 24 percent during this period, real salary expectations have even fallen.
According to the data, salary expectations also differ depending on which university the academics are enrolled at.
Students at the TU Munich have the highest salary expectations in Germany with 53,986 euros gross per year, right behind them is the TU Hamburg with 52,089 euros gross per year and the University of Stuttgart with 51,497 euros gross per year.
Students at the Free University of Berlin (38,859 euros) and the Humboldt University of Berlin (37,097 euros) have the lowest salary expectations.
University |
Salary expectation (gross per year) |
|---|---|
TU Munich |
53,986 euros |
TU Hamburg |
52,089 euros |
University of Stuttgart |
51,497 euros |
Karlsruher Institute for Technology |
50,323 euros |
TU Kaiserslautern |
50,250 euros |
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Scientists underestimate earning potential the most
Across all years, legal scholars have the highest salary expectations, most recently 58,588 euros in 2023. Students in the areas of social sciences, educational sciences and humanities as well as in language, communication, cultural, art and media sciences have the lowest salary expectations.
Here the performances are around 37,000 euros per year.
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A comparison with Stepstone's "Salary Report for Graduates" from 2021 shows that legal scholars in particular overestimate their salary expectations (9 percent), while academics from the field of natural sciences underestimate their earning potential (-10 percent).
In general, the salary expectations are across all departments, but very close to the real salaries, according to the
case
study.
Gender gap continues to be a problem
The gender gap in salary expectations hardly changed during the study period, both in the MINT area and in all other subjects.
On average, women expect between 15 and 17 percent less salary than men.
According to the study, this is because academics already expect to be paid less later and enter salary negotiations with lower expectations.
This in turn leads to the real gender pay gap, which later influences women's expectations - a vicious circle.