Upper Secondary Level for the First Time: University School Kicks Off the New School Year

On Monday, August 17, 2026, the new school year for 934 children and young people will begin at the University School Dresden. In the 2026–27 school year, the first 11^th-grade class will begin at the University School. It will then be the first community school in Saxony to offer a continuous educational pathway from elementary school all the way to the Abitur. About 40 students are choosing this path. Some of them previously earned their Realschulabschluss at the University School and completed the so-called “Schleifenjahr” (preparatory year), while others join directly after 10^th grade.

Student Participation in Shaping Their Individual Path to the Abitur

The school administration and the academic leadership at TU Dresden are further developing the curriculum for the new Gymnasium track, with individualized learning pathways and project-based learning at the heart of its educational concept. In keeping with the Gymnasium track, the focus will increasingly shift toward subject-specific learning. For advanced courses, students in the current 11^th grade can choose mathematics, German, English, physics or history. However, interdisciplinary learning and work on self-selected topics will continue to be encouraged. The principle of student participation in selecting learning periods remains in place. Thus, students independently select half of their courses using the school’s own school and learning management software, while the other half is completed in fixed courses.

Halfway through the 15-year joint school pilot program between TU Dresden and the City of Dresden, the  University School Dresden Pilot Project Research Unit (ForUS) will release an evaluation report.

Read more about TU Dresden’s research project: tu-dresden.de/gsw/unischule
Read more about University School Dresden: universitaetsschule.org

You can catch a glimpse inside the research project and daily school life on various social media channels at: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. There are also regular updates on University School Dresden in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences newsletter.

Media contact:

Maria Neuland Agüero
Communications Manager
University School Dresden Project
Tel.: +49 351 463 41229
Email: