This year’s Diversity Day at the university will focus on the entrance examination as an alternative route to university entry qualifications.
It is not only the Abitur that opens the door to higher education: this year’s Diversity Day at the University of Oldenburg will explore alternative routes to higher education and the diversity of educational backgrounds. The event, entitled ‘Pathways to an Open University – Marking the Anniversary of the Z-Exam at the University of Oldenburg’, will take place on Tuesday, 28 May, from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm in the University Library Hall (Uhlhornsweg 49–55). The event is free of charge; no registration is required.
Since the University of Oldenburg was founded, more than 5,000 students have gained entry to the university via a so-called entrance examination (‘Z-Prüfung’). The examination enables prospective students without an Abitur or other traditional university entrance qualification to demonstrate their ability to study through various written and oral examinations. It has thus played a key role in opening up higher education institutions and thereby contributed to the diversity of students’ educational pathways.
Participants can first expect a welcome address from Prof. Dr Katharina Al-Shamery, Vice-President for Academic Career Paths, Equal Opportunities and International Affairs. This will be followed by Prof. Dr Olaf Zawacki-Richter and Dr Frank Kotterer from the Institute of Educational Sciences, who will provide an insight into their DFG research project on the Z-exam. The third item on the programme is an open discussion on the topic ‘The Z-exam and what next? Challenges for the sustainable opening up of higher education institutions with a view to study conditions tailored to specific target groups’. Afterwards, participants are warmly invited to exchange views over coffee, cake and snacks.
