In recent years, the number of young people in Germany obtaining a university entrance qualification has steadily increased. Nevertheless, the likelihood that they take the step into higher education continues to depend strongly on their social background. For this reason, a growing number of counseling and guidance programs have been established in recent years with the aim of decoupling young people’s educational decisions from their social background. However, in the German context, relatively little is still known about whether these programs actually achieve their intended effects.

As part of the project “Future and Career Plans before the Abitur” (ZuBAb), such a program—the NRW Talent Scouting initiative based in North Rhine–Westphalia—was examined between 2016 and 2024 by the University of Cologne and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. To assess the program’s impact, the project employed a longitudinal, randomized controlled study design. In addition to generating insights into how young adults can be supported in their educational decision-making, the project also produced a comprehensive overview of the post-secondary educational and future plans of upper secondary school students in North Rhine–Westphalia.

During the initial funding phases, among other findings, a positive effect of the intensive and long-term counseling program was confirmed.

The current funding phase builds directly on the previous project phases. Drawing on the existing findings, it aims to extend and deepen the initial results of the ZuBAb study.