The DZHW has regularly presented its equipment, costs and performance comparisons (AKL) since 1998, providing comparable key figures at subject level across higher education institutions (HEIs) and federal states.
The AKL aims to support the actors in academic policy by objectifying political and HEI-internal discussions and giving them an empirical foundation, as well as contributing to improving internal HEI management. It intends to achieve this by providing a valid data basis that permits a comparison of similar subject units at different HEIs. For this purpose, the AKL is designed as a system of key numbers relating to costs, making it possible to relate the costs and performance of HEIs to one another. The AKL findings thus also ensure transparency in relation to the HEIs’ use of public money.
The AKL provides in particular statements about the costs and performance of the various degree types (bachelor, master, traditional degrees) and takes into account the increasing differentiation between HEIs in the graded study system. The project methodology and external presentation are deliberately designed to produce a high level of data aggregation. The experience with AKL has shown that a discussion of the factors causing cost differences and of different development trends among HEIs can be better promoted by aggregated presentation of the findings rather than detailed presentation.
The federal states currently participating in the AKL are Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saxony Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein with their public HEIs. Representatives of the HEIs and the ministerial science departments of each participating federal state work together in a steering group alongside the project work. The project is funded by the participating federal states. The DZHW supports the participating HEIs and the relevant government departments in interpreting the findings. The large number of inquiries from ministries and HEIs beyond the circle of AKL participants reveals an increasing interest in comparative figures differentiated according to subject. Therefore we also give individual HEIs the option of taking part in the AKL.
The HEIs and ministries that take part in the AKL receive a comprehensive, detailed data set. For a public audience, AKL findings are published in concentrated form in the Forum Hochschule series.
Other projects are also linked to the equipment, costs and performance comparisons (AKL):
- Universitätsbenchmarking
