30 April 2026

WORT Nord launches its first campaigns on campus and gathers feedback from students

Nordhausen. The WORT Nord project made its first visible appearance on the campus of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences at the beginning of April. A large pavilion in front of the cafeteria and several pinboards were used to draw attention to the project and to survey students' intentions to stay. A total of 185 students took part in this short survey in the first week of the summer semester, the aim of which was to obtain an initial picture of the mood. 66 students answered that they would like to stay in the region after graduation, while 44 were not sure and 75 answered in the negative.

In order to find out the very different reasons for deciding against North Thuringia/Nordhausen, a second display board was used to ask what would have to change for students to stay in the region after graduation. An overwhelming majority stated that a job was the most important criterion for staying in the region, often combined with the statement that pay would also be an important factor. Other factors mentioned included the quality of life, leisure activities, visa regulations, good onboarding in the job, the political climate and language skills.

When talking to the students, it was noticeable that those who want to leave the region often do not intend to do so because they find the region unattractive, but because they want to return to their home regions. The students were also asked in further discussions about their ideas for the future meeting centre, which is to be built in Nordhausen city centre as part of the project.

The meeting place was seen by many participants as an opportunity to enrich the city centre and as a bridge between the city centre and the campus. When asked which services the students would really want to use there, social functions were mentioned above all, such as drinking coffee together, events with snacks brought along, joint creative activities, but also the possibility of co-working. Important services that the meeting centre should provide included free WiFi, help with visa issues and language courses. The WORT Nord team will evaluate these comments and check to what extent the students' wishes and suggestions can be incorporated into the design of the meeting centre.

In addition to the campaign at the canteen in the first week after the semester break, the project team visited various courses at the beginning of the lecture period to publicise another online survey and directly encourage students to take part in it. In just under ten minutes, the future graduates were asked to outline their plans for the time after graduation and describe their reasons for staying or moving away after graduation. This helps the WORT Nord team to develop a better understanding of the students' views and to learn more about the image of the region and the city of Nordhausen. The aim is to develop proposals for measures to keep more students in North Thuringia after graduation and to facilitate their integration into the regional economy.

About WORT Nord:

The project „WORT Nord - Weltoffene Region Thüringens: Talente binden, Zukunft sichern“ is being funded by the Free State of Thuringia with around 2 million euros from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).

Term: November 2025 to October 2028.