The university landscape should move away from traditional studies: The currently predominant model of a three-to five-year study block followed by a lifelong working life is losing relevance. It will be replaced by more flexible, often lifelong, study models. Universities and political systems must create the conditions for this. Universities that began restructuring years ago have a clear advantage at present.

The study suggests that new study models will gain significantly in importance, but without completely replacing the previous concept. This changed learning behaviour has considerable consequences for the future management and financing of universities, but also for the recognition and transfer of competences and learning modules into university degrees.

Digital elements are a matter of course for students: Digitisation is not only changing the demands on the qualifications and competences of university graduates, but is also likely to have an impact on the learning and study behaviour of student groups. This is particularly evident in the current crisis, as universities have now had to rethink and adapt their concepts in a very short time.

While there are a number of studies that deal with the effects of digitisation on economic development and the qualifications in demand on the labour market and, from an internal perspective, with the effects on universities, the AHEAD study takes a different approach: It starts from individual learning and study behaviour and derives the resulting requirements for universities.