摘要:This paper investigates how post-school education decisions are a.ected by a one-yearreduction of secondary school duration with an unchanged curriculum. Until recently, Ger-many had had a longstanding tradition of 13 years of schooling in preparation for university.During the last decade, however, most states abolished the 13th year. The implementationof the reform in 2003 in the state of Saxony-Anhalt provides a natural experiment for identi-fication. Based on data from the double cohort of graduates, our estimates show significante.ects of the reform. A.ected female students in particular significantly delay universityenrollment by one year, show a slightly lower participation in university education overalland are more likely to start a vocational education course. We can also reveal e.ect het-erogeneity with respect to the fields of study. Due to the reform the probability of a.ectedmales studying mathematics or natural sciences is significantly reduced