This volume deals with both the pre-condition for and focuses of education in the urban society of northern Germany in the late Middle Ages. New questions and results round out some under-researched areas of recent decades. The first part of the book examines the various origins of and developments in school systems, analyses the knowledge and use of the latin language, then considers which persons went to university, which faculties they attended and what degrees they took. Further enquiry deals with the increasing number of graduates especially in municipal administration and the social status they were able to attain. Final contributions examine basic aspects and special problems of the popular universities of Rostock and Erfurt.