There were three promotion spots to the Bundesliga on offer, while the remaining teams would enter the new single league 2.
Werder Bremen, Eintracht Braunschweig and SV Darmstadt 98 were promoted to the Bundesliga while twenty two clubs were relegated to the Oberligas.
FC Bocholt, Göttingen 05, SpVgg Erkenschwick and VfB Oldenburg promoted to the 2.
Bundesliga from the Oberligas while Hertha BSC, Werder Bremen and Eintracht Braunschweig had been relegated to the 2.
The 1980–81 season saw Borussia Neunkirchen, FC Augsburg, Hessen Kassel and VfB Eppingen promoted to the 2.
The league's top scorers:[1] The final place in the Bundesliga was contested between the two runners-up in the Nord and Süd divisions.
The other participants (teams from 5th to 16th place in the Nord and Süd) were determined by a so-called "placement number" (German: Platzziffer).