Surge of International Students in Germany: Major Win for Universities

In a historic moment in Germany news for international students, the country recorded about 350,000 non-domestic students studying at their universities. With the post-pandemic boost in full flow show, international students in Germany accounted for around 11% of the total university-going student population.

The numbers found in DAAD’s research, a German student exchange service, revealed that from the 350,000-odd international students in Germany, about 45,000 belonged to India. These numbers reported in the winter semester of the 2022/23 session are a stark contrast from the pandemic days. In the 2019/20 session, Germany hosted around 117,900 international students, a number that jumped by a whopping 77%. 

As mentioned earlier, this surge in international students was mainly credited to Indian students, who overtook the Chinese as the top source country for Germany. DAAD’s president, Joybrato Mukherjee, attributed this fruitful international popularity to the quality of German education on the world stage, the accessibility in terms of finances, and Germany’s booming economy. All factors which would provide university graduates with great job prospects.

The majority of German universities do not charge a fee for the education they provide except for a minimal registration fee. However, that trend might be broken by a premier university in Munich, Technische Universität München, which is set to introduce an education fee for non-EU students as per changing laws in the Bavarian state.

The top 5 source countries for Germany country stand as:

1. India - 42,578
2. China - 39,137
3. Syria - 15,563
4. Austria - 14,762
5. Turkey - 14,732

“Germany continues to be extremely attractive for international students and researchers”, Bettina Stark-Watzinger, German federal education minister, commented on the recent positive news for international students in Germany. The republic also saw an increase in students from war-torn Ukraine, whose numbers now stand at 9,100, a 43% increase from the 21/22 academic year. 

Germany a Haven for Researchers

This research by DAAD also showcased that the country hosted about 70,000 international scientists, making it the second-most popular research hub for students after the USA and stands at joint second with the UK. Future research international students in Germany can breathe easier knowing that their futures are in safe hands. 

“The international mobility of scientists is of utmost importance, especially for successful research activities.” said Monika Jungbauer-Gans, a scientific director at the German Centre for Higher Education and Science Studies (DZHW) “It is no coincidence that at the institutes of the major research societies, such as the Max Planck Society or the Leibniz Association, almost a third of the scientific staff (29%) come from abroad.”  

DAAD also worked in tandem with OECD to find out the country's ability to retain its international students after graduation. The study returned positive results, displaying that the German juggernauts manage to retain 55% of its graduates who continue to work in the country after graduation. 

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