"Germany is among the winners of the competition for the world's best brains," said former education minister Edelgard Bulmahn in summer 2006, presenting a new study commissioned by the Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW), an umbrella organization of Germany's public student services.
The survey confirms that studying in Germany is
becoming an increasingly attractive option for students around the
globe. About 12 percent of the roughly two million students
enrolled in 2004 were foreigners. Almost 9 percent of all students
had come from abroad to complete their entire university career in
Germany. The others are exchange and short-term foreign students.
Not only the absolute number of foreign students at German
universities is on the rise, but the percentage of all students has
also more than doubled in the past 15 years.
"It shows that the efforts to make Germany more
attractive for foreign students have paid of"
said Christian
Tauch, head of foreign affairs of the
Hochschulrektorenkonferenz (HRK), Germany's association of state
and state-recognized universities and other institutions of higher
education. Germany is now among the top three host countries for
foreign students, along with the United States and Great Britain.
About 60 percent of foreigners studying in Germany come from other
European countries, about one fourth come from Asia, about 10
percent from Africa and only 5 percent from the American
continent."The fact that there are little or no tuition fees in
Germany is obviously a great advantage for students from poorer
countries who could not afford to go to Great Britain or the United
States," explains Tauch. "But that's certainly not the only reason.
German education and research opportunities enjoy a good reputation
abroad." According to Tauch, the introduction of bachelor and
master courses which are partly taught in English has also
attracted many foreign students: "The DSW
study clearly shows that the rise in foreign students is much
higher in bachelor and master degree courses."
Popular countries for higher education
If you do prefer a degree from your home country but are keen on some international experience, you might consider an exchange semester or an exchange year in Germany. Tauch points out that apart from getting a different perspective on your subject and learning a foreign language, spending some time at a university abroad broadens your personal horizon and helps you develop your personality.
"Nowadays, the credits you earned in Germany will be
recognized by your home university. But even at times where this
wasn't the case, organizations such as the DAAD and the Fulbright Commission already
supported student exchange simply because they saw a major gain in
the student's personal development."
The foreign offices of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in your home country are a good place to start if you are thinking about studying in Germany. There are many programs that help you organize and finance your stay. (See article on student scholarships …here)
Don't forget to visit the international office of your own university as there may be special programs just for the students in your college. Doing a full degree in Germany is also perfectly possible. All the nitty-gritty from admission requirements to registration fees is listed under the following page of the DAAD's website. In general, www.daad.de supplies extensive information on studying in Germany.
an article from www.young-germany.de
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