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Germany International Student Statistics 2019
September 2nd 2019
By Studying In Germany
Germany is becoming a very popular study destination standing alongside the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. Consequent to this high attractiveness the country has reached its long-term of welcoming 350,000 international students, by 2020, three years earlier in 2017.
Main reasons why international students choose Germany?
- Free higher education: 35.3% of prospective students would choose Germany because of its free-tuition universities
- World-class professors: 29.3% of international students value professorship at German universities
- Countless job opportunities after graduation: 69.2% of international students would prefer to remain in the country and find a good job
International students’ growth in Germany (as of Winter semester 2017/18)
- 374,951 international students were enrolled in German higher education institutions
- 2,842,225 students were seeking a degree at German universities
- Foreign students shared 13% of the total number of the student population in Germany
- The number of international students increased by 4.5% as compared to 358,895 students on the Winter semester 2016/17
- Since 2009/2010 the international students’ community has grown by 53% (244,775 to 374,951)
Types of the higher education institutions international students choose to study in
- International students in Germany more likely to choose a University over a University of Applied Sciences
- The gap between foreign university students and foreign university of applied sciences students remains large
- As of Winter semester 2017/18, universities enrolled roughly 70% of the foreign students
- 259,369 international scholars were attending a university as of winter semester 2017/18 as opposed to 115,435 students who were attending a university of applied sciences
- In 2009/2010, 73% of 244,775 international students were seeking a degree at a university
Where do they come from?
- Most international students at German universities are from the following countries: China, India, Russia, Austria, Italy, France, Cameron, Ukraine, Turkey and Bulgaria
- China is traditionally the largest distributor of international students at German universities
- In 2017, 32,268 Chinese students enrolled in German universities
- Other groups of international students enrolled in 2017 were: Indians (13,537), Russians (11,413), Austrians (10,129), Italians (8,047), French (7,330), Camerons (7,106), Ukraine (6,941), Turkey (6,930) and Bulgaria (6,840)
- Compared to 2016, the number of Chinese students grew by 6.6% (30,259 to 32,268)
- Between 2016 and 2017, Indians at German universities had the biggest growth by 16% (11,655 to 13,537)
The most preferred study fields
- Most international students study Engineering at German universities
- 139,559 international students were studying an Engineering field as of Winter semester 2017/18
- In terms of percentage, 37% of foreign students currently seeking a degree in Engineering in Germany
- The second most preferred study fields for international students are Law, Economics and Social Sciences with 104,042 (27%) students seeking a degree at one of these study fields
- With only 1,227 foreign students enrolled, sports courses are the least preferred study options for international students in Germany
Course level
- As of 2017, 36.5% international students in Germany were attending a Bachelor’s degree course, 36% a Master’s degree, 10% PhD programs, 8% other degrees and 10% non-degree courses
- In 2017, the majority of international students enrolled a postgraduate degree course
- 90,2014 international students started their Undergraduate studies in 2017
- 132,726 international students started their postgraduate studies in 2017
Future plans of international students
- Most international students in Germany aim to remain in the country in their post-study life because of job and career opportunities
- 2% of international scholars at German universities would like to stay in the country and find a good job
- 3% plan to stay for a while after their graduation to travel and see new places
- And 16.5% are likely to return back home
Funding options
- 5% of students plan to fund their education through part-time working
- 29% of students plan to remain on their saving and family incomes
- 3% plan to rely on scholarships
- Just 9.2% plan to get a student loan