“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
