The number of international students at German universities has risen again in the current winter semester. According to a snapshot survey by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), between 380,000 and 390,000 international students are currently enrolled. Germany thus maintains its third place as one of the most popular study countries worldwide, ahead of Australia. According to a DAAD projection, the number of newly enrolled international students has also risen to 85,000 to 92,000. Around 170 universities from all over Germany took part in the survey.

"Since last winter semester, Germany has joined the ranks of the top three most sought-after study countries in the world. Only the higher education institutions and research centres in the USA and the United Kingdom attract more international doctoral candidates and students. This is a remarkable success for our publicly funded higher education system," said DAAD President Prof Dr Joybrato Mukherjee. It is also a great opportunity, as international students are highly qualified immigrants and are often extremely interested in working in Germany for a while or permanently after completing their studies. "In times of an increasing shortage of skilled labour, we in the scientific community, business and society should do more to convince these young people and talented individuals to come to Germany and stay. To this end, DAAD, together with the Federal Ministry of Education, has launched a skilled labour initiative and, starting in spring, will be supporting universities in promoting international students even more before they enter university, during their studies and during their transition into the labour market. As urgently needed skilled workers, these talented people qualified in Germany can help to secure our country's innovative capacity and prosperity," said the DAAD President.

80 per cent of higher education institutions report stable or rising numbers

According to DAAD's extrapolation based on the survey, around 80 per cent of the universities reported a stable or increasing number of newly enrolled international students. Around 50 per cent of the higher education institutions surveyed reported growth of five per cent or more, while a third reported stable figures. Only eleven per cent of higher education institutions reported a significant decline, while a further ten per cent reported a slight decline. Based on the responses, DAAD forecasts between 380,000 and 390,000 international students for the current winter semester; around 370,000 were enrolled in the previous winter semester. This means growth of four to six per cent for the current winter semester, compared to around five per cent in the previous year.

Jump in international first-semester students

The increase in international first-year students at German higher education institutions is particularly significant: according to DAAD's forecast, between 85,000 and 92,000 young people from all over the world are enrolled at German universities for the first time, compared to 80,000 last winter semester. This corresponds to an increase of six to 15 per cent. There is hardly any difference between newly enrolled international students on bachelor's and master's degree programmes. The recovery following the coronavirus pandemic has therefore also reached bachelor's degree programmes. Recently, there has been much less momentum here than among master’s students, as pandemic-related travel restrictions had caused a gap in the number of preparatory colleges and other institutions for international students in Germany. This gap now appears to have been closed.

Tuition fees in Bavaria

As part of a survey in view of the new Bavarian Higher Education Act, the DAAD asked higher education institutions in Bavaria about their plans for the possible introduction of tuition fees for international students from non-EU countries. Of the fifty-six state-recognised higher education institutions in Bavaria, 20 took part in the quick survey. Three of the higher education institutions stated that they had already decided to introduce tuition fees for international students. Six other higher education institutions have not yet decided. Eleven higher education institutions have decided against tuition fees.

DAAD snapshot survey for the winter semester

For the assessment, DAAD surveyed around 290 state-recognised German higher education institutions from the beginning to the middle of December and received 170 responses. Around 67 per cent of all international students in Germany are enrolled at the universities who participated in the survey. Based on the responses, DAAD has prepared an extrapolation for all German universities.