Number of foreign students in Germany at a record high

Despite the corona pandemic, the number of foreign students at German universities has risen to a record high. In the 2021/22 winter semester, around 350,000 people from abroad were enrolled at German universities, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Center for Higher Education and Science Research (DZHW) announced on Friday in Bonn.

The number is a record and represents an increase of eight percent compared to the previous year. Despite the consequences of Corona, the universities in Germany are more in demand internationally than ever before, it said.

“Germany's universities and research institutions have an excellent reputation worldwide and are very attractive. Fourth place, directly behind the classic host countries USA, United Kingdom and Australia, is very gratifying and at the same time an incentive for the future," said Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) on the occasion of the presentation of the publication "Wissenschaft weltoffen 2022".

Students from abroad "represent an enormous potential for skilled workers, which we should exploit even better in the future," she continued. It also shows that Germany has come through the Corona period comparatively well in terms of the number of international students.”

The number of international first-year students also rose again last winter semester: to around 74,000. During the corona pandemic, the global mobility flows of international students changed, said DAAD President Joybrato Mukherjee. "During the past two years, Germany has been able to maintain its good reputation among students and doctoral candidates all over the world and is now reaping the fruits of the ongoing efforts to improve the quality and support of international students at the universities in the country."