Skip to main content

Studying abroad: 
Germany in focus

American students are increasingly interested in studying for a period of time at German universities.

01.10.2015

“International experience is one of the most important components of a 21st century resume”, stresses Allan E. Goodman, president of the renowned Institute of International Education (IIE). By international stand­ards, however, not as many American students study abroad as those from other countries – currently less than ten percent of them acquire inter­national experience. To change this, the IIE launched its “Generation Study Abroad” initiative in 2014 which is motivating increasing numbers of young Americans to seek academic or prac­tical experience abroad. Germany is the third most-popular destination, and is very fashionable among American students just now.

Back in 2004, Germany’s Federal Statistical Office found that there were 2,747 Americans at German universities; by 2014 the figure had already risen to 4,298. The number of students from the USA 
actually studying for a university degree in Germany is up even more sharply, a surge of 72 percent having been recorded in a five-year period alone (2008–2013) by “Wissenschaft weltoffen”, which is 
published by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Centre for Research on Higher Education and Science Studies (DZHW).

High quality of education

On the wish list of American students, Germany is in third place right after the UK and Canada, explains IIE Vice-President Daniel Obst. “In our view, this is partly thanks to the more than 1,500 degree programmes taught in English that Germany offers nowadays for international students, especially master’s students.” This important means of bridging the 
language barrier is not the only factor 
that makes Germany interesting, how­ever. Nina Lemmens, director of DAAD New York, knows why a course of study in Germany is in such high demand among Americans. “Having evolved over the course of hundreds of years, Germany’s wide-ranging university and higher education system is impressive because it covers a broad spectrum of study possibilities and offers good teaching.” She goes on to explain that this guarantees an 
internationally recognized education of excellent quality and high practical relevance that opens up opportunities on 
international employment markets.

Young Americans are also attracted by the traditionally close interplay between research and teaching in Germany. There is particular demand among American students at present for intensively mentored placements at German universities which offer them an initial insight into 
the German research scene while they 
are still pursuing their bachelor’s degree. The DAAD’s “Research Internships in 
Science and Engineering” (RISE) funding programme is hugely popular, says Nina Lemmens, and attracted more than 2,000 applicants in 2014. This is not only because Germany goes to considerable lengths to advertise itself in the USA as an ideal destination for study placements abroad, but in particular because students who have enjoyed their time in Germany report on their positive experiences to others, and many grant-holders subsequently choose to stay on and pursue a master’s degree in Germany, reports Lemmens. “In recent years, a welcoming culture has evolved at German universities which supports this trend.” Students additionally like the fact that Germany does not charge tuition fees and is a safe country with a stable democracy, from which it is possible to visit other European states on a German visa. “Support and safety is also very important to American parents.”

Close German-American 
cooperation

Germany’s growing popularity among American students is in Germany’s in­terests, believes Stefan Hase-Bergen, dir­ector of the GATE-Germany office and 
of the marketing department at the DAAD. “To maintain the quality of our academic system and our six percent global market share of internationally mobile students, Germany plans to welcome around 350,000 students from abroad in 2020.” Exactly 301,350 foreign students were ­matriculated at German higher education institutions in 2014 – seven percent or 19,000 more than in 2013. At the same time, around a third of German students gain international experience abroad – and the numbers are rising. Hardly any other country shows as much initiative 
in the area of international exchange as Germany does, reports the IIE, where 
the DAAD and German universities are among the 600 or so partner institutions. “We therefore engage in intensive co­operation in order to learn more about the strategies used to send German students abroad”, says Daniel Obst. Joint publications and conferences and the participation of high-ranking German represen­tatives in the major “Generation Study Abroad” summit meeting in early October 2015 in Washington, D.C., underpin their joint objective, which is to continuously increase international mobility – something that is so vital nowadays – in the 
education of young people. ▪