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Journalism of Courage
India continues to be among the top contributors to Germany’s international academic community, with around 49,000 students and 6,700 researchers from India enrolled at German universities, according to the latest Wissenschaft weltoffen report by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Germany has reached an all-time high in international engagement, now hosting over 75,000 researchers and nearly 3,80,000 students from around the world. These figures make Germany the leading European destination for international academics and second globally, following the USA.
DAAD President Prof Dr Joybrato Mukherjee emphasised Germany’s role as a leading hub for global talent: “These numbers demonstrate Germany’s ongoing appeal and underscore the importance of international collaboration in science and education.” With continued growth in English-language programs, especially at the Master’s level, Germany has become a magnet for international scholars and students seeking high-quality education and research opportunities.
With over 75,000 foreign researchers at universities and public research institutions, Germany overtook the United Kingdom in 2021 and further strengthened its position as an attractive science location. Only the USA, with 86,000 international researchers, is ahead of Germany. Almost 80 per cent of international researchers in Germany work at universities – including around 4,000 professors – and around 20 per cent at non-university research institutions. Most international researchers came from India (6,700), China (5,900) and Italy (5,800).
The number of international students in Germany continues to rise, the DAAD report said. In the winter semester 2023-24, as many as 3,79,900 international students were enrolled at German universities, an increase of three per cent compared to the previous year. International students therefore make up almost 13 per cent of the total student body. The increase in first-year students from abroad is particularly noteworthy: in the 2022 academic year, almost 114,700 began their studies in Germany — also a record.
According to the DAAD report, the most important countries of origin for international students are India with around 49,000 and China with around 38,700 students. Turkey continues to gain in importance as a country of origin and is now in third place for the first time with around 18,100 students, followed by Austria (15,400) and Iran (15,200). Syria, which has been one of the top five countries of origin since 2019, is now in sixth place (13,400). Most international students were enrolled at universities in North Rhine-Westphalia, specifically 78,500, followed by Bavaria (61,400) and Berlin (40,800).
The report highlights a trend of increasing global mobility, with the number of students studying abroad rising by 60 percent over the past decade. For Germany, maintaining this momentum will require ongoing investment in academic support and integration efforts to ensure the success of its international student and researcher community.
The number of German students abroad remained at just under 1,38,000 in 2021, representing a slight decline of two per cent in the last five years. However, the number has quadrupled since 1991 and doubled again since 2000. The most popular destination countries for German students continue to be Austria (36,100), the Netherlands (24,400) and Switzerland (12,400). While the numbers in these countries have risen, the number of German students in the UK has fallen with the implementation of Brexit and the associated high tuition fees for foreign students — from around 15,300 in 2018 to 11,100 in 2021.
In 2021, UNESCO reported that 6.4 million students were studying at universities outside their home countries—a notable increase of 2.4 million, or nearly 60 percent, since 2011. The United States remains the top host country for international students, with approximately 833,000 enrolled, while China continues as the largest country of origin, contributing around 996,000 students to universities worldwide. However, both the USA and China saw pandemic-related declines; in 2019, the USA hosted 960,000 international students, while 1.1 million Chinese students were studying abroad.
