Germany’s most comprehensive account of internationalisation in higher education, providing the latest Facts and Figures on the International Nature of Study and Research in Germany and worldwide was recently published by ACA member DAAD and the DZHW.

The Wissenschaft Weltoffen 2023, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), focuses on foreign students studying in Germany, but also on German students abroad and on foreign researchers in Germany and German researchers elsewhere in the world. Based on the publication, around 370,000 international exchange students studied at a German university in winter semester 2022-2023, which is a significant increase by 5% compared to the year before, with Germany now being placed on number three in the global ranking, after the US and the UK.

Among the main reasons for the rise of Germany to the top three study destination for international exchange students are the high quality of academic education, the absence of tuition fees and the good career opportunities for graduates on the German labour market. The country is attractive for international students also after they have completed their studies, and internationally competitive in this respect. Out of 16 OECD countries analysed, only Canada (44 %) has a similarly high proportion of international students still living and working in the country ten years after starting their studies as Germany (45 %) as the report reveals.

BMBF and DAAD have been supporting this trend for a long time, with international student marketing formats such as My GUIDE, a free service provided by DAAD, as well as its programme HAW.International, which has helped universities of applied sciences to significantly increase their number of international students over the last years. Further to this, the Brussels branch of DAAD is supporting this trend with its activities and events, and aims at contributing to enhancing knowledge and awareness of Germany as an attractive study and research destination at international level.

You can find the English version of the publication in this link.