Wissenschaft weltoffen 2025, Germany’s most comprehensive report on the internationalisation of higher education and research, has been published by ACA member DAAD in cooperation with the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW). Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the report provides up-to-date facts and figures on international student and researcher mobility in Germany and worldwide, including inbound and outbound trends as well as structural developments at German higher education institutions. 

The new edition confirms Germany’s strong position as a leading global study destination. In the 2024/25 winter semester, around 402,000 international students and doctoral candidates were enrolled at German universities, an increase of around six per cent compared to the previous year, making Germany the most important non-English-speaking host country. Asia-Pacific remains the largest region of origin, with India now the top sending country. Most international degree-seeking students are enrolled in engineering and economics, law and social sciences, with particularly high shares at master’s and doctoral level. 

For the first time, Wissenschaft weltoffen includes detailed official data on dropout rates among international students, showing that these are significantly lower than previously assumed in the country and relatively close to those of German students. The report also highlights continued progress in internationalisation structures, including a further rise in English-language degree programmes, now numbering almost 2,400 nationwide. An English-language “kompakt” edition summarising key findings is available online. 

Read the press release here.