Germany, an oasis of excellent opportunities for international students
Thiruvananthapuram: The latest statistics on enrolment of international students in Germany has shown an increase of more than seven percent to cross 3,21,000 students in 2015. This has placed Germany well on track to meet its government-set longer-term target of hosting 3,50,000 international students by 2020.
TMS Kutty, CEO of Campus India, told Deccan Chronicle that the Western European country had established itself as a leader in invention and innovation, offering excellent opportunities for international students to enhance their existing skills and knowledge.
China and India are the two of largest student markets for Germany. However, there is also an increase of students from European markets with countries like Russia, Austria, France, Italy, and Turkey figuring prominently, he said.
“One of the reasons why students are attracted to Germany is the fact that the country offered opportunities for them to work during their studies as well as after graduation. They are allowed to work during their studies for 20 hours per week. They are also allowed to stay for 18 months after graduation with a special job search visa,” Mr Kutty said.
“The country also boasts of some of the greatest employment providing corporates like Karl Benz, Robert Bosch, Gottlieb Daimler, Ferdinand Porsche and Werner Siemens.”
One of the factors that attracted students to Germany was the fact that the country has made the higher education sector completely tuition-free for both domestic and international students.
Moreover, in the latest Times Higher Education rankings of the Top 200 institutions in Europe, Germany had 36 institutions including 11 in the top 50, he said.
Germany is one of the founding members of the European Union, with considerable political influence both in Europe and other parts of the world. It is also the largest economy in Europe and the fourth-largest in the world. The economy is built on exports. Its unemployment levels have reached a new, post-reunification low.
However, one thing the students should remember is the fact that German universities are highly selective. There are a lot of foreigners applying for the courses in most reputed universities in the country. “As a result, universities have fixed strict screening,” Mr Kutty said. “In a broader context, these latest enrolment figures also bring Germany well within the reach of its longer-term goal of hosting 350,000 international students by 2020.”
