German universities are becoming increasingly popular destinations for foreign students, with a record 370,000 enrolled foreign students during this past winter’s academic term, according to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), writes German news agency DPA.
India has replaced China as the top country of origin for foreign students in Germany, according to DAAD’s figures, which were released on Thursday. Around 42,600 Indian students studied at German universities last year.
The number of Ukrainian university students has risen significantly, by 43% to 9,100. Many Ukrainians now live in Germany after fleeing from Russia’s full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022.
Enrolments in this past winter’s figures, released on Thursday, were 5% higher than the previous academic year, which was heavily influenced by the coronavirus pandemic and government restrictions intended to slow the spread of the virus.
DAAD President Joybrato Mukherjee said the high quality of academic education, the absence of tuition fees and good career opportunities on the German labour market for university graduates have helped make Germany into the top three most popular countries for students internationally.
German universities are also an increasingly popular destination for foreign academics and researchers, according to DAAD. Around 70,000 academics from foreign countries now work at German universities and research institutions, according to the agency.
After the United States, Germany and Britain are considered the most important countries for international scientific research, DAAD said.
