More Germans are opting to study abroad with Germany ranked number four by international comparison of mobile students.For many German students a year abroad is part of their academic career. Whether to learn another language, to meet different cultures or simply to exchange the lecture hall at home with a new environment in another country – the time abroad not only forms people’s characters it also enhances CVs and is more and more encouraged by future employers.
Compared to other industrial countries, German students are becoming ever more mobile. Between 2000 and 2008, the number of German students studying abroad almost doubled from 52,200 to 102,000. Only China, India and South Korea have more students abroad. These findings were recently published by the German Ministry of Education and Research together with the Higher Education Information System (HIS) and the German National Association for Student Affairs (DSW).
As part of a long-term goal aimed at overcoming cultural and political differences, Germany has for years supported academic exchange program mainly between French and German schools and universities to overcome the enmity that once existed between the two countries.
More recently, the number of Germans directly supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) rose by a fifth, to 25,264, in comparison with 2008. The service’s budget could be further increased; the budget for the Ministry of Education and Research, one of the few ministries that has been spared cutbacks, increased by 7.2 percent this year from 2010, to €11.6 billion.
Nevertheless, a year abroad still heavily depends on the students’ social background. Young people from academic, high-income families study abroad almost twice as often as their fellow students from a labour-class, low-income family background. “The social selectivity in Germany’s system of higher education is still noticeable in regards to students’ mobility,” said DSW President, Rolf Dobischat.
According to the study, three-quarter of all mobile students is being supported by their parents and more than half of them are working before or during their studies abroad. However, 60% also receive a scholarship, and 30% are eligible to specific student benefits (BAföG). The study showed that in total, 15% of all students completed an academic stay abroad, including a course of studies, practical work experiences or a language course. Spain, France and the United Kingdom are the most popular destinations for temporary studies. Most work experiences have been completed in the US, United Kingdom or France. Female students were more mobile than their male counterparts and university students studied abroad more often than students from a technical college.
Furthermore, the study showed that the number of foreign students at German universities also significantly increased between 1997 and 2008 with 245,000 foreign students studying at a German university in 2008. Germany thus ranks internationally on number three, behind the US and United Kingdom. According to Education Minister, Annette Schava foreign students are vital to an export nation such as Germany. “Those students who return to their home country after studying in Germany often keep strong links with Germany”. Young people from emerging and developing nations as well as Eastern Europe are specifically interested in studying in Germany, most of whom come from China, followed by Russia, Poland, Bulgaria and Turkey.
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