Demand Rising For Study Visits And Exchange Service In German Universities

German Academic Exchange Service

The number of students and academics visiting foreign countries who were supported by the German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD – both outgoing German students and academics and those coming to Germany – grew by 5% in 2015 compared to the previous year.

Last year, a total of 321,569 foreign students were enrolled at German universities, making the country one of the five most popular destinations worldwide. DAAD supported 51,627 foreign students visiting Germany and 75,412 stays of German students and academics abroad in 2015.

Particularly large numbers of applications for grants came from Russia, the United States and Ukraine.

Students in developing countries took considerable interest in masters programmes in Germany relating to developing country issues. In general, programmes range from stays of one or more semester to complete doctoral studies and from practical training to visiting professorships.

“The considerable demand for stays abroad indicates that students and academics are becoming increasingly interested in international study and research stays,” comments DAAD President Margret Wintermantel. “But rising numbers of foreign students in Germany also speaks for the attractiveness of the German higher education system.”

The most important destinations for German students and academics are Western Europe and North America. Acting as the National Agency for EU Higher Education Cooperation, DAAD also supports students and academics in the context of the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme. In all, 42,000 German students and academics received grants for stays in other European countries via DAAD in 2015.

One of the reasons for German students taking more interest in going abroad could be that they can now graduate at a younger age. The Bologna reforms and the new bachelor and masters programmes have generally shortened actual studying time. Conscription ended in 2011. And in a number of federal states, upper secondary education has been shortened by one year.

DAAD’s Development-Related Postgraduate Courses or EPOS programme supports training of specialists from developing and newly industrialised countries. The aim is to provide these countries with well-trained experts who are networked with international partners.

Applicants must have at least two years of professional experience and are offered a postgraduate degree course or even a doctoral degree course in Germany. Funding is provided for one to three years.

DAAD also supports seminars for students from Africa, Asia and Latin America returning to their home countries when they have completed their development-related study courses. These 'Getting Prepared' seminars are held by World University Service and focus on finding a job at home and on issues like reintegration subsidies, applying for a job and social networks. The seminars are usually attended by around 30 to 40 prospective returnees and feature role-plays simulating return situations and job interviews.