29,000 Students in Germany Received Scholarships During 2021

The number of scholarship holders in Germany increased by 3 percent in 2021 compared to a year earlier, according to data by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

Statistics show that there were some 29,000 students in Germany who in the past year received a German Scholarship in accordance with the Scholarship Programme Act, Erudera.com reports.

“Measured against the provisional total of students in the winter semester of 2021/2022, the proportion of those on a scholarship was 1%, as a year earlier,” Destatis notes.

During the 2018/19 winter semester, about 27,200 students who studied at German universities received scholarships, an increase of five percent compared to the previous winter semester.

According to Destatis, some 471,600 new entrants enrolled at higher education institutions in Germany during the summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/2022, a four percent decline compared to the academic year 2020 and a seven percent decline from 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Federal Statistical Office has also revealed lately that the number of occasional students (students with an undergraduate degree attending extra courses for non-degree purposes in a specific country), who joined courses and lectures in Germany rose by four percent in the 2021/22 academic year, to 27,400 students, compared to the 2020/21 winter semester.

Nevertheless, the same source said that the number of occasional students marked a 26 percent decrease from the winter semester 2019/20, when 37,200 occasional students attended courses at German higher education institutions.

Germany is known for an excellent higher education system and it has one of the best economies in Europe, which make the country a popular study destination for international students as well. However, to cover their living costs, international students should have around €853 per month, an amount that is not affordable by many.

Therefore, students who cannot manage to cover their living expenses can apply for a scholarship as financial support.

According to Studying-in-Germany.org, some popular scholarships available for international students in Germany include:

1. DAAD Scholarship Programs

2. Heinrich Böll Foundation Scholarships in Germany

3. DeutschlandStipendium National Scholarship Programme

4. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Scholarships in Germany for International Students

5. Erasmus Scholarship Programs in Germany

6. The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Scholarship

Erudera reports that more than 400,000 international students choose Germany as their study abroad destination every year. Currently, the total number of international students in the country is 416,437, significantly increasing over the past eight to nine years. Between 2014 and 2021, the number of international students in Germany increased by 38.1 percent.

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