Record Influx of International Students in Germany in 2023/24

The number of international students in Germany has increased in the 2023/24 winter semester, reaching a record high, according to a new report.

The Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) reports that recent data from the Federal Statistical Office reveal 402,617 students started their first year of studies at German universities and colleges in the winter semester of the 2023/24 academic year, Erudera.com reports.

Of this figure, 93,000 of students came from abroad. The report, published on February 7, 2024, notes the new number reflects a 1.1 percent increase from the previous year.

Additionally, Germany witnessed a surge in new student enrollments over the years, reaching 445,000 in the winter semester of 2011/12. However, the number of students decreased since the 2019/20 winter semester, below 400,000 in 2021/22.

This decline has been attributed to a drop in birth rates in Germany between 1990 and 2011.

“Since then, the numbers have stabilized again at a lower level. According to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office, 402,617 people enrolled at a German university for the first time in the 2023/24 winter semester. This corresponds to an increase of 1.1 percent compared to the previous year,” the report states.

The same adds that the record number of international first-year students were mostly from Asia. Of about 93,000 international first-year students at German universities in 2023/24, over 40 percent hailed from Asia.

“At the beginning of the corona pandemic, the number of foreign first-year students fell significantly, but now they are enrolling at German universities again in large numbers,” Marc Hüsch, the project manager of the hochschuldaten.de portal at CHE, said.

11,733 students from India enrolled at German universities and colleges in the winter semester 2022/23, and 5,661 Chinese. However, data indicates the number of Indian students in Germany has sharply increased in recent years, while that of Chinese students has significantly declined.

The number of international students in Germany in 2022/23, based on continents, was:

• Europe - 39,606 students
• Africa - 7,561 students
• North and South America - 7,029 students
• Asia - 38,187 students
• Australia & Oceania - 239 students

About 370,000 international students studied at German universities in the first semester of the 2022/23 academic year.

Recently, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), in cooperation with the Education Ministry, unveiled a new plan to attract and keep international students in the country after graduation. This initiative aims to help with a dire talent shortage in Germany.

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