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German A success story with

a long tradition Who are we? The German Academic German universities enjoy an outstanding Exchange Service (DAAD) reputation around the world. They are highly is the world‘s largest organisation of its kind attractive partners for higher education institu- dedicated to promoting tions worldwide – and the top choice among academic cooperation. u www.daad.de international students who wish to study in non-English speaking host countries.

Modern and innovative Around 360,000 German universities provide important stimulus for international students study in – 12.8% of innovation and progress. More than 80 Nobel laureates all students. Germany is the 4th have come from Germany, most of whom have received most popular destination among international students after the the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Physics and Medicine. Around The German System USA, Great Britain and An Overview 80 global patents are taken out by researchers in Germany Australia. every day.

Century-old tradition

German universities are proud of their long, successful tradition. The first university was founded in Heidelberg in 1386. The ideas proposed by the reformer Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835) played an especially influential role in German higher education. His principle of uniting research and instruction remains the focus of German universities today.

Reliable partners

German universities are strongly committed to establishing and expanding worldwide collabo- rations, bilateral universities, international exchange programmes, joint degree programmes and partnerships between equals. There are currently more than 33,000 international cooperation agreements with over 5,250 universities in 158 countries worldwide. hier falzen

International orientation

Publisher DAAD According to “The Shape of Global Higher Education: National Policies Framework for Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst German Academic Exchange Service International Engagement” by the British Council, Germany together with Malaysia has the Kennedyallee 50, 53175 Bonn (Germany) most balanced portfolio of national policies supporting international higher education. www.daad.de About 37% of all German university graduates gain foreign experience during their studies. Section K23 – Information on Studying in Germany The goal of educational policymakers in Germany is to have at least 50% of students complete

Project Coordination Esther Kirk, Stefanie Gruber-Sliva, Angela Faust a period of study abroad at some time during their degree programmes.

Text Dr. Dagmar Giersberg, Bonn

Translation Robert Brambeer, Titisee-Neustadt

Layout and Typesetting DITHO Design GmbH, Köln

Photo Credits Norbert Hüttermann/DAAD, Thomas Ebert/DAAD (Frankfurt; Trier), Horst Gerlach/DAAD, Ikhlas Abbis/DAAD, Thomas Bergmann/DAAD, David Ausserhofer – Peter Himsel/DAAD (), Lichtenscheid/DAAD,

DAAD (Essen), ricok69/˛photocase.de (Rostock), birdys/photocase.de (),

tagstiles.com/˛photocase.de (Dresden), mlieser/˛photocase.de (Konstanz),

NatureQualityPicture/˛photocase.de (Kempten)

Printed by W. Kohlhammer Druckerei GmbH + Co. KG, Stuttgart

Print run August 2019 – 15.000

© DAAD

This publication was funded by the Federal Foreign Offfice.

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University Cities in Germany

Flensburg

Kiel Heide Stralsund Schleswig- Rostock Holstein Greifswald Elmshorn Lübeck Wismar Wedel Hamburg Neubrandenburg Willhelmshaven Mecklenburg- Bremerhaven Hamburg Western Pomerania Emden Buxtehude Ottersberg Lüneburg Oldenburg Bremen Neuruppin Hermannsburg Eberswalde Vechta Lower Wustermark Berlin Berlin Brandenburg Hannover Osnabrück Potsdam Braunschweig Frankfurt/O. Hameln Friedensau Wildau Herford Wolfenbüttel Bielefeld Hildesheim Magdeburg Münster Lemgo Wernigerode Kleve Detmold Hamm Saxony- Cottbus Gelsenkirchen Clausthal-Zellerfeld Bochum Paderborn Köthen Anhalt Mülheim Nordhausen Dortmund Halle Essen Witten Göttingen Krefeld Hagen Iserlohn Kassel Merseburg Leipzig Düsseldorf Wuppertal Moritzburg hier falzen North Rhine- Bad Sooden- Saxony Allendorf Dresden Westphalia Weimar Mittweida Zittau Köln Siegen Erfurt Freiberg AachenBrühl Dietzhölztal Jena Gera Alfter St. Augustin Marburg Chemnitz Schmalkalden Bonn Gießen Zwickau Bad Honnef Hachenburg Fulda Ilmenau Vallendar Idstein Koblenz Bad Homburg Rheinland- Oberursel Frankfurt a. M. Coburg Palatinate Wiesbaden Offenbach Hof Bernkastel-Kues Geisenheim Aschaffenburg Bingen Bayreuth Trier Mainz Darmstadt Würzburg Pfungstadt Bamberg Worms

Ludwigshafen Erlangen Kaiserslautern Mannheim Heidelberg Fürth Amberg Speyer Ansbach Nürnberg Saarbrücken Heilbronn Neuendettelsau Karlsruhe Eichstätt Regensburg Pforzheim Ludwigsburg Aalen Bad Liebenzell Stuttgart Ingolstadt Deggendorf EsslingenSchwäbisch Gmünd Offenburg Tübingen Nürtingen Passau Rottenburg Reutlingen Landshut Ulm Neu-Ulm Freising Riedlingen Augsburg Furtwangen Trossingen Biberach München Ismaning Freiburg Sigmaringen Neubiberg Baden- Weingarten Württemberg Rosenheim Weilheim Isny Kempten Konstanz Friedrichshafen hier falzen hier falzen

The university system Public or private Quality and ranking Diversity at the Most universities in Germany receive state All universities in Germany offer a high quality highest quality and federal public funding. In addition to of instruction. Independent accreditation numerous private universities, there are also agencies regularly monitor the quality of the universities which receive funding from the universities and the degree programmes they The German university system is extremely German Catholic and Protestant churches. offer. diverse. Over 2.9 million students study at 430 u www.akkreditierungsrat.de state-accredited higher education institutions Tuition fees in some 170 cities in Germany. With so little difference in quality between The majority of students in Germany attend universities, rankings play hardly any role in public universities. Most undergraduate There are three different types of Germany. The CHE University Ranking is the and many master’s degree programmes are universities: most comprehensive ranking instrument in tuition-free. Certain master‘s programmes are Germany. tuition-­based, in some cases, costing more ■ Universities for general and theoretically u www.universityranking.de than 10,000 euros per semester (ca. 1/2 year). oriented study, Private universities tend to charge relatively ■ Universities of applied sciences high tuition fees, as well. Excellence Strategy for practically oriented study, ■ Colleges of art, film and music Following the success of the Excellence ■ RWTH Aachen University for artistic study. Initiative (2007–2017), the German federal and ■ Freie Universität Berlin state governments launched a second funding ■ Humboldt Universität zu Berlin programme to promote cutting-edge research ■ TU Berlin at German universities. The goal of the new ■ Excellence Strategy is to further strengthen ■ TU Dresden Universities and students Germany’s competitive edge on the international ■ market as a place of science and research. ■ Types of universities number of students ■ Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Each year about 533 million euros are allocated ■ 128 to establish excellence clusters in specific Universities ■ LMU Munich 1,778,737 research fields and support the activities of ■ TU Munich 218 selected “Universities of Excellence”. Universities of ■ University of Tübingen applied sciences 1,003,402 In excellence clusters, internationally competitive Colleges of art, 53 u www.dfg.de/exzellenzstrategie film and music 36,834 research fields at one university or consortium of universities are awarded targeted funding. Researchers of various disciplines and institutions Funding of universities number of students collaborate on joint research projects. Currently 57 excellence clusters are receiving funding. 276 The following “Universities of Excellence” were Public universities 2,583,310 awarded additional funding every year until the end of 2026. Private 116 universities 230,197

Church affiliated 37 universities 31,471 Source: Federal Statistical Office (2017/18) Statistical Office Federal Source: hier falzen

Study opportunities Two paths to a Something for everyone Internationally recognised German universities offer postgraduates Jahre degrees attractive doctoral study opportunities. Years Together with 48 countries, Germany has German universities award a variety of There are basically two options: formed a European Higher Education Area in certificates of professional qualification. accordance with the Bologna Process. 1. Individual doctoral study 8 Initiated in 1999, the largest university Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.Sc., …) Doctoral candidates may choose to work reform process in decades aims to standardise ■ 1st academic degree independently on a doctoral thesis graduation certificates throughout Europe ■ 6- to 8-semester undergraduate study (dissertation). They must first convince a and facilitate student mobility. Part of this programme professor (= doctoral supervisor) of the suitability of his/her qualifications and reform calls for two-phased bachelor’s and Doctorate research proposal. 7 master’s degree programmes, which most Master’s degree (M.A., M.Sc., …) German universities have introduced on a ■ 2nd academic degree (following successful wide scale. completion of a bachelor’s) 2. Structured PhD programmes ■ 2- to 4-semester advanced study programme Candidates can enrol in a PhD programme. 6 German universities offer degree programmes Research training groups and graduate suited to all students at all levels of study: State examination schools are two examples of such ■ State certificate awarded to medical doctors, programmes. around 19,900 degree programmes, including pharmacists, jurists and teachers Research training groups = short-term grad- uate research programmes at universities. 5 ■ more than 10,400 undergraduate Diplom The dissertations usually have an interdisci- programmes ■ Academic degree awarded to graduates in plinary focus and are written in collaboration ■ more than 9,450 graduate the natural sciences, engineering, with other researchers. For a list of research Master’s degree programmes and economics and social sciences training groups funded by the German ■ more than 1,550 international, mainly ■ The “Diplom” certificate is equivalent to a Research Foundation (DFG), visit www.dfg.de/gk. 4 English-language bachelor’s, master’s and master’s degree. doctoral programmes. ■ Most “Diplom” programmes have been Graduate schools and international doctoral replaced by equivalent bachelor’s and programmes = mostly English-language pro- grammes tailored to the needs of international Online courses: Both public and private master’s degree programmes. Some engi- doctoral candidates. Such programmes can universities offer free and tuition-based online neering programmes offer students a choice take place at universities or research 3 and distance learning courses in numerous between a Diplom-Ingenieur (Dipl.-Ing.) organisations, e.g. at one of 60 International disciplines. certificate and a master’s degree. Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS). u www.hochschulkompass.de (> “Distance Studies”) Doctorate u www.daad.de/international-programmes ■ Academic degree following a master’s u www.gerit.org 2 Bachelor’s degree (> “Study online”). This database contains degree, state examination or “Diplom” from a u www.research-in-germany.org more than 1,900 international English- university or a university of applied sciences language bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral ■ Conferral of a doctoral title u www.phdgermany.de ■ programmes. 4- to 10-semester study and research u www.mpg.de/en/imprs 1 programme and completion of a doctoral thesis hier falzen hier falzen

Requirements and Entry visas Services for international regulations students International students may require an entry Realistic chances visa depending on their country of origin and Sound advice for applicants the purpose of their visit. and financial aid

■ Citizens of EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland do not University admission and require an entry visa. With top-notch facilities, German universities eligibility ■ Citizens of other countries should contact the offer students optimal conditions for gaining a German embassy or consulate in their home successful education. The academic staff take International students must meet certain country or visit www.diplo.de/visa for students seriously as scholars and admission requirements. information on specific entry requirements. researchers, and provide them with excellent Visit www.anabin.kmk.org for an overview of advice. foreign secondary school-leaving certificates Financing recognised as a higher education entrance Student advice services qualification in Germany. Universities may International students must provide proof also set their own admission requirements for that they can finance their studies in Germany Every university has an International Office applicants. Especially for master’s degree pro- (proof of financial resources). At present, inter- which is responsible for assisting international grammes, each university can decide whether national students must show that they have students in all matters. This is where students applicants must fulfil specific requirements or about 8,700 euros at their disposal for one year can obtain information on study opportunities pass additional tests. Therefore, when applying of study. From January 2020, this amount will and admission requirements, or receive help for admission to a particular university or degree be raised to 10,236.00 euros. with preparing for university study, finding Scholarships programme, prospective students should accommodation and taking care of formalities. always ask about any special rules that might Employment after graduation A broad range of funding opportunities is apply to them. Code of Conduct available to international students who wish to study in Germany. Most scholarships are About 44 % of all foreign students decide A large number of German universities have Language proficiency awarded by funding organisations and foun- to stay and work in Germany after graduating adopted the National Code of Conduct on dations. Some universities have scholarship The required level of language proficiency at from a German university. Foreign Students. Its goal is to continue to programmes of their own, but compared to German universities largely depends on the Work regulations for foreigners have improve the academic advice service for inter- other countries, the number and size of these degree programme in question: significantly improved in recent years. national students, in particular, by formalising: Foreign graduates from non-EU countries scholarships are limited. German funding organisations rarely offer full scholarships ■ International degree programmes: good may stay in Germany for 18 months after ■ How international students are to be completing their studies so that they can and generally do not award grants to beginning English language skills, informed and counselled, find a job which matches their qualifica- undergraduates. Visit the DAAD scholarship ■ All other degree programmes: good German ■ How their admission process is conducted tions. Those who succeed are allowed to database for an overview of the funding oppor- language skills. ■ What kind of academic, language and remain in Germany – and have good chances tunities available to international students. of obtaining a permanent residence permit. social advising they can expect. u www.funding-guide.de Students can certify their The prospects of finding a job are especially ability by taking one of several standardised promising wherever there is a lack of highly The Code of Conduct assures certain tests, e. g. TestDaF, the Test of German as a qualified workers in Germany. At present, minimum standards, which international Foreign Language. candidates with expertise in mathematics, applicants can rely on. u www.testdaf.de computer science, natural sciences or u www.hrk.de/nationaler-kodex technology are in high demand. hier falzen

University policy Conference of Education Ministers Freedom and flexibility This group of state ministers of education, science and cultural affairs regularly meets to decide on important educational policy matters Decentralised educational policy on a national scale. u www.kmk.org Germany is a federal republic and each of its 16 states has a parliament of its own. German Rectors’ Conference Educational policy is made at the state level which means that each state determines its Most German universities are members of the own university statutes and regulations. German Rectors’ Conference (HRK). The HRK conveys the interests of the universities to Higher Education Framework Act policymakers and the public. u www.hrk.de Although each state has the liberty to draw up its own science and university policies, Creative freedom a nationwide law – the Higher Education Framework Act (HRG) – stipulates certain Universities enjoy a large degree of freedom to guidelines that apply to all states. shape their profile. Consequently, regulations are not always the same at every university. This is why many questions can only be answered by directly contacting the university in question.

The DAAD Addresses Important links

Bonn Head Office The German Academic Exchange Service For more information about studying and u www.study-in-germany.de Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) is a joint organisation of German living in Germany, visit our website Studying and living in Germany, Kennedyallee 50 database with all degree programmes institutions of higher education and student (www.daad.de) or the websites of the DAAD 53175 Bonn (Germany) bodies. Its task is to promote academic cooper- Branch Offices and Information Centres. u www.daad.de/international-programmes Tel.: +49 (228) 882-0 ation around the world, especially by awarding International bachelor‘s, master‘s and Email: [email protected] scholarships to talented academics, creating doctoral programmes, language and www.daad.de structures for internationalisation and short courses, preparatory courses providing expertise for academic and research u www.research-in-germany.org Berlin Office collaborations. Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst u www.make-it-in-germany.com Markgrafenstraße 37 In 2017, the DAAD had a budget of around 522 DAAD Branch Offices and 10117 Berlin (Germany) million euros at its disposal. With this funding, Information Centres (IC) Tel.: +49 (30) 20 22 08-0 over 140,000 students and researchers were given Email: [email protected] www.daad.de/local the opportunity to gain international experience. www.daad.de