Why study in Germany ? Germany is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international students. It has the third highest international student population after US and UK. Germany’s higher education system is regarded as one of the best in the world. Many German universities are ranked in the top 100 best universities in the world.
What is it that makes Germany so special? What does it offer students that the other countries of the world cannot? Following are the highlights of the benefits of studying in Germany
Reasons to Study in Germany
No tuition fees!
Yes, it’s true. German universities charge no tuition fees to their students, even international students! Higher education in Germany is funded by the states, hence, no tuition fees for students. There are more than 400 institutions of higher education in Germany. Out of these only 5% of the total student body is hosted at the private universities, rest all are public. In October 2014, the last state, Bavaria, also implemented the no tuition fee act.
Internationally recognized degrees
The higher education offered in Germany is one of the best in the world. The universities function under the guidelines of the Bologna reform, which ensures that all the students get a unified and an internationally recognized degree. The employers around the world respect a German degree. Germany is known for the automobile and engineering sector. The engineers with a degree from Germany have lucrative career opportunities and can look forward to a very bright future anywhere in the world.
Study in English
More and more degree programmes are being offered in English in Germany as the number of international students is increasing year after year. The courses are offered in a variety of disciplines and have recognition all over the world. The courses in English are good for students who do not know German language or are not that fluent in it. Partial English and German courses are also available for students who wish to study in both languages.
Dual education system
Dual education is a very special feature of studying in Germany. It combines the best features of practical and theoretical education in one single course. The students who have opted for dual education are trained in a company for three to five days a week according to the specified standards. The practical training is combined with practical lessons at workshops and theory. The best advantage of the dual education system is that a student gets practical knowledge about the actual working of a company. At the end of their course students have a degree as well as an experience certificate.
Almost every field of study is offered in Germany
Germany offers more than 16000 courses of study! They are spread across various bachelors, masters, doctoral and post-doctoral programmes. The huge variety of courses is reason enough for you to select Germany for your studies. Germany is the land of ideas. It is proven by the fact that Germany leads the world in innovation. It has the second highest number of Nobel laureates in the world after USA. This speaks volumes about their educational system and the focus on research and innovation.
Economic power
Germany is the largest economic power of Europe and the third largest in the world. This makes it a place to be for young learners and researchers. It is the founding member of the European Union and the Eurozone. Being an economic power, Germany has the most important market in Europe. It is also the largest automobile exporter in the world. Various luxury car brands like Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, AUDI, etc. have their headquarters in Germany. If you aspire to work with the best automobile companies in the world, Germany is the place to be.
German Universities in World Ranking
Germany has some of the best universities in the world. The Ruprechts-Karls-Universität ranks 49th in the QS World University Rankings 2015. Around 17 other German universities make it to the Top 250 in the world and 40+ universities have found a place in the Top 650. The universities in Germany provide world class education with the best infrastructure and research and innovation opportunities. Most of the universities have been part of cutting edge research and have developed new things like self-repairing cement, materials that can turn invisible, etc.
Scholarship programmes
The German Academic Exchange Service also known as Deutscher Akadamischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), is the largest funding organization in the world. DAAD provides hundreds of scholarships to students all over the world to study in Germany and to Germans who wish to study abroad. Erasmus Mundus is the largest scholarship provider for students aspiring to study anywhere in Europe. Many partial and fully funded scholarship programmes are available for students who wish to go to Germany. The universities in Germany also provide many scholarships to its students.
Excellent Job Opportunities
Germany offers excellent job opportunities in almost every field of study. Germany’s dual education system makes it easy for you to find a job. During the course work you get to do different internships, which in turn help you land a lucrative job in Germany in future. Internships help you get your first experience of professional life while doing various projects which are guided and supervised by experts of the field. An added benefit is that these days most of the companies in Germany have international relations, so the language of communication is English. You can work in Germany without being fluent in German. (Yaaayyy!)
German Language
German is the most widely spoken language in the European Union and is the official language of Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein; it is also one of the official languages of Switzerland and Luxembourg. German is known as the language of the ‘Dichter and Denker’, i.e. authors and thinkers. Learning German gives you an opportunity to read many great authors like Goethe, Schiller, Günter Grass, Heinrich Heine, etc in their own language. An added benefit of learning a foreign language is that you get to learn a totally new culture along with language. As German is the official language of Germany, it will definitely help you in making you stay in Germany more comfortable. German is also the second most commonly used scientific language. Therefore, knowing German will help you a lot in your studies. Knowing the local language also helps in finding jobs and internships, as the employees would prefer people who are familiar with their languag
