Germany International Student Statistics

Historical International Student Statistics in Germany

• The total number of international students studying abroad in Germany is 440,564.
• The number of international students in Germany has increased significantly in the last eight to nine years.
• An increase of 22.7% in international student enrollment occurred between 2016 and 2022.
• International student enrollment increased by 5.7% in the last two years.
• Within a period of 5 years —from 2018 to 2022— enrollment of international students increased by 17.6%.

International Students in Germany by Country of Origin

• China leads with 40,055 students, among the top countries with the most international students, in Germany.
• After China, India is the second country with the most foreign students in Germany (33,753), followed by Syria with 16,712 students and Austria (14,601).
• Turkey ranks fifth with the most international students in Germany, with 12,616 students.
• An almost equal number of international students come from Iran (11,625) and Russia (10,739).
• Other countries with the majority of international students in Germany include Italy (9,887), Cameroon (7,692), Egypt (7,214), Pakistan (7,114), and France (7,054).
• Among the most important countries that bring international students to Germany, the United States is the last, with 5,716 students.

International Students in Germany Federal State Distribution

• North Rhine-Westphalia is currently the top federal state in Germany, with the highest number of international students, a total of 61,154.
• After North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Wuerttemberg comes second with the most international students (37,742).
• There are currently 34,553 international students in the federal state of Bavaria.
• Fourth and fifth in the top German federal states with the largest number of international students are Berlin, with 27,733 students, and Hesse, with 22,483 students.
• As of 2021/22, there are 16,036 international students in Lower Saxony and 15,283 students in Saxony.
• Other German federal states hold the following number of international students: Rhineland-Palatinate (9,253), Hamburg (8,639), Brandenburg (6,433), Saxony-Anhalt (6,095), Thuringia (5,882), Bremen (4,115), Schleswig-Holstein (3,802), Saarland (3,603), and finally Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 2,678 students.

Universities For International Students in Germany

• There are two types of universities in Germany: University (Universität) and University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule).
• Of 349,438 international students, 242,310 are currently studying in a “University”; 107,128 are studying in a University of Applied Sciences.
• A total of 66,178 international students enrolled in a “University” program at the undergraduate level; 112,161 students are enrolled in master programs, and 18,546 are enrolled in other degree programs.
• A total of 64,300 are getting a bachelor’s degree in a University of Applied Sciences, and 36,740 are getting a master’s degree.
• Only 84 international students enrolled in a University of Applied Sciences study at the doctoral level.

Top Subjects For International Students in Germany

Here are the most popular subjects for international students in Germany:

• Engineering has the most international students in Germany, a total of 145,707, followed by Law, Economics and Social Sciences with 87,350 students.
• Mathematics and Natural Sciences; and Humanities rank third and fourth, respectively, with 31,581 and 39,854 international students.
• There are 17,470 international students enrolled in the field of Human Medicine and Health Sciences.
• The number of international students enrolled in Art and Art History is 16,932, and 7,636 students in Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Sciences.
• In other fields of study not mentioned above, there are currently 2,908 international students.

Erasmus Students in Germany Statistics

• There are currently 17,355 Erasmus students in all German federal states.
• Across all federal states in Germany, most international Erasmus students are in Baden Wuerttemberg (3,388), followed by Bavaria with 3,184 students.
• North Rhine-Westphalia is third from the top among the federal states that host the most international Erasmus students, a total of 2,796 students.
• Berlin is ranked fourth, with a total of 2,068 international Erasmus students.
• After Berlin, Hesse is the fifth federal state with the most international Erasmus students (980).
• Ranked sixth and seventh in German federal states that host international Erasmus students are Saxony (920) and Lower Saxony (837).
• Other German federal states with incoming Erasmus students are Rhineland-Palatinate with 771 students, Hamburg (556), Brandenburg (464), Thuringia (302), Bremen (267), Saarland (251), Saxony-Anhalt (231), Schleswig-Holstein (221) and finally Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (119).

International Student Numbers Grow Despite Pandemic

• From 2019/20 to 2020/2021, the number of international students studying abroad in Germany has increased by 1.17% —from 411,601 to 416,437 students.
• One of the main reasons why international students may choose to study abroad in Germany, despite the pandemic, is that most universities offer free tuition or affordable costs at higher education.
• According to a study by Studying-in-Germany.org, another reason why the number of international students studying abroad in Germany is increasing is the growth in the number of programs in the English language (20,4% of respondents claimed so).
• In addition, the mixed method of teaching of in-person and online learning has caused an increase in international students going to Germany for higher education studies.

Do German Students Go Abroad?

• The total number of German students studying abroad is 133,400.
• With 33,836 students, Austria leads the top 10 host countries with the most German students, followed by the Netherlands with 24,494 students.
• Ranked third and fourth for hosting the most German students are the United Kingdom, with 12,670 students, and Switzerland, with 11,932 students.
• The total number of German students studying abroad in the USA is 5,364, and 4,261 German students are studying abroad in Turkey.
• Other host countries with the most German students include France, with 3,823 students, Hungary (3,415), China (3,400), and Denmark (3,247).
• The total number of German students participating in Erasmus programs in host countries is 42,279. Of this total, 29,801 are enrolled in Universities, and 12,478 students are enrolled in Universities of Applied Sciences.
• Spain is the host country with the most German students participating in Erasmus abroad, with 6,698 students.
• After Spain, France comes second with the highest number of German students studying abroad with Erasmus, a total of 6,184 students.
• The United Kingdom and Sweden are ranked third and fourth for hosting German Erasmus students, with 3,591 and 2,888 students.
• 2,741 German students study abroad with Erasmus in Italy and 2,409 in Finland.
• Other host countries for German Erasmus students studying abroad include Austria (2,172), Norway (2,054), Netherlands (1,707), Portugal (1,495), Denmark (1,155), Ireland (1,151), Turkey (1,147), Belgium (1,058), and finally Poland with 874 students.