Speaking ahead of The PIE Live Germany, university leaders highlighted a destination with a number of strengths: affordable public university provision, expanding opportunities to study in English and institutions building closer connections with employers.
Understanding that proposition, however, requires looking beyond a single national model. Public and private providers operate with different funding structures, recruitment approaches and programme offerings, while students’ journeys also depend on their nationality – including whether they need a visa before travelling.
Beyond EU mobility, Germany has 12 countries that benefit from visa-free access for stays of over 90 days, which explains why a number of universities operate regional offices in countries such as Brazil.
Germany’s higher education landscape is further shaped by differences across its 16 federal states, creating a fragmented operating environment that can be difficult to explain overseas.
Panellists highlighted the German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD, as an important unifying force, helping institutions present Germany’s varied study opportunities to international audiences, and it has a network of over 50 offices overseas.
For Ákos Király of SRH Higher Education, that variety is also one of the destination’s strengths. Public and private institutions can meet different student needs while contributing to a shared ambition to attract international talent.
“If we can win a student for Germany, public or private, it doesn’t matter, that’s a win for everyone.”
If we can win a student for Germany, public or private, it doesn’t matter, that’s a win for everyone
Ákos Király, SRH Higher Education
Public universities Freie Universitat and Ruhr University Bochum both operate regional offices overseas, sometimes in partnership with other universities.
Freie Universität Berlin’s international network includes an office in Brazil, a visa-free country, supporting its engagement with prospective postgraduate students and researchers.
Recruitment activity is very much “at master’s, PhD level, and even postdocs, not undergraduate,” Herbert Grieshop, director international affairs at Freie Universitat, explained.
The reason for this is another important distinction in the offer – the language of instruction Undergraduate provision at public universities remains largely German-taught, requiring students to arrive with the necessary language skills (or learn German first in-country).
Meanwhile, private providers largely offer English-taught undergraduate options, opening another route into German higher education.
At postgraduate level, English-taught programmes are an increasingly established part of the public university offering too, which along with very low or no tuition fees at public universities, make the offer very appealing.
Beyond the choice of institution and programme, panellists identified employment opportunities as a significant part of the destination’s appeal.
“The labour market desperately needs professionals, skilled professionals,” said Király.
Universities can act as a bridge between international talent and employers, he argued, with students contributing to the economy during their studies and potentially building longer-term futures in the country.
Germany’s post-study framework supports that proposition. Eligible graduates from outside the EU can apply for a residence permit allowing up to 18 months to find skilled employment.
Grieshop identified the opportunity to remain after graduation as a major attraction, alongside universities’ growing investment in helping students make the transition into work.
“For the first time, we as a university have mentoring programs with respect to later careers, peer mentoring programs, which we weren’t good at in the past,” he said.
The opportunities ahead – and how institutions can help students realise them – will be explored further at The PIE Live Germany in Berlin on October 30. You can still register for the event here.
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