Germany is the powerhouse of Europe, and the third-largest economy in the world. The German System of Higher Education has a lot to offer. It is one of the oldest world-wide - some German universities are more than 600 years old. More than 65 Nobel Prize winners, including Albert Einstein, were educated at German universities.

Higher Education in Germany

German universities throughout history have been noted for their enormous contributions to learning, especially during the 19th and 20th centuries. It has an ancient tradition of furthering education, with the establishment of the oldest university in Heidelberg in 1386, Cologne in 1388, Leipzig in 1409 and in Tübingen in 1477 etc.

Nowadays however, the custom in Germany of students moving from university to university during their studies, the exaggerated period of study and swelling numbers have overstretched the traditional structures; hence over the past couple of years, there has been much deliberation about the financing and organisation of the future of higher education in Germany. There are over 300 institutions of higher education; of these, more than 100 are universities and technical universities, more than 150 'Fachhochschulen' (universities of applied science), and more than 50 colleges of art and music. These institutions have about 1.8 million students (one third of all young Germans).

The system has become even more attractive to foreign students, since there are now undergraduate and graduate courses in German universities that are internationally accredited, leading to Bachelor and Master degrees. Many of these courses are taught in English, including those in the fields of engineering, natural science and business studies. A list of the international degree programs can be found under www.daad.de/idp

Otherwise the more traditional route to carry out a Master's degree in Germany is have the international office (Akademisches Auslandsamt) of the specific university equate an individual's qualifications of their first degree and find out how many more semesters would need to be taken to complete the Magister, Staatsexam or Diploma which is equivalent to a Master's degree.

There is far less emphasis on institutional reputation in Germany than in the UK, although some institutions are known to specialise more in some subjects than others. The German system is very open to foreign students, of which there are more than 160,000.

Tuition Fees

Until recently there were no tuition fees levied at German universities for either German students or foreign nationals. The situation is still under discussion but it must be remembered that educational matters including the charging of tuition fees is the decision of each individual Land. A general fee of up to €500 per semester is being introduced for all students in the summer semester of 2007 in Baden-Würtemberg, Bavaria, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North-Rhine Westfalia, and the Saarland. It is also common to have a time penalty fee and a fee for starting a second course of studies. At German universities degree courses are not a set 3 or 4 year period. Each course has a maximum number of semesters which are stipulated and the degree should be completed within this time period otherwise these fee penalties will be incurred.

In addition, Germany has one of the most extensive scholarship schemes in the world, administered by DAAD. DAAD, the 'Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst', or German Academic Exchange Service, was set up by students at Heidelberg University in 1925, it has become the largest organisation of its kind in the world: in 1999, it sponsored over 60,000 exchanges of students and scholars between universities in Germany and 160 countries.

DAAD Scholarships:

• One-year scholarships which can be extended to fund a PhD program in Germany, but which can also be used for shorter MA or MSc programs;
• Shorter (1-6 months) research grants for PhD students and junior scholars;
• Graduate courses for students from developing countries;
• Programs for foreign law graduates;
• Study visits by foreign academics;
• One-semester scholarships for university students of German;
• Practical traineeships for students of science, engineering and agriculture;
• Artists-in-Berlin Program;
• Study visits for groups of foreign students;
• Group seminars in Germany;
• Scholarships for language courses in Germany for students who already have some German.

DAAD scholarships are open to students and academics of different fields; scholarship holders are selected by academic committees on the basis of academic achievement.

To find out more about these scholarships, as well as support offered by other organisations such as AIESEC, Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation, or Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, visit the DAAD Office in your country, the Germany Embassy, or directly to:

 

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
Kennedyallee 50
D-53175 Bonn
Germany
Tel: (+49 228) 882-0
Fax: (+49 228) 882-444
Email: Postmaster@daad.de
Internet: www.daad.de

 

Authors:
Dr. Sebastian Fohrbeck
Antje Schlamm