While many prospective students tend to think of the United Kingdom and the United States first when considering where in the world they want to study, Germany remains ‘best country for educational tourism’ for 2 consecutive years according to Study.EU.

Well-known companies & brands including BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Bayer, Munich RE & Football Clubs FC Bayern, Borussia Dortmund call Germany home.

Germany is the most populous country in the European Union with more than 83 million people. The biggest hubs are Berlin (3,6 million), Hamburg (1,8 million) and Munich (1,5 million).

Foreigners make up 13% of the total population. 10,6 million foreigners from all over the world are living in Germany. Most of them come from Turkey, Poland, and Syria.

Germans hold one of the world’s most powerful passports (in 2018 citizens can visit up to 188 countries visa-free). Having achieved a very high score in three main categories (education, costs, life & career), Germany is an ideal choice for international students on many occasions. Below you will find the information on what to consider before you make the move to study in Germany.

Education & Living Expenses

Germany offers affordable education with free or low tuition fees in state universities as well as competitive tuition fees in private universities.

A student ID may qualify students for special discounts on public transport, museums, libraries, cinemas, and even shopping, including the Apple store, as an example. Moreover, having matriculation from German university grants you access to public dormitories with low rental fees.

The cost of living in Germany is on the European average. Rent costs, clothing, food, and activities are relatively low. Rents in Hamburg, Munich and other metropolitan cities are higher than average. However, relative to other European cities, i.e. London or Paris or rents in the USA, the accommodation expenses in Germany are rather low. Blocked Account substitutes monthly living expenses (10,236 Euro per year).

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Germany is one of the leading countries with the best education levels. Highly qualified staff provide excellent learning opportunities. Given the resources, you can develop your intellectual abilities and personal skills to reach your full potential.

Source (CNN 2017)

It is an advantage in both knowledge and future employment of foreign graduates in Germany, Europe and consequently worldwide.

Education is only a part of the benefits. Professors, classmates and business connections help you develop your network and land in the dream job as an ideal candidate. Now is the time to be a job seeker in Germany. With more than 1.2 million job openings recorded at the end of 2017, Germany is seeing its highest number of job vacancies since 1990 - a bright economic outlook for today's job seekers throughout Germany. 

Benefits for International Students: Foreign students have permission to work while studying and to extend their visa accordingly.

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Employment

Germany has a very low rate of unemployment and it's been falling fairly consistently. In June 2018 Germany was approaching full employment. This is the lowest level since reunification.

Investors never felt better about the German economy, which grew in 2017 at its fastest rate of expansion since 2011.

According to the statistics, the largest German employers are Volkswagen (642,000 employees worldwide), Deutsche Post (519,000), Robert Bosch (402,000), Schwarz-Gruppe (retail, 400,000) and Siemens (372,000).

A lot of jobs in Tech or Information Technology, as well as positions at internationally oriented startups, require no German language for entry positions. It is highly advisable to build contacts with suitable companies – for example by means of an internship or working student (Werk Student) position during studies.

German is a national language, however, English is widely spoken. In big cities, locals are often brought up bilingual, communicating freely in the English language.

Benefits of working in Germany:

• High minimum salaries

  • On average, university graduates earned an annual gross salary of 43,000 Euro in 2018.

  • Students of mathematical and technical subjects, including IT (Information technology), have better salary prospects.

• Hourly pay 

  • 9,47 Euro legal minimum as of 2018 April

  • It is a usual practice to earn 10-13 Euro on an hourly basis

  • Working students earn 15-30 Euro per hour on average 

• Social contributions

  • Foreign students taking employment in Germany are protected by unemployment, health, nursing care, pension, and accident insurance.

• Tax benefits

  • If you stay and work in Germany after graduation, you can often deduct previous tuition fees from your income tax.

Location & Infrastructure

Located right in the heart of Europe, students coming to Germany, enjoy the benefits of Schengen visa, granting entry to all European Union countries. Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxemburg, Belgium and the Netherlands border with Germany providing excellent travel opportunities for leisure and sports activities.

Culture

Of the 1,092 UNESCO World Heritage Sites worldwide, 44 are located in Germany alone. Among those:

·        Islands with long sand dunes in the North

·        Forests with medieval castles in Central Germany

·        Alps with plenty of lakes in the South

Germany is a country with a rich history. Event calendars are filled with exhibitions, concerts, festivals, performances, trade fairs, and sports events. Oktoberfest alone attracts 6 million tourists for a 16-day beer festival to Bavaria per year.

Students in the leisure time go to museums, cinema or a theatre; sit in a beer garden, walk on a beach, swim in a lake, climb a mountain or visit an old castle. Landscapes are incredibly picturesque and diverse: beaches, skyscrapers, mountain chains. Mountains are accessible all year long for hiking or mountain biking in Summer; skiing, sledding and snowboarding in Winter.

Germany is a student hotspot allowing for overnight trips to many attractive locations, such as Amsterdam, Paris, Vienna or Prague.

All this is possible due to a developed infrastructure with reliable, safe and clean train & bus systems as well as international airports. Within Germany’s cities, you can expect a high standard of public transportation: trams, buses, subway. Cycling to the workplace is a common practice, with thousands of kilometers of bicycle roads on the side.

Germany is one of the safest countries in the world. By day or by night, you can move around freely. Social levels are very high, whereas crime rates are close to none.

Economy

The secret to Germany’s happiness and success are the values. Germans not only work 35 hours a week on average, but they also earn a good salary with full social benefits – all that including 6 weeks paid leave per year (according to Huffington Post Research).

Germany is one of the EU (European Union) founding members and an active UN (United Nations) member striving to promote international cooperation and safeguarding world peace. Its economy is the largest in Europe and the fourth largest in the world.

Most of the exports are products, associated with mechatronics, automotive industry, electrical engineering, environmental technology, and pharmaceutical & chemical industry. Germany offers political and economic stability, which makes it an ideal place for studying abroad. Germany is one of the three largest exporting nations followed by the USA & China.

2/3rd of the major global industrial events take place in Germany attracting more than 10 million visitors. Germany is the world’s premier location for 150 international trade fairs. “Made in Germany” is a world recognizable seal of quality. According to the research across six categories (people, governance, exports, tourism, investment & immigration, and culture & heritage), Germany has replaced the United States as the country with the best “brand image”

Development of subcultures, art, music, culture with history and architecture are more reasons bringing international students to Germany. Every city is different and beautiful in its own way:

• Hamburg is famous for aircraft construction, media and trade companies, due it’s port access;

• Stuttgart and Munich have a strong presence in the automotive and manufacturing industry.

  • Bavaria is High Tech oriented

  • Baden Württemberg is famous for vehicle construction

• Rhine-Neckar focus is chemicals and IT.

• Frankfurt is the finance hub.

• Berlin is considered a Europe's startup capital.

Industrial hubs are highly decentralized with medium-sized enterprises currently embracing 99.6 % of German companies. Startup culture attracts youth and the government highly supports locals and foreigners alike to bring their ideas to life.

Germany is leading in Entrepreneurship according to the 2018 World Ranking.