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Students (symbol picture): Germany ranks fourth in the global ranking, ahead of France
Photo: Katleho Seisa / E + / Getty Images
Germany remains one of the most popular places to study for foreigners worldwide.
Around 320,000 international students were enrolled at German colleges and universities in the 2019/20 winter semester.
This is the result of a publication by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Center for University and Science Research (DZHW).
That was 18,000 more students than in the previous year.
This puts Germany in fourth place ahead of France in the global ranking, just behind the classic host countries USA, Great Britain and Australia.
Only last year did the German universities overtake the French in fourth place.
The corona pandemic dampened the exchange.
However, the two organizations expect a rapid recovery after the corona kink.
Around 80,000 international students had temporarily left Germany according to a DAAD survey.
However, despite the corona crisis, many universities stuck to their exchange programs, only about one in five completely suspended their programs in the summer semester 2020.
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In addition, the interest in studying in Germany remains unbroken even in times of the Corona.
The applications from international students to the uni-assist association for the 2020/21 winter semester were around 80 percent of the previous year.
For the coming year, experts expect a significant recovery in international student mobility, even if the Corona restrictions last longer.
Within ten years, the number of foreign students in the Federal Republic grew by a total of 76 percent.
The most important countries of origin were last year
China with around 40,000 students
followed by India with 20,600
Syria with 13,000
Austria with 11,500 and
Russia with 10,500 students
Around 220,000 of the international students were enrolled at a university, almost 80,000 at a university of applied sciences.
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Conversely, 140,000 Germans studied abroad last year.
Their number has more than quadrupled since 1991 and more than doubled since 2000.
Austria, the Netherlands and Great Britain are particularly popular for studying abroad.
However, due to Brexit, a decline for Great Britain is to be expected in the future.
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sun / AFP