69.2% of International Students Prefer to Stay in Germany After They Finish Their Studies, Survey Reveals

Studying-in-Germany.org conducted a survey that aimed to reveal why prospect students would choose Germany over other study destinations, how they plan to fund their education and what their plans are for the future after studies are over.

4,339 participants had to answer three questions by picking one of the answer choices on each question being presented to them.

Germany is becoming a top attraction in international education with its excellent higher quality and almost free-tuition education. The country has already exceeded its long-term goal of hosting 350,000 foreign students by 2018 three years earlier. The survey offers the specifics of what makes Germany such an attractive country to study in.

First, students were asked to choose one out of four common reasons why they would choose Germany over other countries. Unsurprisingly, the largest portion of respondents underlined free-tuition education in Germany as the main reason. 35.3% of the respondents said they chose Germany because of its free-tuition higher education. Another notable portion, 29.3% of the students chose the high-quality academic staff at German universities as the top reason why they prefer Germany over other options.

Germany’s attractiveness is also boosted because German universities are increasing the number of programs in the English language. One-fifth (20.4%) of respondents highlighted English programs and just 15.1% said they choose it because it’s a beautiful country to visit.

No matter what country you choose to study in as an international student, you must have a detailed financial plan. Germany doesn’t represent any exclusion to this, but the fact that it charges no tuition and allows you to work part-time makes it more affordable. To support this fact, our data shows that students are attracted to Germany because you’re allowed to work part-time during your studies to cover some of the expenses.

The majority of the surveyed students said they plan to cover studies costs by working part-time. 37.5% said they plan to finance their education by working part-time during their studies.

On the other hand, a fair amount of them expects to still depend on family funds or their own savings (29%), 24.3% expect to obtain a scholarship to fund their education and just 9.2% think of getting a bank loan.

Additionally, the survey aimed to know the students’ plans after they finish their studies. Because Germany is a place of better career options, the survey shows that a high number of these students would prefer to remain in the country after they finish university.

69.2% of respondents said they plan to find a good job in Germany and stay for a longer period of time. Others are less likely to stay permanently after they get their degree. 16.5% said they plan to immediately back home when the university is over and 14.3% said they would like to stay for a while to visit interesting places in Germany before returning to their home country.

More Information

To get the complete survey results and the charts in high-quality for media publication, click here to get the PRESS KIT.

Media Coverage

Warum ausländische Studierende nach Deutschland kommen
(Frankfurter Allgemeine, 28 Jun 2018)

Foreign students in Germany: why they come and if they plan to stay
(The Local Germany, 16 May 2018)

69% of int’l students wish to stay in Germany after studying there – survey
(The PIE News, 5 Jun 2018)

Seven in ten foreign students plan to stay in Germany after graduation
(ICEF Monitor, 6 Jun 2018)

Scrapped tuition fees boost Germany’s popularity
(University World News, 24 May 2018)

What is the number one reason international students choose Germany?
(Study International News, 6 Jun 2018)

Germany Is Now Offering Free Tuition To All Canadian Students
(MTL Blog, 17 May 2018)

Why International Students Pick Germany
(MasterStudies.com, 4 Jun 2018)

How Many International Students Want to Stay in Germany?
(BachelorStudies.com, 25 Jun 2018)