On March 17th 2024, the article “International students’ mixed experience in Germany”, authored by Nannette Ripmeester, was published on the University World News (UWN) website.

Germany is a popular destination for international students due to its high-quality education system and world-renowned universities. The country also offers a relatively clear-cut pathway to job opportunities, something that is no longer a guarantee for major study destinations in the current political climate.
This article looks at a DAAD report Nannette Ripmeester has written based on 8,100 international students at German higher education institutions participating in the International Student Barometer.

Furthermore, ‘Future career impact’ is what primarily drives international students to opt to study in Germany (96%). The next most important factors are ‘specific course title‘ (95%), closely followed by ‘research quality‘ (94%). It is interesting to notice that 77% of final-year international students felt prepared for their future career goals, (globally this was 71% in the ISB 2022/23). Hence Germany is doing relatively well in creating a ‘line of sight’ towards a future career and connecting education to the world of work. However, there is still (plenty!) room for improvement, particularly in terms of strengthening the connection between curricula and employability and enhancing careers services.

Interested to read the article? Read the full article here.