The application and admission procedure through the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung (SfH) (Trust for Admission to Higher Education) has been facilitated for the 2020/21 winter semester thanks to the joint efforts of the universities, the SfH and the federal states. The following dates have been established: On 1 July 2020, the SfH will open its application portals. The final application date for new school leavers with the Abitur for the centralised procedure is 20 August 2020 for the 2020/2021 winter semester.

A reliable database is key to successfully developing the internationality of a university. The new indicator portal “HSI Monitor – Profile Data on the Internationality of Universities” enables universities in Germany to access a multitude of internationalisation indicators. The portal is a joint project of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK). It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

One month into the online 2020 summer semester, HRK President Prof Dr Peter-André Alt provided a positive initial assessment but also addressed the need for further action: “Universities have widely been very successful in transitioning to digital teaching formats. This is predominantly down to the phenomenal yet exhausting efforts of teaching and administrative staff. In many cases, universities had already laid the foundations long before the coronavirus crisis by training staff, expanding their digital infrastructure and continuously developing online teaching formats within the limits of their possibilities."

The HRK welcomes the re-opening of society based on the most recent resolutions reached by the federal and state governments regarding the coronavirus pandemic. However, it strongly warns against a rushed and untenable resumption of classroom teaching at universities in Germany. HRK President Prof Dr Peter-André Alt said: “In principle, it is very encouraging that our society is re-gaining more scope for action. Having said that, there are many reasons why it makes little sense to plan for extensive classroom teaching at universities again in a week’s time.

The HRK, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German National Association for Student Affairs (DSW) welcome the plans of the federal government to support students experiencing financial difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic with loans. As announced today by Anja Karliczek, Federal Minister of Education and Research, German and foreign students will be eligible for interest-free loans of up to €650 a month from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). Moreover, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is providing student services organisations affiliated with the German National Association for Student Affairs (DSW) with €100 million for their emergency fund as a non-repayable grant for students experiencing serious difficulties.

The presidents of the HRK and the DAAD called on the federal government to swiftly reach a decision to support German and international students experiencing financial difficulties due to the coronavirus crisis. HRK President Peter-André Alt: “I appeal to federal government officials not to leave those affected to their own devices. They are students who work hard to fund their studies and now find themselves in a precarious situation through no fault of their own."