There are currently 411,000 international students (students with a nationality other than German) registered at German universities[1]. This figure amounts to around 14,2 per cent of all enrolled students. Of this total number, 320,000 international students are foreign students.This makes Germany one of the most popular host country in the world for international students. German students are equally mobile: in the 2017 academic year, around 140,000 students decided to complete part of their studies at a university outside Germany[2].
When it comes to research staff, the proportion of international researchers working at German universities is 12 per cent – nearly 50,000 people[3]. Of this number, 3,416 are professors.
In 2016, around 14,700 German scientists completed a funded stay abroad[4].
Universities can present many examples of good practice in collaborating with international partners on equal terms: The HRK Higher Education Compass lists collaborations with around 37,000 institutions worldwide. Around 310 German universities collaborate on research and teaching with more than 5,400 universities in 150 different countries.
Extensive data on international students and researchers is available from “Wissenschaft weltoffen”
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[1] Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) (Federal Statistical Office), 2020: Studierende an Hochschulen - Wintersemester 2019/2020 (Students at universities - winter semester 2019/2020). Fachserie 11, Reihe 4.1. Wiesbaden.
[2,3,4] DAAD und DZHW, 2020: Wissenschaft weltoffen 2020 - Daten und Fakten zur Internationalität von Studium und Forschung in Deutschland (Data and facts regarding internationality of study and research in Germany). Bielefeld: wbv Media.