Germany's universities remain highly attractive to students from all over the world: in the 2024/25 winter semester, around 402,000 international students and doctoral candidates were enrolled at German universities – around six per cent more than in the previous year. The number of international first-year students reached a new high of 116,600. This continues the upward trend of recent years, with more than half of international students enrolled in engineering and natural sciences. At the same time, drop-out rates among international students are lower than previously assumed: their drop-out rates are relatively close to those of German students.

More international first-year students – India most important country of origin

The most important region of origin for international students in Germany remains Asia-Pacific with a share of 33 per cent, followed by North Africa and the Middle East (19 per cent) and Western Europe (15 per cent). India has established itself as the largest country of origin with just under 59,000 students – an increase of 20 per cent over the previous year. China follows in second place with around 38,600 students, whose numbers have declined by seven per cent since the 2019/20 winter semester.

Most international students intending to graduate in Germany are enrolled in engineering (43 per cent) and economics, law and social sciences (25 per cent). The proportion of international young people in master's and doctoral programmes is particularly high (26 and 28 per cent respectively).

Drop-out rates lower than previously assumed

For the first time, "Wissenschaft weltoffen" contains detailed data on drop-out rates among international students in Germany. The rate is only slightly higher than that of German students – and thus significantly lower than previous estimates.

Based on the first three semesters of study, the dropout rate for international first-year students in 2020 was 16 per cent for bachelor's degrees and nine per cent for master's degrees; for German students, the figures were 13 and six per cent, respectively. Drop-out rates for international students are particularly low at art and music colleges, and comparatively high in the humanities and health sciences.

English-language degree programmes reach new high

The number of English-language degree programmes in Germany has also continued to rise: in summer 2025, state-recognised universities offered almost 2,400 English-language programmes, including around 420 bachelor's degree programmes and 1,930 master's degree programmes. The proportion of English-language courses at master's level is thus a good 18 per cent, while at bachelor's level it was only 4 per cent. Almost every German university now offers at least one English-language programme.

German students abroad: stable at a high level

Around 138,800 German students were enrolled at universities abroad in 2022. This figure was slightly above the pre-coronavirus level of 2019 (137,900). The proportion of German students studying abroad as a percentage of all students was again around five per cent in 2022.

The most popular host countries remained Austria (around 37,800 German students), the Netherlands (22,600), Switzerland (12,500) and the United Kingdom (9,600). While the figures for the first three countries have risen since 2019, the number of German students in the United Kingdom has fallen by around 32 per cent.

Further Reading 

• DAAD (26.11.2025): Wissenschaft weltoffen 2025 (in German)
• DAAD (26.11.2025): High number of international students in Germany again – dropout rates lower than previously assumed