Why American Students Are Flocking to Germany

Applying to College
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NBC News reports that the number of American students studying in Germany is rising quickly, in part due to much lower tuitions.

"More than 10,000 U.S. students are presently enrolled in the country’s higher education programs, according to data from the Institute for International Education. It’s an increase of almost 9 percent compared to the previous academic year, and 25 percent more than in 2008-2009…

Minnesotan Sarah Johnson, also a University of Bonn master’s student, has a total monthly expenditure of $600 in Germany — or $7,200 per year. That compares to $20-30,000 dollars in tuition fees alone she would have paid back home."

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/college-game-plan/why-american-students-are-flocking-germany-staying-n515961

The article describes it as a win-win situation, though I wonder if at some point the German government might start limiting its subsidies of foreign nationals.

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I would do it in a minute if I were a young adult! Germany is wonderful, and accessible to many place in Europe.

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Germany is fighting population decline, so if their educational system can bring in students who stay, I’m guessing this will continue for some time.

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I agree. And paying to educate Americans may be better for Germany than accepting more refugees.

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My kids are dual citizens and we and they considered studying in Germany and decided against it for some personal reasons, but it is attractive. However, the two systems are very different - universities are mostly about learning - there often isn’t as much of a campus or what kids here consider a college feel, with dorms, events etc. Kids usually live off campus and that can be quite expensive. I assume the $600 the student quoted as paying monthly either doesn’t include her living arrangements, or she may be living in a rented room with a family - she probably isn’t sharing an apartment with other students for that low price.
The other big difference is that classes are more theoretical focused in Germany - there may be mostly lectures and one test at the end of the class, no other homework or quizzes. So many american kids used to lots of interaction with other students and professors, academic advisors and lots of feedback on classwork will suffer some real culture shock. I know kids who have gone off to Canada and felt the same way and their system is a lot more like ours than the European system is. So its important that the student and family really understand the different systems before committing.

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My son is graduating this year, read this article and now wants to apply to grad school at the University of Bonn. I am curious about the living arrangements. He said he talked to a friend of a friend who said living with an older couple is not an uncommon way to manage living expenses. I hope people with more knowledge and experience add their expertise to this thread!

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European universities are too minimalist for me. Fewer frills, smaller support infrastructure, and the vast majority of students live off campus in normal apartments.

The low cost sounds great until you realize you get what you pay for – an education, and that’s about it. To each his own though!

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This thread and the “New student loan risk: arrest and jail?” thread make for an interesting juxtaposition.

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Isn’t that similar to lots of moderately and less selective universities and community colleges where most US college students go to college? Or perhaps like the state flagships a century ago, when they had few or no dorms, so students moving to the area to attend school lived in other housing in the area. Or like graduate and professional school students today, who are more likely to living in non-school-run housing in the area than undergraduate students.

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It’s a good option - my D initially was quite set on going there as she had spent a summer in Germany an loved it. There aren’t that many undergraduate programs offered entirely in English so German proficiency is required. (Though we did find one smaller university with all English programs.) In the end, she got a nearly full scholarship to a top US engineering school so went there, and might go to masters or pHd program in Germany instead (which has many more options in English), TUM or Berlin would be great. (Personally, I’m hoping she’ll go to Zurich.)

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From http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372

“In fall 2015, some 20.2 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities, constituting an increase of about 4.9 million since fall 2000 (source).”

Those 10,000 students represent a ratio of 0.000495, or .0495 of a percent… barely a twentieth of one percent. I’m not exactly sure I would qualify that as a “flock.”

I’m not disputing anything about this thread other than the title of the article.

But I have been looking for an example of how people manipulate statistics to make a point for my Precalc class, so I thank the author of the article. It’s perfect.

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My son is studying German (3rd year, AP German next year) and is going on an exchange there this summer. I wish he would consider a German school. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity and could lead to some very interesting career options later on.

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Maybe spending time in Germany this summer will be the spark to ignite an interest in studying there.

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S is currently spending a year at a German university. He’s fluent in conversational German. He’s visited often throughout his life. He has relative and a support structure in place. He’s housed in a beautiful home with someone we know.

And it’s STILL very different.

To begin with, German university undergrad programs are 3 years. By the time you get to university, you have completed what we would consider prerequisites. For example, in his thermodynamics class he was surprise to hear fellow students ask chemistry type questions. Well, it turns out - they never had a chemistry class above the most basic level. It was not a requirement for entry to the program and it was not a prerequisite before signing up for the course. Oh, and the course has a 40% failure rate. Oh, and the grade IS your final exam result. A surprisingly large number of students don’t show up for lecture. The course work is available on line. If your going for an engineering degree, do not expect to spend much time delving into philosophy, ancient European history or other areas not directly related to your degree program.

One signs up for courses by basically ‘rushing’ classes the first two weeks of a term. If you get a seat and you want the course, your in. You will not know your course schedule in advance, and you will not know your final exam schedule … well …sometimes until after the end of the term. There’s a two month semester break. Your final exam can be scheduled anytime during those two months. You may only find out a few weeks in advance.

There in no residential community. You either live in privately arranged housing or in blocks of student housing on the outskirts of town. Every university uses the same housing block. I love the country and it’s people but making friends is not as easy as in the US. There’s no meet and greet social hour with bratwurst and pommes (there is for the US students, but it’s run by the US support team). Someone mentioned the lack of amenities mirrors that of smaller US institutions. Um…no…even my commuter college of the 80’s had a few sports teams, a pool, a student union etc.

Unlike the US, German universities do not work closely with industry. Chances are you won’t find a lab where silicon valley company X has funded a project with mega Euros and you as an undergrad get to work on this research. You will need to find an internship to accomplish this task. You will be doing this during your breaks.

Oh and as for sports…fugeetaboutit. If you want to chase balls, run in circles, ride things with wheels, paddle thru water, etc…don’t go looking to the University system to support or reward your efforts. Find a town team. If you want to do anything on a highly competitive level…don’t go to University.

S is looking at the option of doing a masters in Germany. It would be inexpensive…will see how he feels at the end of his year.

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To reiterate what Dietz199 said - German students often have had 13 years of school under their belts before heading to University and they go directly into their majors. So you better be really sure you know what you want to major in first as you won’t get much opportunity to sample other subjects. German kids are encouraged to figure out their career paths early in high school, if not sooner and switching majors is less common than here. Some majors, such as art, film etc may require studying at a Fachochschule rather than a university. These are more like technical colleges.

We figured out that the scholarship my daughter was getting at her US university made it roughly the same cost to go to school in the US as in Germany, where she’d have to pay for room and board as an extra plus flying home periodically.

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I am originally from Germany, my husband and myself went to school in Germany.
The school system is different from the US and kids who go on to University usually go right into their major. Unlike a BS program there is no “general” education. If somebody decides to study mathematics (like my husband) all your classes are related to that. The minor was computer science but no classes related to humanities or such.
There are student dorms but there is no campus life like in the US. University is really a place to go and study and get your education, there is not much sports or clubs. Students go out together but it is not comparable to the US.
Living off campus is not unusual.

Although my children have the German citizenship they will go to college/university here in the US. They may do some studies abroad but their degree will be here in the US. It is not as easy to get admitted to a full program because the US HS diploma is not comparable to the German Abitur.

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@dietz199 offers good advice, I agree with most of what he says. I have a little I could add.

At undergrad level, German unis are essentially diploma mills, similar to US state schools in some respects or, say, the Sorbonne. It can be hard to get contact with profs, classes can be very large, and grading tends to be by exam with little opportunity to write. THere is little or no handholding. It works for students who are focused and have clear goals, i.e. it is not for liberal arts exploration or “finding yourself”. They do not have a parallel super-elite system like in France or the UK, but have relatively open admissions.

I studied in Freiburg in 78-79 and was not particularly impressed with the facilities, but they were more than adequate. The emphasis is on economies of scale. Students tended to study there for a long time at a leisurely pace, way beyond 3 years, but that may have changed. The city was so attractive and safe that I would recommend it.

They are a really a good deal financially, I would just worry about quality in your chosen field.

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Super glad I ran across this thread, because I’ve been looking for masters programs for communications and also doing a study abroad trip this summer. Now I’m interested to see if Germany is a good option postgrad, because I’m not about that burdensome student loan life $$$$ It also seems like studying abroad opens open your mind and prepares you as an individual. Does anyone know what the German culture would be like for an English speaking student?

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For those looking for undergrad programs in Germany, here’s a university I found (when researching this for my D) which offers all its undergraduate programs in English. It’s a new university, not too large, and with a very international focus. Looks quite nice though the number of majors offered is limited. Decent location too.
http://www.hochschule-rhein-waal.de/en

If searching for masters programs, use this: http://www.mastersportal.eu

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A Hochschule is NOT a university! It is a completely separate track of education not comparable to the US.