International students’ mixed experience in Germany

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.

The International Student Barometer (ISB) survey was conducted in 2022-23 for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to better understand the needs and wishes of the international students who opted to study in Germany.

The ISB is a benchmarking survey aimed at providing higher education institutions, regions and countries with information about their international students in a multitude of aspects in comparison to both national and international standards.

Responses to the 2022 International Student Barometer survey at universities in Germany form the basis of a report, shedding light on those aspects of the learning and living experience that matter most to international students studying in Germany.

Based on the views of 8,100 international students from a variety of German higher education institutions, with an average institutional response rate of 16% (against 120,622 student responses globally from 131 higher education institutions and an average response rate of 22%), the data helps us understand why German institutions are attractive to international students, but also where there is room for improvement.

What drives study choice decisions?

What makes international students choose a particular university, often in a country they have never visited?

One of the most prominent developments we have noticed in the past few years is that getting a job on graduation has become a critical part of student decision-making about where to study. ‘Future career impact’ is what primarily drives international students to opt to study in Germany (96%). The next most important factor is the specific course title (95%), closely followed by research quality (94%).

The ISB results for both Germany and the Global ISB benchmark show clearly how important employability is to this current generation of students.

Arrival experience improved

The arrival process is the start of any international student’s journey, and it sets the tone for the entire study abroad experience. For many years this has been an area with room for improvement at German institutions, particularly by global standards. However, the ISB survey conducted in 2022 revealed that 87% of international students felt welcome upon arrival in Germany.

This marks a significant improvement on the 2018 survey, which exposed some challenges. The current ISB study found that there have been noticeable improvements, with students reporting that they better understand how their course of study works and are more satisfied with the face-to-face orientation period provided.

Additionally, students mentioned that they were happier with the pre-arrival information and enjoyed the opportunity to meet with academic staff on arrival.

Nevertheless, only 63% of international students surveyed in Germany indicated that it was easy to navigate their new country upon arrival, with the ISB section ‘accommodation and living orientation’ scoring 14% below the Global ISB benchmark.

To improve this aspect of the arrival phase, higher education institutions in Germany should consider providing more comprehensive orientation programmes that make it easier for new students to navigate their host study destination.

To support international students on arrival in their host country, more information on navigating the local public transport system, for example, would alleviate much of the initial stress for new students.

Learning experience concerns

The key area of any study abroad experience is, of course, the learning experience. The ISB data indicates that international students highly value the quality of education in Germany. In all, 97% of respondents reported that they were satisfied with the academic standard of their programme.

However, there were concerns about the workload and the connection between academic learning and the practical application of this knowledge to their careers after graduation. Since employability is crucial to this generation of students, not only in Germany but also globally, the link to the world of work is essential.

To address these issues, universities could consider offering more internship opportunities, bringing in case studies that are more directly related to the work field and providing support for students to balance their workloads. It is critical to offer guidance and support to help students bridge the gap between academic learning and its practical application in the professional work domain.

Relative low cost of living

The experience of living in Germany is a stand-out issue for international students from both a global and European perspective due to the relatively low cost of living (although the cost of living has recently gone up considerably in Germany as well) and the affordable cost of accommodation compared to some other countries.

However, there is room for improvement concerning the social aspect of the living experience for international students.

In the ISB 2022 report, 88% of the 8,100 international students surveyed in Germany reported that they were generally happy with life at their host institution (against a Global ISB benchmark of 89%).

The ISB survey dives into mental health and student happiness, acknowledging that people have a need for social connection and to feel at ease in their environment.

When asked about their overall living experience in Germany, 81% of students reported being satisfied, which is below the Global ISB benchmark of 85% overall satisfaction.

There is clear room for improvement when it comes to ‘making friends from this country’, where the German benchmark scores 16% below the Global ISB benchmark and ‘making good contacts for the future’ scores 11% below the Global ISB benchmark.

Particular attention needs to be paid to ‘making good contacts for the future’, simply because this ISB survey question is relevant to employability and has the highest importance globally within the living category.

Maybe not surprisingly, international students in Germany feel safe and secure at their institutions.

Accommodation services issues

Most international students surveyed in Germany (82%) were satisfied with the support services provided by German institutions. However, in comparison with the Global ISB benchmark of 86% satisfaction and the European ISB benchmark of 84%, the German ISB shows room for improvement in specific categories.

For example, satisfaction with accommodation offices in Germany scores 6% lower than the global benchmark. Higher education institutions in Germany could address this in cooperation with the ‘Studierendenwerk’. They could consider offering more guidance regarding the housing market, even if only with respect to housing on arrival.

Another area of concern remains the careers services at German higher education institutions, which achieve an 84% satisfaction rate – 6% lower than the Global ISB benchmark.

We have seen satisfaction rates soar by 24% between the first ISB conducted in cooperation with GATE-Germany in 2009 and the latest survey, indicating that German universities have achieved a lot when it comes to establishing and improving careers services.

Nonetheless, the fact that satisfaction is lower than the Global ISB benchmark should not be ignored because of the impact of employability on both study decisions and recommendations.

A job on graduation and options for a future career are a key consideration for international students when deciding where to study. The ISB report shows that 96% of international students (both in Germany and globally) choose their university in the hope that it will help them improve their career prospects.

Of the final-year international students surveyed in Germany, 77% indicated that they felt prepared for their future career goals, against a Global ISB benchmark of 71%. 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 room for improvement, particularly in terms of strengthening the connection between curricula and employability and enhancing careers services.

Furthermore, 36% of international students in Germany do not know how to access the institution’s careers service. An additional 40% of international students mentioned that they had not used the services, while 11% indicated that they did not see the careers services as being relevant to them.

Institutions could improve this by making it clearer that the career counselling services they offer are also aimed at international students and by acknowledging and addressing any cultural barriers that may affect students’ willingness to seek career support.

A solution here may be to offer careers advice in the form of gamification, such as through the CareerProfessor.works app, providing careers advice for over 40 countries 24/7 in a format that does not feel like ‘providing advice’ but invites people to think beyond their own cultural expectations of job hunting and careers advice.

Moreover, providing international students with opportunities to network with employers and alumni would add additional value.

Future brand ambassadors

For any university, college or national higher education agency, it is important to understand not just the overall picture, but also the detail of the student experience for different nationalities. Knowing how your higher education offering is performing for students from each of the target nations is the first step to creating an experience that will turn current students into future brand ambassadors, the strongest word-of-mouth referrers universities can recruit.

The International Student Barometer 2022 report has provided that data for DAAD and German institutions by addressing both the current strengths and weaknesses in their offering for international students.

Nannette Ripmeester is Director Europe and North America for i-graduate.