Record Increase in Foreign Students Starting University in Germany

The share of international first-year students rose by 10% in 2024, now comprising 30% of all new enrollments.

Germany saw a 10% rise in international students starting university in 2024, with 145,100 enrolling for the first time.
The total number of first-year university students in Germany grew by 2% to 491,400, driven entirely by international enrollments.
Foreign students now make up 30% of all new university students in Germany, an increase from 22% a decade ago.
Fields like engineering and medicine experienced above-average growth in student numbers, while arts programs saw a slight decline.
The overall student population in Germany remained stable at 2.8 million, with a 5% rise in foreign students offsetting a 1% decline in German students.