Germany woos Indian students amid rising uncertainty in US visa policies

Applications to German universities have surged 30% in recent months, with Ambassador Philipp Ackermann citing Germany's appeal amid uncertainty over US student visa rules

Applications from Indian students to German universities have risen by over 30 per cent in the past few months as they navigate rising uncertainty regarding United States’ (US) visa policies.

 

In a press conference on Tuesday, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann said over 50,000 Indian students were studying in German universities currently and the number was expected to rise in the coming years.

 

This comes even as Germany is looking to emerge as a premier education hub in Europe, with Indian students in its sight.

 

“Visa problems in some countries give a good opportunity to Indian students to look towards Germany for higher education,” he said.

 

However, while the application numbers have gone up, many students may not be good enough to be accepted, several German university executives told Business Standard. 

 

“It has to be said though, that we want quality… you have to be very good in your application and then only the university will accept it,” an executive representing a German university told Business Standard.

 

Commenting on the future of this collaboration on education, Katya Lasch, director of German academic exchange service DAAD told Business Standard while German public universities were not currently looking to set up campuses in India, they would want to work towards increasing collaboration with Indian institutes in terms of student exchanges and joint degree programmes. 

 

She added that there was an interest from a couple of private universities in setting up campuses as part of their business model. “However, German public universities do not share that model as it is very expensive to go offshore,” Lasch explained. 

 

However, there is a trend of India and German universities going for double and joint degree programs. This would include students starting the degree in India and then maybe go for finalising the programme in Germany, she said.

 

Ackermann added that Germany was also aiming to provide a safe application process for Indians wanting to study technical and non-technical courses, quipping that Germany does not intend to check the applicants’ social media during the process.

 

“We feel that Germany has been a reliable partner for Indian students for a long time,” he said. 

 

Asking Indian students to be careful of agencies that may be working for some private universities, Ackermann said that such colleges may not provide a high-quality education compared to public universities.     

 

“We are seeing agencies in India aggressively recruiting students for some non-German private colleges coming from third countries such as Poland and Italy, which charge high fees and do not produce a German diploma after the end of graduation,” he added.

 

Calling language a non-issue, Ackermann said many technical courses were being taught in English, with the self-use of German being encouraged.

 

While there is a need for skilled labour in the artificial intelligence (AI) and information technology (IT) segments in Germany, the country is also looking for people from non–technical backgrounds as well.