Germany is the destination of many travelers and many students. But what attracts people to Germany? This will be discussed in the following article.
Germany is one of the 28 EU members and is quite centrally located in Europe. The Federal Republic was united in 1990 and divided into 16 federal states. The country is one of the most important in Europe as Germany has the strongest economy within the Union. The educational attainment of the 25 to 34-year old’s is divided as follows:
- Secondary level I: 13%
- Secondary level II: 56%
- Tertiary level III: 31%
Education System in Germany
Currently, 8.3 million pupils attend school and are taught by 636,100 teachers for nine or ten years, depending on the federal state, and prepared for their future lives. The following picture shows how the education system in Germany is structured.
Where to study? The different Types of Universities
In Germany you can study at different types of universities. Here is a list of the different types of higher education institutions:
- University
- Technical University
- Polytechnic
- Comprehensive University
- College of Education
- College of Art and Music
- Ecclesiastical and Theological University
- Specialist Universities
- Private Universities
- College of Administration
- Vocational Academies
- Distance learning University
- Vocational School
- Specialized Academy
The individual types of higher education institutions differ in size, profile and reputation. The best-known types of higher education institutions in Germany are the university and the universities of applied sciences. There is currently a total of 429 universities in Germany. In the winter semester 2017/18, 2,884,978 students enrolled. A subdivision into the most representative types of higher education institutions can be found here:
| Type of Univesity | Number | Students |
|---|---|---|
|
Type of University |
Number |
Students |
|
Universities |
106 |
1.754.634 |
|
Universities of Applied Sciences and Dual Universities |
248 |
1.026.719 |
|
Colleges of Art and Music |
53 |
36.086 |
|
Other Universities |
22 |
27.539 |
University vs. University of Applied Sciences
The differences between the two best-known types of universities will be addressed in this section.
Even though there are more than twice as many universities of applied sciences as there are universities, the proportion of graduates is just over 1/3. This is due to the fact that the universities of applied sciences have a limited range of courses on offer. The universities mainly offer engineering, business administration, social sciences or design. Another reason why the university is attended by more students is the doctorate. The universities of applied sciences are not entitled to do so and therefore do not have their own right to award doctorates. The universities, on the other hand, score points for the broad range of courses on offer. Since all Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes can be studied here, the university is preferred by many students. In addition, the university offers the state examination in law, medicine, pharmacy and teaching. The universities also have the right to award doctorates. This picture shows the most important differences at a glance.
The best German Universities
This part of the article deals to present the best universityies in Germany compared to the international universities. Several rankings are taken into account, as each one differs in the way points are awarded. Only the best German universities are considered.
|
University |
THE
rank |
ARWU
rank |
QS
rank |
|
Ludwig-Maximilians University München |
1 |
3 |
2 |
|
Technical University München |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
University Heidelberg |
3 |
1 |
3 |
|
Humboldt-University Berlin |
4 |
|
|
|
University Freiburg |
5 |
|
|
|
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technical University of Applied Sciences Aachen |
6 |
|
|
|
University Tübingen |
7 |
|
|
|
Charite Berlin |
8 |
|
|
|
University Göttingen |
|
4 |
|
All figures in this article are based on the statistics of “DAAD”.
