Germany

• Germany has a population of 81 million people.
• One-third of Germany is still covered in forests and woodlands.
• Germany is a member of the European Union.
• 65% of the highways in Germany (Autobahn) have no speed limit.
• University is free for everyone (even non-Germans).
• There are over 2100 castles in Germany.
• There are over 1,500 different beers in Germany.
• Germany is the seventh-largest country in Europe. Covering an area of 137,847 square miles, of which 34,836 square miles is covered by land and 3,011 square miles contains water.
• Berlin has the largest train station in Europe.
• Berlin is 9 times bigger than Paris and has more bridges than Venice.
• Germany is composed of sixteen states. The states have their own constitution and are largely autonomous in regard to their internal organization. At the municipal level, Germany is divided into 403 districts (Kreise), of which 301 are rural districts and 102 urban districts. Bavaria is the largest state.
• Germany is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
• Germany shares borders with nine other countries. Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
• Germany is the EU’s largest economy. With a gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.73 trillion USD,  and lies fourth place in the world behind the US, China and Japan.
• Germany is one of the world’s largest car producers. Selling 5.9 million cars in 2011. VW’s Golf is one of the best selling cars of all time: in 2012 it year it sold more than 430,000 Golfs around Europe (125,000 ahead of its nearest rival). In 2013, the top-selling car brands in Germany were Volkswagen, Mercedes. Audi and BMW.
• The following cities have all at one time or another been capitals of Germany: Aachen, Regensburg, Frankfurt-am-Main, Nuremberg, Berlin, Weimar, Bonn (and East Berlin), and, since 1990, Berlin again.
• The first printed book was in German.
• Germany is one of the world’s leading book nations. Publishing around 94,000 titles every year.
• The first magazine ever seen was launched in 1663 in Germany.
• Germany was the first country in the world to adopt Daylight saving time – DST, also known as summer time. This occured in 1916, in the midst of WWI.
• When JFK visited Berlin, he infamously said “Ich bin ein Berliner,” which also translates to “I am a jelly donut.”
• German is the most widely taught third language across the world.
• German remains the language with the most native speakers in Europe.
• Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein have German as the official language.
• Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft is the longest word to be published. It is 79 letters long.
• There are thirty-five dialects of the German language.
• There are over 300 different kinds of bread in Germany.
• There are over 1,000 kinds of sausages in Germany.
• Beer is considered a food in Bavaria officially.
• Smoking is banned in public places but drinking alcohol is still legal.
• After the Irish, the Germans are those consume the most beer, making Germany the second largest consumer of Beer.
• The biggest Beer Festival in the world is of course the Oktoberfest in Munich, Bavaria, where the size of the beer glass is not 500ml but a whole liter!
• To get ONE beer in Germany, you show your thumb. To show your first finger means that you want 2 beers: one with the thumb, and one with the finger.
• There are more football (soccer for the North Americans) fan clubs in Germany than anywhere else in the world.
• Germany has (once) lost a penalty shootout in a major football competition. It was in 1976 when the then West Germany lost a shootout 5-3 in in the European Championships against Czechoslovakia. On the four other occasions the Germans
  have been involved in one, they won.
• The Christmas tree (Tannenbaum) tradition came from Germany.
• Germany has over 400 zoos, the most in the world.
• Chancellor Angela Merkel has a Barbie doll made after her.
• Toilet paper in Germany has the softness and consistency of paper towels.
• Most taxis in Germany are Mercedes.
• Holocaust denial is either implicitly or explicitly a crime in 17 countries, including Germany and Austria.
• The world’s narrowest street is in Reutlingen. It is called Spreuerhofstrasse and is 31 cm (one foot) wide at its narrowest point.
• The Chancellor’s office in Berlin is known locally as as the “washing machine”.
• Germany is a leader in climate and energy policies – it made a decision in 2011 to decommission all nuclear power stations (then producing around 18 percent of electricity consumed) by 2022 and to replace them with renewable energies and new storage for green electricity.
• In Germany there’s no punishment for a prisoner who tries to escape from jail, because it is a basic human instinct to be free.

Recently Germany is becoming a magnet for international students from all over the world. Let’s explore some of the reasons why students prefer to study in this amazing country.

Germany is a higher education paradise. Unlike in any other country, in Germany you will find many worldwide ranked universities, countless courses to choose among, globally valued degrees that promise a high employability to you and affordable living costs.

Moreover, Germany has a long and rich history, a vibrant and dynamic lifestyle mixing the modern and the classics, the urban and the rural which will immerse and make you love every second spent here.

Not surprisingly, Germany is ranked among the world’s top destinations for international students. According to the latest official statistics, there are over 357,000 foreign students seeking a university degree in Germany whereas the number is steadily increasing.

Reasons to Study in Germany

No tuition fees!

Yes, it’s true. German universities charge no tuition fees to their students, even international students! Higher education in Germany is funded by the states, hence, no tuition fees for students. There are more than 400 institutions of higher education in Germany. Out of these only 5% of the total student body is hosted at the private universities, rest all are public. In October 2014, the last state, Bavaria, also implemented the no tuition fee act.

Internationally recognized degrees

The higher education offered in Germany is one of the best in the world. The universities function under the guidelines of the Bologna reform, which ensures that all the students get a unified and an internationally recognized degree. The employers around the world respect a German degree. Germany is known for the automobile and engineering sector. The engineers with a degree from Germany have lucrative career opportunities and can look forward to a very bright future anywhere in the world.

Study in English

More and more degree programmes are being offered in English in Germany as the number of international students is increasing year after year. The courses are offered in a variety of disciplines and have recognition all over the world. The courses in English are good for students who do not know German language or are not that fluent in it. Partial English and German courses are also available for students who wish to study in both languages.

Dual education system

Dual education is a very special feature of studying in Germany. It combines the best features of practical and theoretical education in one single course. The students who have opted for dual education are trained in a company for three to five days a week according to the specified standards. The practical training is combined with practical lessons at workshops and theory. The best advantage of the dual education system is that a student gets practical knowledge about the actual working of a company. At the end of their course students have a degree as well as an experience certificate.

Almost every field of study is offered in Germany

Germany offers more than 16000 courses of study! They are spread across various bachelors, masters, doctoral and post-doctoral programmes. The huge variety of courses is reason enough for you to select Germany for your studies. Germany is the land of ideas. It is proven by the fact that Germany leads the world in innovation. It has the second highest number of Nobel laureates in the world after USA. This speaks volumes about their educational system and the focus on research and innovation.

Economic power

Germany is the largest economic power of Europe and the third largest in the world. This makes it a place to be for young learners and researchers. It is the founding member of the European Union and the Eurozone. Being an economic power, Germany has the most important market in Europe. It is also the largest automobile exporter in the world. Various luxury car brands like Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, AUDI, etc. have their headquarters in Germany. If you aspire to work with the best automobile companies in the world, Germany is the place to be.

German Universities in World Ranking

Germany has some of the best universities in the world. The Ruprechts-Karls-Universität ranks 49th in the QS World University Rankings 2015. Around 17 other German universities make it to the Top 250 in the world and 40+ universities have found a place in the Top 650. The universities in Germany provide world class education with the best infrastructure and research and innovation opportunities. Most of the universities have been part of cutting edge research and have developed new things like self-repairing cement, materials that can turn invisible, etc.

Scholarship programmes

The German Academic Exchange Service also known as Deutscher Akadamischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), is the largest funding organization in the world. DAAD provides hundreds of scholarships to students all over the world to study in Germany and to Germans who wish to study abroad. Erasmus Mundus is the largest scholarship provider for students aspiring to study anywhere in Europe. Many partial and fully funded scholarship programmes are available for students who wish to go to Germany. The universities in Germany also provide many scholarships to its students.

Excellent Job Opportunities

Germany offers excellent job opportunities in almost every field of study. Germany’s dual education system makes it easy for you to find a job. During the course work you get to do different internships, which in turn help you land a lucrative job in Germany in future. Internships help you get your first experience of professional life while doing various projects which are guided and supervised by experts of the field. An added benefit is that these days most of the companies in Germany have international relations, so the language of communication is English. You can work in Germany without being fluent in German. (Yaaayyy!)

German Language

German is the most widely spoken language in the European Union and is the official language of Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein; it is also one of the official languages of Switzerland and Luxembourg. German is known as the language of the ‘Dichter and Denker’, i.e. authors and thinkers. Learning German gives you an opportunity to read many great authors like Goethe, Schiller, Günter Grass, Heinrich Heine, etc in their own language. An added benefit of learning a foreign language is that you get to learn a totally new culture along with language. As German is the official language of Germany, it will definitely help you in making you stay in Germany more comfortable. German is also the second most commonly used scientific language. Therefore, knowing German will help you a lot in your studies. Knowing the local language also helps in finding jobs and internships, as the employees would prefer people who are familiar with their language.