In its extensive '
Prüfungen an Hochschulen' the German Federal Statistical Office
showed the most recent figures on foreign students in Germany. In
2011 a total of 39.300 foreign students graduated in Germany. By
far most of them, 79 per cent of the total, lives only in Germany
during their higher education. The other 21% have also obtained
their high school diploma in Germany.
The biggest group of foreign students consists of Chinese (13%)
followed by Turkish- (7%) and Russian students (5%). Many of those
with a Turkish passport are so-called 'Bildingsinländer' because
they have also attended high school in Germany.
Talents stay on the move
Although the number of foreign graduates rises, many of these
high qualified professionals have a hard time finding a job in
Germany afterwards. At least three out of four doctoral and
master's students from non-EU countries, would like to stay in
Germany after graduation and work in the country. However only
about a quarter of them succeeds.
The study '
Mobile Talente?' published earlier this year showed that in
Germany nearly 80% of would-be masters would like to remain in the
country. However, due to lacking knowledge about the legal aspects,
labour market restrictions and perceived discrimination, only a
small part of those foreign talents actually stay after their
studies.