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EDUCATION & KNOWLEDGE
TOPIC
DYNAMIC ACADEMIC LANDSCAPE
The German academic landscape is highly
According to the German Rectors’ Confer-
diverse: There are famous universities in
ence (HRK), in 2015 students in Germany
major cities such as Berlin and Munich,
could choose between 399 higher education
along with excellent higher education insti-
institutions (121 universities, 220 univer-
tutions in Aachen, Heidelberg, and Karls-
sities of applied sciences, and 58 art and mu-
ruhe. Medium-sized universities with a
sic academies). Together they offer 17,731
strong focus on research and smaller col-
courses. As part of the Bologna Process to
leges with an outstanding reputation form
create a uniform European Higher Educa-
the nucleus of the academic world. Whether
tion Area (EHEA) initiated in 1999, 87.4 per-
the international Shanghai Ranking, the QS
cent of all courses now lead to Bachelor’s
World University Rankings, or the Times
and Master’s degrees. 238 higher education
Higher Education World University Rank-
institutions are funded by the state, 40 by
ings – each lists between 10 and 12 German
the church, and 121 privately.
universities among the Top 200. Munich’s
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität,
Heidel-
berg University and Technische Universität
Most popular non-English-speaking host
country for international students
München (TUM) do particularly well.
In terms of structure and purpose, the higher
educat