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How American Students Can Get a University Degree For Free In Germany

HughPickens.com writes: BBC reports that Germany has abandoned tuition fees altogether for German and international students alike and more than 4,600 US students are fully enrolled at Germany universities, an increase of 20% over three years. "When I found out that just like Germans I'm studying for free, it was sort of mind blowing," says Katherine Burlingame who decided to get her Master's degree at a university in the East German town of Cottbus. "I realized how easy the admission process was and how there was no tuition fee. This was a wow moment for me." When Katherine came to Germany in 2012 she spoke two words of German: 'hallo' and 'danke'. She arrived in an East German town which had, since the 1950s, taught the majority of its residents Russian rather than English. "At first I was just doing hand gestures and a lot of people had compassion because they saw that I was trying and that I cared." She did not need German, however, in her Master's program, which was filled with students from 50 different countries but taught entirely in English. In fact, German universities have drastically increased all-English classes to more than 1,150 programs across many fields.

So how can Germany afford to educate foreign students for free? Think about it this way: it's a global game of collecting talent. All of these students are the trading cards, and the collectors are countries. If a country collects more talent, they'll have an influx of new ideas, new businesses and a better economy. For a society with a demographic problem — a growing retired population and fewer young people entering college and the workforce — qualified immigration is seen as a resolution to the problem as research shows that 50% of foreign students stay in Germany. "Keeping international students who have studied in the country is the ideal way of immigration," says Sebastian Fohrbeck."They have the needed certificates, they don't have a language problem at the end of their stay and they know the culture."

5 of 528 comments (clear)

  1. and the beer is really good by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just what college kids need, access to beer.

  2. Ob by Hognoxious · · Score: 1, Funny

    When Katherine came to Germany in 2012 she spoke two words of German: 'hallo' and 'danke'

    Top decile of Americans in language skills, then.

    By the time she graduates she might know Bier and Sheisse.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    1. Re:Ob by JustNiz · · Score: 4, Funny

      >> Well, Germans should learn English, as should everyone else.

      As an Englishman living in the USA I can't agree more. Americans are at the top of the list of nations that need to learn English :-)

  3. Re:How can they afford it? by Hognoxious · · Score: 4, Funny

    If DeVry's Master of Finance program allows resits, you should look into it. Because you appear to have debtors and creditors the wrong way round.

    You aren't that fucking 7 digit windbag who goes on about Aristophanes, are you?

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  4. Re:How can they afford it? by rogoshen1 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Look man, if the Germans are going to dominate Europe, there's worse ways they could go about it -- right?