A combination of low tuition and living fees, coupled with a number of standout postgrad English programs, has seen an influx of international students to Germany, with numbers up 7% for 2014. Figures from 2015 show there are now approximately 321,569 international students in the country, accounting for 12% of the student population. While, regionally, European students make up the highest proportion, overall, the vast majority are Chinese with numbers surpassing 30,000 for the first time. These numbers echo similar patterns in other European countries such as UK, which sees Chinese student numbers in excess of 89,000.
India is now the second highest source with 11,655 students. Russia sends the third highest number of students (11,534), with Austria fourth (9,875) and neighbors France fifth (7,305). Students arriving from Asia, do however, make up 38% of international students, with South and East Asia accounting for 28% alone. The German Excellence Initiative is an effort by the German government to strengthen international cooperation in research and to enhance the appeal, internationally, of German universities.
