Germany is rapidly emerging as a favorite destination for college-bound students from the U.S. While some want to study for a semester or year,others are seeking a two- or four-year degree at one of the country's several prestigious universities.

What attracts foreign students to Germany? The topmost reason is pure quality - the university system created in Germany after World War II has a well-deserved reputation for excellence - but another, more enticing and practical reason is cost. While in the United States, students would be facing over $50,000 in student loans after four years of college, in Germany they would be paying an average of $700 a semester, and between $50 and $150 as registration fees. Tuition  in the public universities being free; the $700 covers the cost of  lodging and other official expenses. If you add food, transportation, and other daily costs to this estimate, studying at a German university is a wonderful bargain. Moreover, the German government offers scholarships for  the costs of fees, lodging, and other day-to-day expenses one has to meet while  studying in Germany.

Engineering students in particular are queuing up for Germany, choosing to pursue a degree at one of Germany's reputed technical universities, while other students are lured by the chance to absorb the country's rich cultural history by earning a degree in humanities at one of the  traditionally respected  establishments. Many courses of study leading to a broad range of career paths are available to foreign students at more than 300 colleges and trade schools. While a few students restrict themselves to a single semester or a year in Germany, in order to experience what it is like to live abroad, but the grater number  decides to stay and earn an undergraduate or specialized post-graduate degree.

Learning the language

While some courses at German universities have English instructors, the  majority of instruction does take place in German. Therefore, it is mandatory for foreign students to pass a DSH exam to prove their proficiency in the German language before they are accepted for university study. There are a number number of licensed private German language schools which provide intensive instruction in German. Since students are  living in German towns, often with German families and are not averse to shopping and traveling, their experience serves to speed up the development of skills in speaking and reading the language in a remarkably short period of time.

 How a Degree from a German University brightens your career prospects.

The current climate of commercial and political globalization favors students who are fluent in a second language, and especially those who are knowledgeable about another culture. Graduates who possess a degree or have even spent a semester at a foreign university will be looked upon with high interest by recruiters for large corporations. But speaking on a more persona level, living in a foreign country and studying with students from Europe, the U.S., Japan, China, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and other physically and culturally diverse corners of the world gives students a unique opportunity to develop insightful friendships and an understanding of other cultures and view-points. Studying abroad enables us to connect on a meaningful level with individuals from other, often profoundly different, cultures, which can play a significant role in our ability to gel with people from different backgrounds in later life.