The German Ambassador Tuesday reassured Indian students that the country is “a reliable partner” and said that it is “eager and happy to receive Indian talents”.
With other countries capping international student intake, along with the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on top American universities, Philipp Ackermann said: “We feel that Germany has been a reliable partner for Indian students for a long time and will remain so. We are interested in Indian talent. We are not erratic, we are not volatile, we are very, very steady.”
At a press meet in Delhi, he said: “We don’t check social media before you come. We are very eager to have talented young Indians coming to Germany.” “In the light of difficulties with student admissions and visa procedures in some countries… Germany is very eager and happy to receive Indian students… extremely good experiences with Indian students and we have seen that the number of Indian students is increasing every year.”
His comments come in the wake of the Donald Trump administration reportedly considering the vetting of social media accounts of international students applying for student visas.
Data by Katja Lasch, Director, Regional Office New Delhi, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), shows that the number of Indians enrolled in German universities rose from 13,740 in 2015-16 to 25,149 in 2019-20, and to 49,483 in 2023-24.
“We are aware this number may go up because of the situation elsewhere,” he said, adding: “Over the past months, applications across the state-owned universities have gone up 35%.”
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