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Starting in April, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) will be allocating €120 million to fund universities across the country for the qualification of international students as future specialists.

According to a press release by DAAD, a total of 114 projects have been selected for the “Campus Initiative for International Talents”, which will receive funding from the Education Ministry (BMBF) until 2028, Studying-in-Germany.org reports.

DAAD President Joybrato Mukherjee highlighted the importance of the qualification of international students, indicating that attracting international talent to Germany for longer stays would help the shortage of skilled workers in the country, which, according to him, is “reaching dramatic proportions”.

“German universities want to be a driving force in attracting international skilled workers. This is also reflected in the high level of participation in the calls for proposals for the ‘Campus Initiative’. From April, we will therefore be funding a total of 114 projects at 104 universities in all federal states in order to better pave the way for international talent from university to the German labour market,” President Mukherjee said.

The funds will be distributed in the two programme lines: FIT and Pro Plus, with the first one offering support to students at all stages during their studies, while the second one enabling students with a foreign degree to be promoted.

Int’l Students to Receive Financial Support During Their Studies & While Entering Labour Market

As part of the FIT programme, international students can receive support from German universities while obtaining a degree in Germany with additional services. The programme focuses on professional career counselling and support. Another key point of this programme is bringing universities, companies and businesses together so that students can find their best fit and have a range of opportunities.

According to a survey by DAAD, 380,000 international students are expected to be part of the  German universities this winter semester, marking a new record number of students and listing Germany as the third-most-popular destination for international students in the world.

Pro Plus Programme to Offer Education for German Labour Market to Int’l Students With Foreign Degrees

International graduates who hold a foreign university degree will have more opportunities thanks to the “Pro Plus” programme, which will offer them more specialist knowledge of the German labour market while also learning the language and developing social skills.

Good career opportunities are one of the reasons that international students pick Germany as their study destination, as another DAAD survey shows. While it is ranked third internationally, falling behind the US and the UK, Germany tops the list of European countries for attracting the most students.