German Universities: Studying In Germany, From Finance To Fraternities | Meet the Germans

How much does it cost to study in Germany? What are the most popular courses? And how do German unis rate internationally? Seeing as so many of you requested this topic, Rachel decided to head back to school for this week's Meet the Germans.

Rachel moved from the UK to Germany in 2016. As a relative newcomer she casts a fresh eye over German clichés and shares her experiences of settling into German life. Every two weeks she explores a new topic – from unusual bans to meaty cuisine or haunted castles. This week: German universities, student life and the history of fraternities.

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[DeadRedAssassin]

You should make a video about the main alternative to studying in Germany, the Ausbildung. It's a pretty cool and unique system and I'm sure a lot of non-germans would be interested.

[deinemutter]

And never forget:
As soon as the lecture is over you knock on your table (like clapping, but with your knuckles).
This is to show your gratitude towards the professor for his lecture and sharing his knowledge.

[regenbogentraumerin]

Small addition because this is a common misunderstanding (even among Germans): with the Numerus Clausus system applicants don't really need to achieve a set minimum final grade. They're rather 'sorted' according to their final grade and then accepted in that order until the maximum amount of new students is reached. The final grade of the last person to be accepted is then called the Numerus Clausus, everyone with a better grade than him/her was accepted, everyone with a worse grade was not (and people with the same grade might or might not have been accepted, depending on other criteria and luck). So the NC changes every year with the number of people applying and their individual final grades and it can never be known for upcomming application processes, just for the past ones.

[annam.]

As a German I can say that this video is 100% accurate. Well done

[nigelmchugh]

"If your pocket and your parents allow it, I wouldn't stress too much about the studying " Legend!

[Pepepipipopo]

I recently got accepted to an Ivy league university in the US, but due to costs, and the pandemic affecting me financially I'm applying to a couple of german universities as well so let's hope for the best.

[andypre]

I love how you filmed this at the Rheinische Most of the main building (and the Poppelsdorfer Schloss) was destroyed in WWII, and students after the war had to contribute manual labor for the reconstruction.

[robo]

Sorry for the people from the USA but going to university in Europe can be done without selling a kidney. Education is a right, not a privilege. Greetings from Belgium 🇧🇪 Great video by the way 😎

[sparrowgab]

I loved the group of Rachels at the end : )

[amanchandra]

Pls never stop making these videos....

[patrickfitzgerald]

Put in the effort to make friends who will stay with you for life. For most young people that will end up being much more important than any particular course of study.

[cristianlicea]

Good timing! I'm currently applying to several universities in Germany. Although I know it's a huge change in my life and I'm quite nervous, I know it's a beautiful opportunity in many aspects and much more doable over there than here in California where I might just have to go in debt for decades.

[roxybella]

Idk how I feel about Rachel using my math textbook to explain universities in Germany

[justinreeves]

Oh Racheal how you always seem to amuse me. I’m glad to be a German!

[ishitasud]

pls explain different types of school in Germany from Grundschule to Gymnasium

[FantasKanal]

Not mentioned. The "Semesterbeitrag" thats between 100-350€ often includes a ticket for the local public transport for the semester.
Many Universities also have a Mensa, where you can get decent food for little money, aswell as some great libraries.
The Library in particular, is for many universities a way to show how great they are. A great example of an amazing library would be the one of the Leipziger Universität.

Most Universities also have an "Erstiwoche" which everyone should attend if you're new to the city/university, as you will get to know a few people that are not from your courses there.

[MrMartinNeumann]

I think one important aspect that was not mentioned was Fachschaften. It's a student union for a certain field of study. They are run and organized by students and represent the students towards the University and Professors. They often organize study groups, parties, introduction lections and all kinds of other support.

[ChadieRahimian]

I always wonder why higher education ranking websites refuse to include research institutions. With the amount of affiliated research institutes I assume the rankings would change dramatically, many german unis jumping to top 10 especially in STEM.

[Chrischi]

The reason why the master is so popular is because, due to the prior Diploma system, it’s quite hard to find jobs only with a Bachelors degree

[domaniac]

One important thing I missed, especially with the shot of the yous sitting in the lecture hall, was the traditional applause by knocking on the table at the end of the lecture.