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Why small German university towns are the best for foreign students

The first challenge when thinking about where to study in Germany is this - where should I go? A country town or big city?

Published: 6 March 2017 16:25 CET
Why small German university towns are the best for foreign students
The old town hall, Bamberg. Photo:DPA

Small town university life in Germany has more pros than cons and promises a high level of cultural exposure, making it the perfect choice for those who want to immerse themselves in German daily life.

Here are the top five reasons why studying in a small German uni town is the best.

1. The food

Photo: DPA 

As most small towns are more reliant on charming independent bakeries, cafes and restaurants than on chains, you’re more likely to notice and try local specialities than you would be in a big city. 

The best time of year for this is definitely Christmas, when local baked goods are all the rage, such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber’s Schneeball biscuit – a rare find outside of Franconia. Though not a university town itself, Rothenburg ob der Tauber is well worth a day trip and can be accessed from nearby university towns such as Würzburg. 

When living in Bamberg in northern Bavaria, my favourite thing to sample was the huge selection of beers. The tiny town has nine breweries and is home to Rauchbier, which tastes somewhat like smoked bacon.

2. The fairytale architecture

Bamberg. Photo: DPA

Who doesn’t want to wake up every morning to quaint, ageing houses or beautiful baroque facades?  

Some smaller uni towns – such as Bayreuth, Regensburg, Bamberg and Würzburg – are themselves or contain within them UNESCO World Heritage Sites, internationally appreciated for their beauty.

Strolling through the streets of Bamberg really was a dream.

The contrast between the grand architecture of the cathedral and the sloping medieval roofs was not only a constant reminder of the town's rich history, but was pretty easy on the eyes too. 

3. You bump into friends all the time

Regensburg. Photo: DPA 

You’re never far from a friend in a small town, which will make you feel at home very quickly!

Establishing roots in a new place is the best way to banish homesickness.

Thankfully this is pretty easy to do in a small town as it is not uncommon to bump into classmates, lecturers or the bar staff from your favourite local pub as you’re picking up your groceries.

4. People are more likely to speak German to you 

Photo: DPA

This is probably the biggest selling point of all. With the exception of some students who are actually studying English, you should have a fair shot at practising and improving your German.

Rural areas are more accustomed to locals than tourists, and therefore are more reliant on German than English.

5. You can learn a dialect

Examples of the Upper-Franconian dialect. Photo: DPA

Though you’ll get a chance to practice your German, you might struggle a bit with local dialects, common in smaller towns.

However, this is an opportunity to learn some niche words to impress people with upon your return to your homeland (if you choose to return, that is).

It’s also a cool way to understand how language develops on a local level.

It's not all good though…

That said, there are a couple of downsides:

Regensburg. Photo: DPA

Buses tend to stop running early in sleepy small towns, so if you want to have a late night out, it’ll be a taxi home for you. Though in fairness, most places are walking distance from one another.

Not only this, but what are you to do with yourself once you have visited the few small museums in your adoptive town?

Cities do have more to offer in terms of cool things to see. But a short city break could be the answer to this problem while you live in and absorb all the day-to-day culture of a small German town.

SEE ALSO: These are Germany's top ten universities

EDUCATION

English-language programmes at Danish universities face cuts

Denmark's government has agreed on a plan to significantly reduce the number of courses offered in English in the country's universities.

Published: 2 July 2021 16:31 CEST
English-language programmes at Danish universities face cuts
Life sciences faculty hold an open house at Copenhagen University. The university is now expected to reduce admissions as part of a plan to decentralise higher education in Denmark. Photo: Thomas Lekfeldt / Ritzau Scanpix

At the end of June, the plan aims to reduce the number of English-language higher education programmes while also expanding educational opportunities outside of Denmark’s major cities.

The exact number of courses to be cut – and where they will be cut – depends on the future employment of graduates.

Cuts to English-language programmes

The reduction of English-language programmes at institutions of higher education is rooted in an effort to reduce rising costs of state educational grants (SU) in Denmark. Despite attempts to reduce SU expenses, the cost is expected to rise to 570 million kroner by 2025, far above the cap of 449 million kroner set in 2013. 

There are a number of cases in which non-Danish citizens are entitled to SU, from moving to Denmark with one’s parents, marrying a Danish citizen, residing in Denmark for more than 5 years, status as a worker in Denmark, and more.

The reduction is targeted at English-language programmes where few English-speaking students find employment in Denmark after graduation, according to Denmark’s Ministry of Education and Research. 

Among the targeted programmes are business academies and professional bachelor programmes, where 72 percent of students are English-speaking and only 21 percent find work in Denmark after completing their education. 

However, programmes where higher proportions of English students enter the Danish workforce, and those that have a unique significance on the regional labour market, will be exempt from the reduction. This amounts to 650 education institutions around the country. 

In 2016, students demonstrated against cuts in SU. Photo: Emil Hougaard / Ritzau Scanpix

The agreement also establishes a financial incentive for institutions that graduate English-speaking students who remain to work in Denmark.

According to a June 10 analysis from consulting firm Deloitte, EU students who receive higher education in Denmark contribute an average of nearly 650,000 kroner to Denmark’s public coffers over a lifetime. 

However, the report notes, a student’s positive or negative contribution depends on how long they stay in Denmark. Although students who leave Denmark shortly after graduating constitute a cost to the Danish state, the analysis found that the contribution of students who stay in Denmark to work offsets the cost of those who leave.

The analysis expressed concern that reducing opportunities for English-language higher education could “have a number of unintended negative consequences,” including deterring students who might stay in Denmark to work from moving in the first place. There’s also the risk that it will become more difficult to recruit foreign researchers to Danish universities, which could impact education quality, the analysis claims.

The UCN professional school in Thisted is expected to open one new training program as a result of the decentralisation plan. Photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

Decentralisation of Danish education

The plan to decentralise higher education in Denmark not only expands educational opportunities outside of Denmark’s major cities, but it also aims to reduce enrollment in higher education within major cities by 10 percent by 2030 (but not more than 20 percent).

For example, a law programme will be established in Esbjerg, a medical programme in Køge and a veterinary programme in Foulum.

Minister of Education and Research Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen said the goal was to offer students educational opportunities regardless of where they live within Denmark and strengthen the economy outside of major cities. 

However, the Danish Chamber of Commerce, Dansk Erhverv, expressed concern that the decentralisation plan doesn’t factor in labour demands within Denmark’s major cities.

Mads Eriksen, head of education and research policy at Dansk Erhverv, said it was “unwise” for programmes to reduce acceptance rates to in-demand fields in that particular city. 

“They are trying to solve a problem with labour in the countryside, but at the same time they are creating labour problems in the cities,” Eriksen said. “The English-language programme cuts are far more aligned with the demands of the labour market.”

Denmark has utilised unemployment-based admission for higher education since 2015. Programmes whose graduates experience unemployment consistently 2 percent higher than average are subject to a 30 percent admission cut.

Eriksen thinks it shouldn’t be a matter of reducing admissions across several universities by

“For example, we have five philosophy education programmes in Denmark, each of which have high unemployment rates among graduates,” Eriksen said, referencing a recent Dansk Erhverv analysis. 

He would prefer to see resources concentrated into making a couple of those programmes the best they can be and closing the rest, versus reducing admissions in all five programmes. “We have to be ready to close programmes that continue to have high unemployment, not just reduce them.”

In 2018, the University of Southern Denmark closed one English-language program and converted two from English to Danish. Photo: Tim Kildeborg Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix

Opposite impacts on provincial institutions

Gitte Sommer Harrits, vice chancellor at VIA University College, shared concern that although the decentralised education aspect of the plan aims to increase the number of students at provincial universities, the reduction of English-language programmes is likely to have the opposite effect.

A report from the organisation Akademikerne in early June found that international students have played a significant role filling educational institutions outside of Danish cities. Nine of the 10 educational institutions with the largest proportion of English-speaking students are outside the country’s largest cities. 

The University of Southern Denmark in Sønderborg has the highest proportion of international students; 40 percent of its 628 students are not affiliated with Denmark or other Nordic countries. 

While significantly larger with nearly 37,000 students, Copenhagen University has 5.2 percent international students.

Already in 2018, the University of Southern Denmark closed one English-language programme and converted two others from English to Danish after the Danish government ordered universities to reduce the number of international students.

Harrits said she found the possible closure of English-language programmes drawing international students to provincial areas to be puzzling when paired with the intention to decentralise education.

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