The internationalisation of higher education: the German perspective

Abstract

This paper describes the context for and developments related to the internationalisation of higher education in Germany. Considerable mobility of students and scholars already exists, much of it taking place without special public financial support. Nonetheless, more needs to be done to encourage greater mobility. In this connection, Germany makes available financial support for those participating in foreign study or research. More recently, there has been a trend toward support for groups rather than individual students, for a more intensive ‘prestructuring’ of the stay abroad and a stronger international dimension in larger scientific projects. Both financial support and favourable conditions are seen as necessary for programmes aimed at promoting effective exchanges. The central need, in the face of limited resources, is to develop and implement the most effective ways to bring about internationalisation in systems of higher education.