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🇩🇪 Germany /Economy & Trade

International Students in Germany Quickly Pay Back Their Public Cost, Study Says

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Documents & data Context piece
  • A study by the Institute of the German Economy says taxes and social contributions from international graduates exceed public support costs two years after graduation.
  • Of international students who began studying in 2023, 45% are expected to enter Germany’s skilled labor market after graduating and about 34% are expected to remain until retirement.
  • The study estimates lifetime economic value of about 127 billion euros and a long-term public-sector surplus of 23.1 billion euros for that cohort.

International students in Germany quickly become a financial gain for the state, according to a study commissioned by the German Academic Exchange Service. The taxes and social contributions paid by graduates exceed the public benefits they receive, including the cost of their university places, just two years after graduation.

The Institute of the German Economy based its assessment on microcensus data. It tracked international graduates through retirement and calculated their broader economic and fiscal effects. The study defines international students as people who come to Germany to study.

For the nearly 82,000 international students who began their studies in 2023 with the intention of graduating, the institute estimates total economic value over their working lives at about 127 billion euros. It projects a long-term surplus of 23.1 billion euros for public budgets.

The more international students Germany attracts and retains in the country, the greater the economic added value for Germany.

· Wido Geis-ThöneThe author of the study argued that international students represent a profitable investment in securing skilled workers.

The report says 45% of an international student intake will remain available to Germany’s labor market as qualified workers after completing their studies. About 34% are expected to stay in the country until retirement. Gutachten author Wido Geis-Thöne called spending on their education a profitable investment in securing skilled labor and urged Germany to preserve existing capacity and create additional university places.

DAAD President Joybrato Mukherjee said international students and doctoral candidates play an important role in the German economy. He said Germany must offer attractive living and study conditions, along with a welcoming culture that helps international talent enter university, society and the labor market. Around 420,000 international students and doctoral candidates were enrolled at German higher-education institutions in the 2025-26 winter semester, based on a survey of 212 institutions.

The current IW study once again shows the important role that international students and doctoral candidates play for the German economy.

· Joybrato MukherjeeThe DAAD president highlighted the economic contribution of international students and researchers.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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