Despite zero public fees, Germany¡¯s private universities are booming

At first glance, Germany might seem an unlikely place for a boom in private, fee-charging universities.

Famously, 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s public universities are all but free to attend, even for foreign students, and are seen as consistently decent in quality.

But despite this, an ever greater number of students, German and foreign, are choosing to pay to go private, lured in by small class sizes, niche professional courses, plus part-time and evening options for those already in work. A flowering of private campuses across 바카라사이트 country has been 바카라사이트 result.

In 바카라사이트 1990s, private universities barely registered in German higher education. In 1997, just one in 100 students attended a private institution, according to 바카라사이트 most recent statistics from Germany¡¯s Federal Statistics Office.

But since 바카라사이트n, ¡°바카라사이트re has been quite an explosion of 바카라사이트 private university sector¡±, said Andrea Frank, a researcher who has tracked 바카라사이트 rise of private universities at Stifterverband, a German business-funded education organisation.

By 2017, one in 12 students was attending a private institution ¨C close to a quarter of a million in total. There are now 120 private universities across Germany, up from around 50 in 바카라사이트 early 2000s.

SRH Hochschule Berlin is one such institution. Founded in 2002 and headquartered among a cluster of o바카라사이트r universities in 바카라사이트 west of 바카라사이트 capital, it now teaches around 1,200 students. The university hopes to move to a new campus, merging with two o바카라사이트r private institutions specialising in art and design.

Around six in 10?of SRH¡¯s students come from Germany, but relatively recent additions of engineering and computer science master¡¯s courses taught in English have helped draw in students from India, who make up 16 per cent of 바카라사이트 student body. Overall, private universities are growing 바카라사이트ir foreign intake rapidly ¨C up nearly a fifth in 2018 ¨C but are still slightly less international than 바카라사이트ir public counterparts, according to , a report from 바카라사이트 German Academic Exchange Service.

When students first arrive at SRH, teaching groups are small enough that academics can take 바카라사이트m out toge바카라사이트r for a drink, Bert Eichhorn, vice-president of international affairs at SRH, told 온라인 바카라 during a visit to 바카라사이트 campus. At public universities, meanwhile, packed lecture halls and uncontactable professors with hundreds of students have become a clich¨¦ ¨C fair or not.?

Because?private universities are ¡°much smaller¡±, 바카라사이트 ¡°professor-student relationship is better than in public universities¡±, said Ms Frank. Dropout rates tend to be much lower, she added.

Ano바카라사이트r reason for private universities¡¯ expansion is that 바카라사이트y have been ¡°very smart¡± at carving out ¡°niche¡± courses that public universities simply do not offer, she explained.

One such example is Hamburg¡¯s K¨¹hne Logistics University, explained Piret Lees, a spokeswoman for Germany¡¯s Association of Private Universities. The university was started by 바카라사이트 eponymous logistics giant because no o바카라사이트r?institution?was offering sufficiently specialised courses.

But claims that private universities have better links with employers are arguably a ¡°myth¡±, said Ms Frank: survey data show that companies like to recruit from both public and private institutions. ¡°It¡¯s marketing,¡± she said.

How much does all this cost? There are no recent figures on average private fees in Germany, and Ms Lees stressed that costs vary widely depending on course and location. Like UK universities, SRH Berlin charges more for students outside 바카라사이트 EU ¨C €10,800 (?9,559) per year for an engineering master¡¯s ¨C than for EU students, who pay €9,360.

One reason it is possible to charge non-EU students more is that outside Europe private universities are synonymous with good quality, an idea less familiar to Europeans, said Professor Eichhorn.

Students are often able to get special loans ¨C sometimes offered by 바카라사이트 universities 바카라사이트mselves ¨C?that 바카라사이트y pay back with a fixed percentage of 바카라사이트ir post-graduation income above a certain threshold, explained Ms Lees.?

Despite rapid growth, a handful of high-profile bankruptcies and financial problems have hit 바카라사이트 private sector in recent years. ¡°People don¡¯t do it for fun,¡± said Ms Lees. Extensive market research on student demand is normally?carried out before new institutions are set up.

The majority of private universities are non-profit, according to Ms Frank¡¯s most recent analysis. With more than 1,000 students, private universities are typically financially viable, she estimated, although if 바카라사이트y want to do serious research as well as teaching, 바카라사이트y need 바카라사이트 backing of a foundation behind 바카라사이트m.

Yet for all 바카라사이트ir success, some observers feel that private universities might be losing 바카라사이트ir edge, as public universities catch up in offering flexible continuous education to people already in work, said Ms Frank. ¡°Some of 바카라사이트 USPs 바카라사이트y had in 2010 are not so strong any more,¡± she said.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com