The rankings of the most popular student cities in Germany are as predictable as a train schedule. The top spots in most of them are occupied by Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg. As Deutsche Welle notes, such a focus on the most famous and large German cities is almost insulting, given that universities are evenly distributed throughout the country. Moreover, many German cities whose names are not well-known are much more worthy of the title "student city" than those notorious megacities.
How to choose a place to study? After all, a university is not located in an open field: when enrolling in a university, a student gets a whole city, and it is better to prepare for life there in advance. Rankings are rankings, but the facts are what is interesting.
Facts often contradict rankings. For example, in the ranking of the world's most attractive cities for students compiled by QS, Munich is in the top 20. However, "insiders" claim that all that glitters is not gold.
"Students, especially international students, often overestimate Munich," says Anke van Kempen, press secretary of the Munich Association for the Promotion of University Students. "They come here because our universities have an excellent reputation and city life is bustling. Then, when all bridges are burned, they realize that living here is very expensive. In our consultations, we try to bring applicants down to earth."
At least two Munich universities—the Technical University and Ludwig Maximilian University—are among the best in Germany. Moreover, Bavaria is home to the headquarters of many global corporations: automakers BMW and MAN, technology giant Siemens. Therefore, finding a student job or an internship is easier than in other cities. However, high apartment rental prices are explained by the average income of the population. By this measure, the Bavarian capital is one of the wealthiest cities in Germany.
But one must understand that by choosing Munich, a student also chooses a certain lifestyle. "To sustain yourself in this city, you have to hustle," warns Anke van Kempen. "Living according to the usual student routine—from dormitory to university, to the cafeteria, and back—you can quickly run out of money."
"Intuitively, I would not call Munich a student city," says Anke van Kempen. "The student army numbers 90,000 people, but except for a few districts, they do not define the city's character." Students make up only 7 percent of Munich's population. In other megacities, the situation is similar—in Cologne and Frankfurt am Main, students also account for about 7 percent of residents, in Berlin and Hamburg only 4 percent.
Of course, there are differences: according to Focus magazine, the average rental cost per square meter of living space in Munich is twice as high as in Berlin. So, oddly enough, living in the federal capital is cheaper than in the capital of a large region. True student cities should be sought elsewhere.
True student centers include cities where the share of students among residents ranges from 15 to 45 percent. There are three bicycles per resident. From the windows of a café or bar, you can listen to lectures in the lecture hall. At a party, it is impossible to meet a "normal person"—only students. The most famous of such cities are Heidelberg and Tübingen. The smallest are Wildau and Mittweida. The largest are Mainz and Münster.
"Our city is neither too big nor too small; cycling here is a pleasure," says Norbert Robers, press secretary of the University of Münster. "And students are a decisive factor in our city's appearance. Almost on every corner, you can find some mention of the university." No wonder, because in this small city, the university occupies 250 buildings, and its main building is the city palace.
Studying in a student city has its pros and cons. The cons are obvious. For the most part, these are provincial cities. "Study for a couple of years in Heidelberg, and you wish that the volcano that was here a million years ago would wake up and 'ignite' the city a bit," write disappointed students on forums. "How can you give the best years of your life to a city with a population of 50,000 where boredom is deadly?" wonder students from megacities.
However, there are quite a few pros. First, prices in bars, discos, cafés, and cinemas are affordable for students. "Münster cannot be called cheap, but only among cities of its weight class," says Norbert Robers. "Frankfurt or Munich are several times more expensive." Second, you study without distractions. Everyone around is your own; students and teachers know each other. This is not Berlin, where you step out of the lecture hall and disappear into the vast space.
Analyzing the statistics, it turns out that in Germany you can study in three types of cities. The first type is megacities: there are many students, but they dissolve in the crowd. You can live here both cheaply (Berlin) and expensively (Munich, Frankfurt am Main). But the main thing is that it is easy to disconnect from university life and easier to find a job after graduation.
The second type is a symbiosis of the city and the university. It is just hard to understand where one begins and the other ends. These cities include classic "student abodes." An excellent place to get a good education without distractions and with minimal stress, according to a proven recipe. Some cities on the list have a reputation as boring towns, but rationally speaking, a large percentage of students can turn any hole into the most fascinating place.
And the third type is simply a city that has one or more universities. In short, there is plenty to choose from.
Germany, on a relatively small area, has an amazing diversity of cities and lifestyles. From resorts on the Baltic Sea to alpine meadows, forests in the Black Forest, the port cities of Kiel and Hamburg, the 'eastern pearls' of Leipzig and Dresden, small idyllic towns on the Rhine, and most importantly – almost everywhere there are good universities where you can get a quality education.
Read the material on the topic: WHERE IS A STUDENT TO LIVE WELL – ranking of the 20 best student cities in the world