As far as I know this has been mostly about boosting "diversity" quotas at Germa...

r3m6 · on April 2, 2015

How about: "...to improve academic overall performance" instead of "... in order to perform better in international rankings."

Diversity has proven benefits in many cases, I see it in my daily work. It is much more than just a number in a ranking.

> low-income regions (e.g. ex-Russian territory, Asia)

Asia? Low-income? These times are gone in many places. You need to update your knowledge. Diversity in your workplace could help :-)

stfu · on April 2, 2015

You don't find it a "bit" surprising that U.S. students don't even make it in the Top10 countries of origin? http://www.iie.org/Services/Project-Atlas/Germany/Internatio...

In regards to the ranking - one of the most important rankings for international Universities is the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Methodology section: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-ranki... this factor is measured by the ratio of international to domestic students and is worth 2.5 per cent of the overall score.

German Universities have a big issue about ranking performances, case and point giving certain Universities a Government issued "elite" title.

brazzy · on April 2, 2015

Bullshit. University has been tuition-free in Germany for decades, except for some states for a few years recently.

k__ · on April 2, 2015

But how much?

At the remote university in Hagen I paid ~120€ a year for the student union. Every course is 60-100€.

At the university in Stuttgart I paid ~300€ a year and all courses were free.

There was a time I paid 500€ per semester extra, but they are long gone.