The popularization of higher education in the Federal Republic of Germany is very high. There are altogether 368 colleges and universities of various kinds with 1.9 million registered students spreading in its 16 federal states. Among them there are 127 comprehensive universities (Universität, including technological universities, normal universities, general universities, etc.) with more than 1.3 million students, 186 universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) with 0.48 million students, and 55 colleges and institutes in arts and music with more than 30,000 students. At present there are about 0.2 million foreign students in Germany. The number of freshmen every year is about 0.22 million. And there are more than 400 majors available in the various kinds of universities.
Most of the German colleges and universities locate in cities with good humanistic environment and natural environments. The excellent facilities for education, scientific research and living provide both objective and material assurance for the students to finish their college education.

Many of the German universities have a history of several hundred years. The principle of “Combined Research and Education” proposed by Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767 to 1835), the pioneer in the reform of higher education in Germany, is still highly praised as the guiding ideology for college education. Comprehensive universities are mainly engaged in cultivating reserve forces in sciences and they emphasize in systematic professional theoretical knowledge. Graduates from these universities usually have rather strong capability in independent work and scientific research.

With the rapid development of the modern industrial economy, large amounts of professionally capable talents who can solve the practical problems encountered during production need to be cultivated. Therefore, universities of applied sciences emerged and thrived in the recent several decades to meet this requirement. The education programs in these universities are closely connected with the practical needs and graduates from these universities are quite strong in practical ability besides grasping the necessary professional theoretical knowledge, thus they are very popular in enterprises.

While in colleges and institutes of arts, the individuality and the freedom in creation are highly promoted and the individual creativeness of the students are cultivated and exerted to the maximum. The German colleges and universities have a certain degree of “Freedom” in decisions concerning the hiring of professors and the enrollment of students.

German colleges and universities advocate the “Academic Freedom”. As for the arrangement of the educational courses, besides a few required courses the students can arrange their study schedules and elective courses all by their own according to the needs of their majors and their own interests. Students brought up by the “Babysitting Education” often feel at a loss when they first enter such universities and have trouble in adapting themselves to this for a period of time. So if you want to attend the college education program in Germany, you need to have excellent scores in study, rather strong capability in independent work and living and a high consciousness in self-study besides a sound economic support. Of course, rich knowledge in German and the fluent use of the German language are even more absolutely necessary.