What is the international student community like in Germany in 2026?

Berlin concentrates universities and research institutes across many districts and campuses, so the community is huge and geographically scattered. An ESN welcome walk can sit far from a distant Wohnheim, and S-Bahn time decides whether the social calendar is real.

Munich mixes large technical and university cohorts with a costly private rental market. Aachen (RWTH), Karlsruhe (KIT), Heidelberg, Dresden, and Göttingen form denser campus-centred weeks where classmates live closer together. Wider hub map: Biggest expat communities.

Start with your university International Office for enrolment, orientation, and buddy programmes. The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) runs local sections that organise trips, language evenings, and welcome weeks for international and local students, not only Erasmus exchangees.

A Studierendenwerk (student services organisation) manages many halls of residence, Mensas, and counselling. Some offer international service packages that bundle a room with starter help. Apply early: demand for Wohnheim places exceeds supply in Munich and Berlin long before term begins. Private WG rooms and short bridges fill the gap: How to rent a home and Short-term housing for newcomers.

English-taught master’s programmes are common in engineering and science, yet landlords, Bürgeramt desks, and many clubs still run in German: English in Germany. Friendships deepen through repeated Verein sport or music contact, not only orientation week: Making friends.