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Potsdam / Eberswalde (dpa / bb) - The Corona crisis has caused the number of foreign students at Brandenburg's universities to collapse - however, enrollments have remained almost stable.

According to an estimate by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the number of international first-year students fell sharply in the past summer and winter semesters.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 450 over 43 percent fewer students in the 2020 summer semester than in the 2019 summer semester. However, according to the DAAD, a total of 7817 students from abroad were enrolled in the 2020 summer semester than 7808 in the same period of the previous year.

"The travel restrictions from early summer 2020 have reduced the number of international first-year students in all federal states," said DAAD spokesman Michael Flacke.

At the same time, the universities made it possible to start studying digitally.

Many students would have added a master's degree directly after a bachelor's degree or postponed their final exams due to Corona.

The pandemic ensures that fewer students are present on campus, but this has little effect on the enrollment figures due to digital teaching offers.

At the University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde (HNEE), new enrollments of foreign students have increased despite the pandemic.

That was less due to Corona, said spokeswoman Johanna Köhle.

"Above all, our internationally oriented range of courses and new partnerships play a decisive role here."

The HNEE could have accepted even more international students if it hadn't reached its capacity limits, she said.

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The University of Potsdam also remains interesting for students from abroad - according to university information, among other things because of digital offers.

In the past winter semester, according to spokeswoman Silke Engel, 96 students from abroad spent a semester there, which is similar to the winter semester 2019/2020.

"Students who cannot or do not want to come to Germany are given the opportunity to study online at the University of Potsdam," said Engel.

Support, consultation hours and introductory events also take place online.

"The student exchange programs are basically going on," said Marita Müller, spokeswoman for the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus − Senftenberg (BTU).

The number of foreigners studying at the BTU has been roughly halved in the corona pandemic, similar to the number of BTU students studying abroad.

Otherwise there were always up to 130 international students at the BTU for one or two semesters.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210408-99-123185 / 2

PR of the DAAD on foreign interests