This pamphlet compares the UK and German higher education systems and find some stark differences.
Funding: While fees were being tripled in England, German states were abolishing them.
Internationalisation: While the UK has been sending mixed messages to potential international students, Germany has looked outwards as a way to strengthen its higher education sector.
Research: While the UK has tended to root research in universities, Germany has based much of it in non-teaching institutions, with profound effects on the two countries’ standing in the league tables.
On some issues, such as successful applications for European funding, the two countries are more alike. As the UK prepares for a referendum on membership of the EU, the breadth of British-German links in academic research stands as an exemplar for how independent nations can work together for the common good.