The TAZ article "Das Geschäft mit den Studis" sheds a critical light on the situation of Indian students at the IU International University in Berlin, portraying a picture of exploitation, insecurity, and disappointed expectations. Through individual biographies, structural problems like housing shortages, financial burdens, and difficulties in dealing with authorities are presented. But how representative are these experiences actually? My nuanced analysis shows that many of the mentioned challenges have societal causes and affect students of various backgrounds. I critically examine the accusations raised in the TAZ article, put them into empirical context, and illuminate the extent and balance of the depiction.

What is the TAZ article about?

The TAZ article Junge Inder in Deutschland - Das Geschäft mit den Studis from 07-01-2025 reports on Indian students at the IU International University in Berlin, focusing on the challenges they face in the German university environment. It highlights two exemplary biographies of students who narrate their journey from India to Germany, encountering financial, organizational, and personal problems.

What does the report describe?

The author Nina Scholz describes how high tuition fees, placement costs, mandatory blocked accounts, and the difficult apartment search pose significant burdens for many students. The affected students often have to live in overpriced, cramped accommodations and depend on side jobs in delivery services or gastronomy. Additionally, bureaucratic hurdles, such as visa extensions, and uncertainties in dealing with the university, especially concerning online teaching and attendance requirements, add to their challenges.

Which institutional actors are mentioned?

In addition to the students themselves, private universities like IU, placement agencies, and the Berlin Immigration Office are in focus. The business models targeting international students and the inadequate support from authorities and universities, as perceived by the affected individuals, are critically addressed.

What is the tone of the article?

The article uses emotional examples, strong imagery, and pointed formulations like comparing the situation of students to "slaves" to illustrate the students' predicament. The report suggests a systemic problem: young people are lured to Germany with promises only to find themselves living and working in precarious conditions.

Overall, the TAZ article paints a picture of a sub-system within higher education that poses particular challenges for international students from India and South Asia, structurally disadvantaging them. Whether this depiction reflects the reality of many students or primarily individual fates is a subject for further analysis.

Are these isolated cases or a trend?

The TAZ article extensively presents the experiences of two Indian students at a private university in Berlin. This creates the impression that the challenges described are typical for the majority of international students from India. However, an overarching classification or comparison with other student groups is missing.

A look at the available data reveals a more nuanced picture:

• Number of Indian students: With around 43,000 students, Indians are now the largest group of international students at German universities.
• Distribution: The majority are enrolled at public universities. Private universities like IU are playing an increasing role but remain a special case.
• Success rates: The majority of Indian students successfully complete their studies or stay longer in Germany. Many report good integration opportunities and career prospects.
• Challenges: Difficulties in finding accommodation, side jobs, and dealing with authorities are common in German cities and not exclusive to international students. Many German students also struggle with similar issues.

What is missing in the TAZ article are:

• Positive examples of Indian students satisfied with their choice of study.
• Perspectives from other nationalities or German students overcoming similar hurdles.
• Empirical data to contextualise the cases described within the overall picture.

Thus, the article remains a dramatization of individual experiences without adequate statistical or systemic contextualisation. A thorough journalistic analysis would need to consider various perspectives and the actual prevalence of the described issues to paint a realistic picture.

What are the challenges in the housing and job markets really like?

Studying in Berlin: High rents, long waiting times in dormitories, and a side job for the majority - these four facts illustrate how German and international students live and work in the capital.

The difficulties in apartment hunting and financing the cost of living described in the TAZ article are portrayed as specific problems faced by Indian students. However, these are challenges that affect many students in German cities in a similar way.

Housing shortage: The housing market in cities like Berlin has been tight for years. Rents are high, affordable housing is scarce - this affects German and international students alike. According to current statistics, student dormitories are often overcrowded, and waiting lists are the norm. Many students, regardless of origin or status, are forced to seek expensive and often temporary accommodation on the open market.

Furnished rentals and costs: The increasing number of furnished apartments and short-term rentals has led to rising prices, especially for individuals without long-term residency permits or sufficient language skills. This problem not only affects international students but is an expression of an overall strained housing market.

Side jobs and employment: Financial strain compels many students to take on side jobs, often in sectors like gastronomy, logistics, or delivery services. These jobs are usually low-paying and often inflexible. Here, too, it is not only international students who are affected: many German students must cope with similar working conditions to finance their studies.

Specific challenges for international students: Nevertheless, there are some additional hurdles: those who are new to Germany and do not have German language skills or a local network often find it harder to find accommodation or a suitable side job. Language barriers and lack of knowledge of German laws make international students particularly vulnerable to dubious offers and exploitation.

The problems in the housing and job markets are therefore not a singular phenomenon for Indian or other international students but reflect societal challenges. A differentiated view shows that many of the difficulties described in the TAZ article are systemic in nature and affect various groups equally.

What is known about the study structure and teaching quality at IU?

The TAZ article accuses the International University (IU) of not being a "real university" and primarily offering online courses with low presence and support. However, this assessment remains one-sided and is not contextualised through comparisons with other universities or through a comprehensive analysis.

Online teaching and blended learning

Online teaching and so-called "blended learning" models, which combine online and face-to-face events, have become common at many German and international universities, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, and are increasingly expanding. Even state universities offer significant amounts of digital teaching in some programmes. Therefore, the fact that teachers are not always present on-site or that courses take place online at short notice is not unique to private providers like IU.

Accreditation and graduation

IU is a privately recognised university in Germany. It is a university of applied sciences, not a university. Its programmes are regularly reviewed and accredited. The degree conferred by IU is academically recognised in Germany and Europe. The implied distinction between "real" and "fake" universities in the article does not reflect the legal situation.

Quality and support

Similar to other universities, there are feedbacks at IU that address both strengths and weaknesses. While some students benefit from flexible learning conditions and international orientation, others report issues with supervision, accessibility, or the organisation of individual courses. Such differences in experience are also known at state universities and are not peculiar to IU.

Response to criticism and regulatory requirements

In response to regulatory requirements and student feedback, IU has announced adjustments, such as a stronger expansion of face-to-face components from autumn 2025. These steps demonstrate that the university is adapting to challenges and responding to feedback.

The blanket criticism expressed in the TAZ article regarding study formats and quality overlooks that modern higher education increasingly encompasses hybrid formats - irrespective of the provider. Graduates at IU also earn a recognised degree. A thorough assessment would need to include comparisons with other universities and consider different perspectives.

How do authorities, bureaucracy, and visa policies affect international students?

The TAZ article extensively discusses the uncertainties and problems that Indian students encounter when dealing with German authorities - such as visa extensions, registration addresses, or the recognition of their study formats. However, the portrayal remains largely limited to the perspective of individual affected students.

• Bureaucratic challenges: Many students in Germany - regardless of origin or status - report difficulties in dealing with foreign authorities, long processing times, and changing responsibilities. These challenges are often a result of staffing shortages, high workloads, and complex legal requirements. Especially in major cities, waiting times for appointments, lack of communication, and procedural uncertainty are not uncommon.
• Special situation at IU: In the case of IU, problems arose because the competent authority had doubts whether it was a presence study programme, as required for a permanent residence permit. Here, a dilemma arises: on the one hand, flexible, digital study models are modern and desired; on the other hand, the residence law is still designed for traditional face-to-face degree programmes. However, the resulting legal uncertainty does not only affect IU but could also impact other universities increasingly digitising their study formats.
• Perspective of the authorities: The article refers to communication between the university and the authority but largely overlooks that the authorities are bound by existing legal requirements. They are obligated to assess whether all criteria for issuing and extending residence permits are met. At the same time, there are discretionary powers that can lead to different assessments and uncertainties.
• Comparison to other student groups: Students from other countries, as well as German students with migration backgrounds or complex situations, regularly face comparable bureaucratic challenges. It is not an isolated issue of a single university or nationality but a societal concern.

The challenges in dealing with authorities are real; however, they result from structural conditions of the German administrative apparatus. A nuanced examination would need to shed more light on both the legal foundations and the institutional constraints of the authorities rather than narrowing the problem down to individual universities or countries of origin.

What linguistic devices does the TAZ article use - Information or dramatization?

A critical examination of the TAZ article reveals that the report heavily relies on emotionally charged formulations and vivid imagery. Terms like "like slaves" or "exploited" shape the framing of the students' depicted living situation. Coupled with images of delivery service work, cramped living conditions, and shattered expectations, these linguistic tools are not uncommon in journalistic reporting when it comes to making grievances visible. However, they also contribute to creating a very negative, sometimes sensationalist mood. Objective classification, relativisation, or the mention of possible positive counterexamples are hardly present. Instead, the focus remains on individual helplessness and systemic failure.

The combination of dramatic language and selective image selection can significantly influence the readership's perception. The danger lies in generalising individual negative experiences and projecting structural problems onto specific actors or groups.

Especially in the fields of educational policy and migration, a balanced representation is crucial to enable nuanced discussions. The lack of broader contextualisation in the TAZ article and the emotional intensification indicate a lack of journalistic balance and the risk of reinforcing biases or misconceptions.

A well-founded reporting should incorporate various perspectives and experiences, clearly distinguish facts from subjective evaluations.

Conclusion: What is needed for an objective debate?

The analysis of the TAZ article shows that the described problems of individual Indian students reflect real challenges but are not adequately differentiated and contextualised in their presentation. Many of the difficulties - such as apartment hunting, side jobs, or dealing with authorities - affect students of various backgrounds and are indicative of overarching societal and structural deficiencies.

The article generalises individual experiences and largely omits the presentation of positive examples, empirical data, or alternative viewpoints. This creates a distorted picture that contributes more to scandalisation than to constructive problem-solving.

For a well-founded, balanced reporting, it is necessary to:

• include various student groups and study formats,
• name structural backgrounds and causes,
• critically contextualise statements and substantiate them with reliable data,
• as well as consider the voices of universities, authorities, and student representations equally.

This way, the public discussion about international students, university structures, and integration issues can be informed. Differentiated analyses and the integration of reliable data are prerequisites to address grievances systematically, develop solutions, and strengthen the trust of all parties involved. Only through such an approach can the potentials of international students for German science and society truly be utilised.