International students in Germany have described a ¡°sense of unease¡± following last month¡¯s federal elections, which saw the far-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) become the second largest party in the Bundestag.

The anti-immigration, anti-Islam AfD, which has called for the mass deportation of migrants, is highly unlikely to form a part of the next government thanks to the German ¡°firewall¡± against the far-right. The conservative Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) alliance, which topped the polls in February's snap election, is expected to form a coalition with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), with CDU leader Friedrich Merz as chancellor.

But after securing more than a fifth of votes, rising to around a third in eastern states, the AfD is likely to wield significant political influence. For Germany¡¯s international student population ¨C which reached record heights this academic year, totalling more than 400,000 ¨C this is a distinct cause for concern.

Chelsy Wambui Kiiru, a business and economics student from Kenya who is pursuing a bachelor¡¯s degree at the University of Applied Sciences Schmalkalden, Thuringia, said the rhetoric of the AfD ¡°definitely creates a sense of unease¡±. The party won the most votes in Thuringia¡¯s state elections last September, although it was subsequently frozen out of government by other parties.

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¡°I¡¯ve been on the receiving end of racism and oftentimes, I find myself paying much closer attention to everything around me,¡± Kiiru told É«ºÐÖ±²¥. ¡°The increased visibility of anti-immigrant sentiment is impossible to ignore.

¡°It makes you feel so alone, so anxious, and like you don¡¯t really fit in, like a diminished sense of belonging.¡±

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Kiiru chose to study in Germany due to its ¡°reputation for high quality education and its relatively affordable tuition fees¡±, as well as the country¡¯s ¡°strong economy and job prospects¡±. While she described her experience as ¡°mostly positive¡±, citing the support of her university as well as a ¡°welcoming¡± local community, ¡°it would be disingenuous to ignore that racial aggression is a reality for many internationals in this region¡±, she said.

?ron Fl¨®dung, a mathematics student from Hungary attending the University of Bonn, said his time in Germany had been ¡°very positive overall¡±, adding, ¡°I quickly found German friends who happily introduced me to the local culture and have helped me with my German.¡± He plans to pursue postgraduate studies at Bonn after completing his bachelor¡¯s degree, he said.

¡°With that said, I think I must mention that the attitude towards foreigners in general has been changing in Germany and that does make me slightly concerned, mostly for other international students in the future,¡± Fl¨®dung said.

Describing international students as an ¡°essential part of a diverse, innovative and dynamic academic community¡±, Matthias Anbuhl, chief executive of the student union umbrella organisation Deutsches Studierendenwerk (DSW), said: ¡°Germany desperately needs talents and innovators from abroad, and we should do anything possible to welcome them here, and try to make them want to stay in our country.¡±

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To ensure the ¡°social integration, participation and inclusion of all students¡±, Anbuhl said, universities and related organisations should ¡°work together even more on creating more opportunities for international students to make contacts with the population, with their German peers, and to truly participate in social life in their cities and neighbourhoods¡±.

Kiiru said her institution offers ¡°valuable resources like language courses and cultural organisations¡±, but could still do more to support international students. ¡°I feel they could unlock even greater potential by actively fostering intercultural dialogue and proactively addressing discrimination with more awareness campaigns and workshops,¡± she said.

Looking to her future after graduation, Kiiru described Germany¡¯s political climate as ¡°a concern¡±, adding: ¡°I want to live somewhere that champions diversity. At the same time, I¡¯m looking at job opportunities and where my skills will be most valuable.¡±

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com