University of Lancaster Opens Campus in Leipzig

In order to remain attractive for international students after Brexit, the English Lancaster University will be opening a new location in Leipzig in September. In the next ten years, up to 2,000 young people from all over the world are expected to study business and IT here.

As early as the autumn this year, studies are set to begin with a "Foundation Program" for the first participants. The first objective is to ensure a uniform level of education for international students. The basic program, a kind of "Studienkolleg" preparatory course, will be organized by the international education service provider Navitas, which will also be responsible for student recruitment and administrative tasks.

The undergraduate program is scheduled to launch in September 2020,

with up to 2,000 students enrolled at Lancaster University. It will exclusively offer Bachelor's programs in business and IT: "Business and Management", "Accounting and Finance", "Software Engineering" and "Computing". Courses will be held entirely in English. The Saxon State Ministry of Science and Art has already accredited the courses, and Lancaster University is engaged in dialogue with other Leipzig universities. Research will also be conducted at the new Leipzig campus.

After the Brexit decision, the university was initially vaguely interested in a location in Germany and contacted the Federal Economic Development Corporation (Germany Trade and Invest). Several cities in Germany were shortlisted as potential locations. To turn the decision pro Leipzig, it was an excellent teamwork between Germany Trade and Invest, The Economic Development of Saxony and the Invest Region Leipzig GmbH.

"Since June 2018, we at Invest Region Leipzig have stood by the University's side and, among other things, have helped them find a suitable location in our region," says Michael Kröner, Invest Region Leipzig's Managing Director. "We have also opened doors to decision makers in Saxony and Leipzig and clarified questions about the German tax and legal system." Currently, our company is helping the British set up a company in Germany to facilitate the search for suitable university staff that will also pave the way in the future.

Background

With Britain's possible withdrawal from the European Union, it will become more difficult for students from non-EU countries to obtain a visa for their studies. Furthermore, they must leave the country immediately after completing their studies. Whereas in Germany, it is easier for international students to obtain a visa and they are also allowed to work for two years after completing their studies without any further permits.

About Lancaster University

Lancaster University in the northwest of England is a well-known public university. The more than 12,000 students originate from over 100 countries. It is listed among the top 10 universities in the United Kingdom in a number of rankings.