Indian-origin founder urges students to avoid taking loans for 'scammy' German universities: 'They sell you a dream'

An Indian-origin entrepreneur and researcher has warned Indian students against taking huge loans to get into "scammy" private universities in Germany. Mayukh Panja, the founder of Populations, an AI firm, took to X (formerly Twitter) to students who are "desperate" to come to Europe to get admissions into private universities.

He said he had seen numerous students doing "12 hours of delivery/restaurant/gig work" who were extremely underpaid and abused in Berlin. "Please don’t take out huge loans and go into debt to get admitted to third-rate private universities here. You will face extreme hardship, both mental and financial, for little to no reward," he warned.

He said there are many universities in Germany which work as "visa mills" and "sell you a dream" that if students manage to make the move, their lives will be financially sorted forever and there will be an abundance of job offers to pick from once they graduate.

"These universities are very scammy, have a low barrier to entry (you can more or less buy a seat), and extremely low teaching standards. Students who come here are forced to take up underpaid and often illegal gig work to survive and they are easy targets for shady companies. And then they realise that their university degree is pretty much worthless. Both in Germany and in India," he claimed.

For those still interested in moving to Germany, he suggested applying for state-run universities which are cheap but very competitive with high standards. "Please don’t take out a 30 lakh loan, or sell family land to fall for a scam. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true," he advised.

Moreover, he called out Indians on X who are "relentlessly advising" young people to get out of the country "by hook or by crook" cautioning that they are impressionable young people who "might do stupid things."

Panja also shared that Germany has some top-tier research institutes in fundamental sciences and engineering and if one gets to work in either of the above, Germany is "a pretty amazing place to be."

Social media users react

Panja's post resonated with numerous users online, who shared their own experiences about studying and working in Europe.

"German student Reddit is full of people asking about these places and everyone screaming at them not to do it and they do it anyway. " No private business marketing degree/MBA in Germany is a good idea" wrote a user on X.

"Berliner here, can confirm! You will be one of hundreds of Indian food delivery guys riding through heat, rain and snow. All of your income will be spent on rent and Uni. And you will sleep through the lectures because you are exhausted, as my professor friend told me," added another.

"I've been very carefully applying to State run Unis in Germany now for my Master's in Electronics Engineering. Hoping I get into one. I have a few friends in Europe and Germany and the first advice from them was to avoid private universities at all costs," shared a student.

"And even if they come, it is not easy to find a decent-paying job (>70-80K). Language skills of B2 level are mandatory for most jobs and salary hikes are basically non- existent (1-2%). I think young professionals cannot look for easy fixes. Better to work in India and grow," one advised.