Overview
- Mayukh Panja posted on X on June 8 urging Indians not to take large loans or sell family assets to attend low-quality private universities in Germany.
- Panja alleged some private institutions act as 'visa mills' by offering easy admission, low teaching standards, and degrees with limited value in Germany or India.
- He said many students in Berlin end up working 12-hour delivery, restaurant, or gig shifts that pay poorly and can involve abusive conditions.
- Panja advised applicants to target state-run German universities as they are usually cheaper and more rigorous and he clarified that Germany still has world-class research and engineering opportunities.
- The warnings have prompted wide social media discussion and personal anecdotes but the reporting is based on Panja's posts and there is no reported government probe or systematic evidence about the scale of the alleged practices.