A brief look at history shows that the DAAD has a long tradition of uniting people and academia. Founded in Heidelberg in 1925 on the initiative of a single student, the DAAD has since become one of the most important funding organisations worldwide for the international exchange of students and researchers.

Since it was founded in 1925, more than 1.9 million scholars in Germany and abroad have received DAAD funding. The DAAD is a registered members association made up of German institutions of higher education and student bodies. Our activities go far beyond simply awarding grants and scholarships. The DAAD supports the internationalisation of German universities, promotes German studies and the German language abroad, provide developing countries with best practices in establishing universities and advises decision makers in the area of cultural, educational and developmental policy.

Scholarships for the best

The DAAD provides young people with the opportunity to gain international academic and research experience in Germany as well as worldwide. Most foreign DAAD scholarship recipients are Master’s students or doctoral candidates. Only very few scholarships are awarded at Bachelor’s level (to top students at German schools abroad).

The reason for this funding priority is that graduate students will have already proven their academic ability by completing their first degree, hence are more likely to benefit from a scholarship.

Worldwide Network of DAAD Offices

The DAAD head office is located in Germany. However, with 15 branch offices across the globe and a further 50 international information centres, the DAAD is represented by a worldwide network. Read more about the DAAD and  90 Years of Promoting "Change by Exchange".

Financed through public funding bodies, the DAAD is the world’s largest funding organisation dedicated to promoting international exchange in higher education. Find out more about how the DAAD is funded.