The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) presented its 2025 Annual Report today in Bonn. At the presentation, DAAD President Mukherjee explained that the year had been marked by geopolitical tensions, intensified competition and new uncertainties in the international academic system. At the same time, he noted, Germany continues to benefit from its enduring appeal to students and researchers from all over the world. For the DAAD, even after 100 years of existence, both factors coincide: growing challenges and increasing importance. 

“The anniversary year 2025 has shown just how highly the international academic exchange organised by the DAAD is valued in scientific circles, politics and society. The high quality of our work is also of great significance in view of the foreseeable difficult budgetary situation at federal level. For a century, the DAAD has stood for mutual understanding, scientific cooperation and international networks – and this mission is more important today than ever,” said DAAD President Professor Joybrato Mukherjee at the presentation of the report in Bonn. The Federal President had aptly described the DAAD’s role at the anniversary ceremony on 6 May 2025 at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin: ‘If the DAAD did not yet exist, one would have to invent it today.’

At the same time, 2025 had been one of the most challenging years for international academic cooperation in a long time, Mukherjee continued. “The partly disruptive developments in the USA, Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and generally more difficult conditions for international cooperation have significantly increased the need for advice and support among our member universities and our grant recipients. This shows that, in geopolitically difficult times, international academic exchange remains indispensable.”

Germany remains a sought-after hub for research

In 2025, Germany remained one of the world’s most attractive centres of science: around 400,000 international students and doctoral candidates, as well as some 82,000 international researchers, were working and conducting research at German higher education institutions and research institutions. This makes Germany one of the five most attractive host countries for international students worldwide, competing with Australia for third or fourth place, and ranking second for international researchers – behind the USA.

“International students and researchers strengthen Germany’s innovative capacity, competitiveness and scientific excellence. They are an asset to our scientific and economic landscape,” emphasised Mukherjee.

Funding figures & record for Erasmus+

In 2025, the DAAD supported 132,903 students, graduates, researchers and university staff worldwide in their academic mobility. Most recipients received financial support through the EU’s Erasmus+ programme (around 62,300 people), followed by programmes run by the Federal Foreign Office (31,300 people), the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR; 23,300 people) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ; 14,700 people).

In total, the DAAD provided funding to just under 79,000 people from Germany and around 54,000 people from abroad. The most popular destination countries for German grant recipients were Spain, France and Italy. The majority of international grant recipients came from Ukraine, Nigeria and Egypt. Women accounted for 52 per cent of international grant recipients and 59 per cent of German grant recipients. In addition, the DAAD supported around 2,800 internationalisation projects at German higher education institutions worldwide in 2025.

In the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, the DAAD once again achieved a record figure in 2025: for the first time, an annual budget of more than 250 million euros was available for the international mobility of German higher education institutions. 

Consolidation and Outlook for 2030 

In 2025, the DAAD also implemented a consolidation process to secure its strategic goals in the long term despite rising costs and declining funding. Programmes were consolidated more closely, strategically prioritised, and a total of 13 programmes were discontinued or are being phased out.

In 2025, the DAAD also published its new Strategy 2030. It sets out strategic objectives for the remainder of the decade and focuses the DAAD’s work on the three key areas of action: funding, networking and advising. Particular emphasis is placed on strengthening Germany as a centre for scientific research, innovation and business, as well as on science diplomacy and social cohesion. 

Anniversary year with global events

The DAAD celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025 with commemorative ceremonies in Berlin and Bonn, as well as numerous events worldwide. Around 140 anniversary events, attended by a total of more than 13,500 visitors, highlighted the international reach of the DAAD network. Highlights included the anniversary ceremony at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, international alumni events in New York, New Delhi, Cairo and Cape Town, as well as large gatherings of scholarship holders at the universities of Heidelberg, Bonn and the Free University of Berlin.

DAAD in figures

In 2025, around 1,200 staff members worked in Bonn, Berlin and the DAAD’s offices worldwide to promote international academic exchange. In 2025, the DAAD maintained 21 branch offices worldwide, six German Houses of Science and Innovation (DWIH), 35 information centres and more than 300 lectureships at foreign higher education institutions. The DAAD’s total budget in 2025 stood at around 742 million euros. 

Since 1950, the DAAD has supported a total of around two million people from Germany and 1.3 million people from abroad. In 2025, 244 higher education institutions and 104 student unions were members of the DAAD.