DAAD Research Brief
The aim of the DAAD Research Brief publication series is to transfer current findings from higher education research in the field of university internationalisation and academic mobility into higher education practice. To this end, the DAAD invites higher education researchers to rework their research findings for the DAAD's target groups in a brief and easily comprehensible form. If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions regarding the publication series, please contact the project manager, Dr Jan Kercher.
Overview: All publications to date
International students and everyday multiculturalism: Understanding students’ encounters within their local communities (January 2024)
International Career Services in Germany: Current Structures and Strategic Ways to Move Forward (June 2023)
Lessons learnt from a bibliometric study of DAAD scholarship holders (March 2023)
Introducing Virtual Student Exchange in international university education (July 2022)
What do student visas cost? A global comparative analysis (January 2022)
September 2025
Internationalisation in the Digital Transformation: Key findings of a study on the strategies, drivers, priorities, and challenges of virtual internationalisation at German higher education institutions
Abstract: How are German universities coping with internationalisation in the course of digital transformation? This article addresses this question on the basis of selected findings from the INDISTRA project, funded by the Federal Foreign Office, and survey data from the International Association of Universities (IAU). The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital adoption, fostering change in internationalisation practices. Internal drivers include international office leaders and academic leadership, while external factors involve funding agencies like the EU and DAAD. The study highlights increasing roles for IT staff and collaboration between administrative and academic personnel to enhance online delivery and partnerships. Post-pandemic, digital tool usage declined, but strategic focus shifted towards Internationalisation of the Curriculum (IoC) and Internationalisation at Home (IaH), emphasising inclusion and widening participation. Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) merge online and face-to-face exchanges, appealing to both sceptics and enthusiasts. Digitalisation offers potential but requires strategic integration, organisational support, digital literacy, and a holistic approach that promotes access, inclusion, diversity, and sustainable outcomes.
Authors: Eva Maria Vögtle was the research director of the INDISTRA project. She joined the EUROSTUDENT team at the German Centre for Research on Higher Education and Science Studies (DZHW) in 2025 and is the student mobility expert of the project team. Giorgio Marinoni is the Manager of Higher Education and BE, internationalisation at the International Association of Universities (IAU). He oversees Internationalization as one of the four strategic priorities of the Association. Among his responsibilities at IAU are research projects, advisory services and external representation of the Association for what concerns BE, internationalisation. Luzia Ferreira Santos was a researcher and PhD student at the INDISTRA project. Her doctoral research focuses on North-South academic partnerships. In 2025, she joined the Chair of Science and Innovation Research at the University of Hamburg.
January 2024
International students and everyday multiculturalism: Understanding students’ encounters within their local communities
Abstract: International students’ social transition experiences are often discussed and researched in relation to their experiences on campus and with fellow students. However, international study also involves interactions and connections within students’ local communities beyond formal campus spaces. This paper reports on findings from a recent DAAD-funded research study which focused on the ways international students experience multicultural encounters within their local German communities, using photo-elicitation interviews with 45 students and 6 international office leaders. The study uses a sociological framing of “everyday multiculturalism”, which considered the everyday lived experiences of encountering cultural differences in small, mundane ways throughout our daily lives. The paper concludes with suggestions for practice, reflecting on the ways that DAAD and university staff might embed more holistic supports for international students’ community experiences.
Authors: Dr Jenna Mittelmeier is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) of International Education at the University of Manchester. Her work focuses on the internationalisation of higher education and treatment of international students. She is lead editor for the recently published book, Research with International Students. Karen Broadhurst Healey is a PhD researcher at the Manchester Institute of Education at the University of Manchester. Her research focus is education governance, engagement, community voice. Approaches centre around the use of narrative and place to give voice to experiences beyond the meta- narratives. Daian Huang is a Postgraduate Researcher in Education at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on the internationalisation of higher education and international students‘ experiences. Mumine Ozturk is a Postgraduate Researcher at the University of Manchester, also working as a Senior Tutor at Manchester Institue of Education. Her research interests are around mental health and wellbeing, particularly interested in teacher wellbeing and how it impacts students. Limanzi Xu is a PhD candidate currently studying at MIE, University of Manchester. Her main interests are in international student mobility, international scholarship systems, higher education policies, etc.
Citation and Download [PDF/EN]: Mittelmeier, J., Broadhurst Healey, K., Huang, D., Ozturk, M., & Xu, L. (2024). International students and everyday multiculturalism: Understanding students’ encounters within their local communities. DAAD Research Brief 01/2024. https://doi.org/10.46685/DAADStudien.2024.01
June 2023
International Career Services in Germany: Current Structures and Strategic Ways to Move Forward
Abstract: International Career Services (ICS) is an umbrella term which refers to career services for international students. ICS support international students with integrating successfully into local, regional and national labor markets, and has traditionally been a feature at universities in the Anglosphere. More recently, ICS have increased in Europe due in large part to the rise of English-medium programs, and German universities in particular have enjoyed broad based support for ICS programs. In this research brief, the case of career services for international students in Germany are outlined, a conceptual framework is presented, and four strategic planning areas are identified that can aid universities interested in developing their own international career services.
Author: Jessica Schueller is a doctoral student at Miami University in Ohio, USA. Her research and work focuses on transnational higher education and the internationalisation of career services.
Citation and Download [PDF/EN]: Schueller, J. (2023). International Career Services in Germany: Current Structures and Strategic Ways to Move Forward. DAAD Research Brief 02/2023. https://doi.org/10.46685/DAADStudien.2023.07
March 2023
Lessons learnt from a bibliometric study of DAAD scholarship holders
Abstract: In this bibliometric analysis, the authors investigate the feasibility of collecting publications by DAAD-funded researchers and they explore insights into publication patterns that can be gathered from the outputs. While it was possible to extract a considerable set of publications, this process revealed the cruciality of unique author and publication identifiers. Regarding the affiliations of the funded researchers, an increase in connections with Germany can be observed around the funding period, with a large share continuing beyond the funding period. At the same time, German collaborators also establish additional links with sending countries as well. Finally, the DAAD funding can be linked to researchers and their work from a diverse set of countries, and various fields of science, although with a strong orientation towards the biomedical and health sciences and other natural sciences.
Authors: Prof Johann Mouton is the director of the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics and STI Policy, and Professor at the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) at Stellenbosch University (South Africa). Dr Rodrigo Costas is a senior researcher at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University (the Netherlands), and Extraordinary Associate Professor at the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) at Stellenbosch University (South Africa). Jonathan Dudek is researcher at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University (the Netherlands).
Citation and Download [PDF/EN]: Mouton, J., Costas, R., & Dudek, J. (2023). Lessons learnt from a bibliometric study of DAAD scholarship holders. DAAD Research Brief 01/2023. https://doi.org/10.46685/DAADStudien.2023.04
July 2022
Introducing Virtual Student Exchange in international university education
Abstract: Virtual Exchange (VE) is an umbrella term which refers to the numerous online learning initiatives and methodologies which engage learners in sustained online collaborative learning and interaction with partners from different cultural backgrounds as part of their study programmes. This article reviews the differences between VE and the activities of Virtual Mobility and Blended Mobility. Following that, the main learning outcomes for teachers and students engaged in VE are outlined. The article concludes by proposing how universities can consider the activity within their internationalisation programmes and how they can support its take up among teaching staff. It is argued that VE is not in competition with physical mobility programmes, nor is it an ‘emergency tool’ to be considered only in times of pandemics and limited international travel. Instead, VE should be considered as a preparation for or complement to physical mobility which serves to enhance the range of international learning experiences which an institution offers its students.
Author: Dr Robert O’Dowd is Associate Professor for English as a Foreign Language and Applied Linguistics at the University of León, Spain.
Citation and Download [PDF/EN]: O'Dowd, R. (2022). Introducing Virtual Student Exchange in international university education. DAAD Research Brief 01/2022. https://doi.org/10.46685/DAADStudien.2022.09
January 2022
What do student visas cost? A global comparative analysis
Abstract: A visa is often required for international student mobility. The costs for this vary enormously, as data from the Global Mobilities Project (GMP) shows. Students from the Global South sometimes pay more than twice as much as students from Europe. The differences are even greater when the standard of living is taken into account: While the costs for students from Western Europe amount to only a fraction of the average daily income, students from Central Asia would have to work for almost three weeks and those from sub-Saharan Africa for more than five weeks to afford a visa. The overall result is therefore a paradoxical situation: students from richer countries have to pay less if they want to be internationally mobile. These global inequalities are connected to injustices at the individual level and point to the dysfunctionality of visa regimes that structurally restrict the international mobility of talented people from the Global South.
Author: Dr Emanuel Deutschmann is an assistant professor of sociological theory at the
University of Flensburg and an associate at the Migration Policy Centre of the
European University Institute in Florence.
Citation and Download [PDF/EN]: Deutschmann, E. (2025). What do student visas cost? A global comparative analysis. DAAD Research Brief 01/2025. https://doi.org/10.46685/DAADStudien.2025.04