Bonn/Berlin, 31/05/2016. DAAD President Prof. Margret Wintermantel and Secretary General Dr. Dorothea Rüland reported a positive development at the annual press conference of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). In 2015, the DAAD funded stays abroad for 75,412 German and 51,627 international students and academics. This represents an increase of five per cent compared to 2014. The programmes range from semesters abroad for students to PhD studies, from internships to guest lectureships, from information visits to setting up degree programmes and establishing German universities abroad.

Bonn, 24/11/2015. In the 2015/16 winter semester, 271 Syrian students with a DAAD scholarship started their studies at a German university. The Federal Foreign Office and the DAAD welcomed the scholarship holders, who discussed their first experiences, their expectations of studying in Germany as well as the opportunities for an academic reconstruction of Syria with representatives of politics and academia. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) invited applications to the “Leadership for Syria” scholarship programme funded by the Federal Foreign Office back in October 2014. The federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg provided additional scholarships.

Bonn, 13/11/2015. Education is central to successful integration. More than half of the refugees currently arriving in Germany are under the age of 25, i.e. an age at which education is needed. In order to facilitate access to higher education for those wishing to study and possessing adequate qualifications, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will support universities with targeted measures in the next years and help to promote the integration of refugees in this way. Approximately €100 million are available for this purpose in the coming years, with €27 million earmarked for projects in 2016.

Bonn, 27 October 2014. Funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has set up a scholarships programme for refugees from Syria. The call for applications begins on 31 October. In total, one hundred gifted Syrian students are to be given the opportunity of studying in Germany in the coming year. The Federal Foreign Office is to provide €7.8m in funding.