DAAD Prize Winners at the University of Potsdam

The DAAD prize

To highlight the benefits that international students bring to our universities and society, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has been awarding the DAAD Prize for outstanding achievements of international students since 1996. Every year, almost 200 German universities award this prize to their best foreign students. The DAAD prize honours students who have produced outstanding academic achievements and who have demonstrated public and intercultural commitment.
Information on the nomination of DAAD award winners at the University of Potsdam

DAAD Prize 2025

In 2025, the University of Potsdam celebrates the thirtieth awarding of the DAAD Prize for exceptional achievements by international students. Sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), this prestigious award is the highest honor conferred upon international students at the University of Potsdam. It recognizes students for their outstanding academic accomplishments and notable social, particularly intercultural, contributions. This award signifies a special acknowledgment of their academic excellence by Germany's foremost funding organization. Moreover, it highlights to the broader public the significant enrichment that international students bring to the university community. The annual prize is endowed with 1,000 euros.

This year's DAAD Prize for outstanding achievements by international students goes to Anastasiia Alekseeva. The master's student from Russia is studying Economic Policy and Quantitative Methods at the University of Potsdam and has impressed not only with her excellent academic performance, but also with her commitment to younger students. The award came as a complete surprise to her: “I was at work when the university called. After that, I couldn't concentrate anymore.”

Anastasiia Alekseeva has fulfilled a long-cherished dream by studying in Potsdam. Several attempts to come to Germany failed due to the pandemic and war. After a semester abroad, she finally decided to pursue a master's degree at the University of Potsdam. She particularly appreciates the clear practical and research focus: “I'm really learning new things here and not just repeating the material from my bachelor's degree.”

Alongside her studies, she teaches a bachelor's course in microeconomics and works at a management consultancy in Berlin, where she can directly apply her quantitative methods. She has also quickly settled into her private life, despite cultural differences such as the German preference for long-term planning. Potsdam has grown particularly dear to her heart. Anastasiia Alekseeva can imagine pursuing a doctorate in the future. She would like to use the prize money of 1,000 euros to visit her family in Russia, whom she has not seen for months.

2024