DAAD-Preis 2025

In 2025, the University of Potsdam will present the DAAD Award for Outstanding Achievements by International Students for the thirty-first time. Endowed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), this award is the most prestigious honor bestowed upon international students at the University of Potsdam. It recognizes students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement and remarkable social—particularly intercultural—engagement. For the recipients, this award represents special recognition of their academic achievements by Germany’s most prestigious funding organization. At the same time, it highlights to a wider public the enrichment that international students bring to the university community. The annual award is endowed with 1,000 euros.

This year’s DAAD Award for Outstanding Achievements by International Students goes to Anastasiia Alekseeva. The master’s student, who is originally 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 supporting younger students. Receiving the award came as a complete surprise to her: “I was at work when the university called. After that, I couldn’t concentrate at all.”

Alongside her studies, she teaches a bachelor’s-level course in microeconomics and works at a management consulting firm in Berlin, where she can directly apply her quantitative methods. She has also settled in quickly in her personal life—despite cultural differences such as the German preference for long-term planning. Potsdam has grown particularly dear to her heart. Looking ahead, Anastasiia Alekseeva is considering pursuing a Ph.D. She plans to use the 1,000-euro prize money to visit her family in Russia, whom she hasn’t seen in months.