Following the re-election of Donald Trump as US President, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is assuming an orderly transfer of power in the USA. From the DAAD's perspective, the new US administration will continue to focus on deepening academic exchange and scientific cooperation relationships with US partner institutions.

"The citizens of the USA have voted and given Donald Trump a second term in office. Over the next four years, it will be important to consistently expand and intensify exchange and academic relations between Germany and the USA. The USA is and will remain one of the most important partner countries in academic exchange and scientific cooperation," said DAAD President Prof Dr Joybrato Mukherjee. "Even though we may be facing challenging times in transatlantic relations in terms of foreign policy, it is important to emphasise that the universities in the USA will remain very strong and independent partners for us."

The close relationship with the USA is also of fundamental importance for the DAAD: "The funding for the first 13 scholarships with which the DAAD was founded a hundred years ago came from the Institute of International Education in the USA. In addition, DAAD founder Professor Carl-Joachim Friedrich went to the USA in early 1925 and taught alternately at Harvard and Heidelberg Universities after the Second World War. We will honour our special connection to the USA appropriately next year on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the DAAD," continued the DAAD President.

Academic exchange with the USA 

Academic exchange with the USA is diverse and intensive and has been cultivated by both sides since the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany. The HRK University Compass lists over 2,300 collaborations between German universities and American partner universities. Eight German universities or alliances and numerous other academic and research institutions maintain liaison offices in the USA.
In 2021, around 8,500 young people from Germany studied in the USA, and almost 7,000 US students were enrolled at German universities. In 2022, 2,400 US academics were working at German universities or research institutes. In 2023, the DAAD supported a total of 3,000 German students and academics on visits to the USA and 1,500 Americans on visits to Germany.