VDAC

What VDAC does

VDAC (Verband der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs / Federation of German-American Clubs e.V.) is a registered German non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1948 in Bad Kissingen in the aftermath of the Allied occupation, with the mission of fostering German-American friendship through educational and cultural exchange. Headquartered in Karlsbad, Germany and registered at Amtsgericht Wiesbaden (VR 1493), VDAC is governed by an elected board of directors serving two-year terms, with all activities — including leadership — performed by unpaid volunteers across a network of 17 member clubs in major German university cities.

The organization's core offering is the Student Exchange Program, the largest privately organized student exchange between Germany and the United States, operating since 1957 with Oberlin College as the founding US partner. The program supports American students at 24 partner German universities with €800/month scholarships (rising to €900/month from October 2026) for up to 10 months, a MyBahnCard 50, and housing assistance via local clubs, and sends German students to 13 US partner universities under tuition-waiver arrangements valued up to $70,000 per year. Complementary programs include a Youth Program for ages 14–17 with US summer trips and educational seminars, the bilingual Gazette magazine (up to three issues per year), the annual Lucius D. Clay Medal (awarded since 1980 to figures including Angela Merkel and Dirk Nowitzki), and German-American Day celebrations plus an annual convention.

VDAC is funded entirely through donations from member clubs and private individuals, plus non-refundable €100 application fees and €300 refundable deposits from German applicants. It is recognized as tax-exempt under Section 5(1) No. 9 KStG. Distribution and recruitment run through university German departments and international offices, the 17-club network, content marketing (Gazette, flyers), and word-of-mouth within the alumni community (formalized as VDAC Alumni e.V. since 1974). VDAC does not develop or use proprietary technology products; operations are community-led and volunteer-run.

Name

VDAC

Legal name

Verband der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs – Federation of German-American Clubs e.V.

Website

https://vdac.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VDAC is a German non-profit federation, founded 1948, that runs the largest privately organized student exchange between Germany and the US, along with youth programs and cultural events, through 17 volunteer-run clubs and 24 German and 13 US partner universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural and Educational Exchange Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Short-Term Exchange & Visiting Student Programs (EDAIABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Third-Party Short-Term Academic Program Providers (Multi-Discipline) (EDAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Student exchange programs
• Cultural exchange services
• Youth educational travel
• German-American relations
• Transatlantic scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsbad

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: VDAC operates entirely on donations from member clubs and private individuals. All work is done by unpaid volunteers, meaning 100% of donated funds go directly to programs.
2. Application fees (German students only): A non-refundable application fee of €100 is charged to German applicants. A €300 deposit is also required, refundable upon completion of the exchange year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VDAC operates the largest privately organized student exchange program between Germany and the United States, providing scholarships (€800/month, increasing to €900/month from October 2026) enabling American students to study at 24 German partner universities. German students receive tuition fee waivers (up to $70,000/year) at 13 US partner universities. The organization also runs a youth cultural exchange program for ages 14-17, publishes the Gazette magazine, and awards the annual Lucius D. Clay Medal.

Product overview

VDAC (Verband der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs / Federation of German-American Clubs) is a non-profit cultural exchange organization offering three interconnected programs: the Student Exchange Program (the largest privately organized student exchange between Germany and the US, providing €800-900 monthly scholarships for American students to study in Germany and facilitating German students' study in US partner universities), the Youth Program (cultural exchange for teenagers ages 14-17 featuring US summer trips and German seminars), and the Gazette magazine (bilingual publication documenting Federation activities up to three times yearly). The organization also awards the annual Lucius D. Clay Medal and hosts German-American Day celebrations and Annual Conventions. All programs are delivered through a network of volunteer-run clubs across Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lucius D. Clay Medal: Annual award presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to German-American friendship. Made of pure silver.

Products and services

• VDAC Student Exchange Program The largest privately organized student exchange program between Germany and the United States. Provides scholarships (€800/month, rising to €900/month from October 2026) for American students to study at 24 German partner universities, and tuition fee waivers (up to $70,000/year in value) for German students at 13 US partner universities. Includes a MyBahnCard 50 for discounted German rail travel.
• VDAC Youth Program Cultural exchange program for German and American teenagers aged 14-17, featuring a two-week educational summer trip to the United States (visiting historic sites and living with American host families), educational seminars in Germany, seminars at Ramstein Air Base, and Halloween youth camps in Kaiserslautern.
• Gazette Magazine The official magazine of the VDAC, published up to three times per year in German and English, documenting activities of the Federation and its clubs, featuring articles and interviews on current affairs and historical topics of transatlantic interest.
• Lucius D. Clay Medal Annual silver medal awarded to German or American individuals who have made outstanding contributions to German-American relations and friendship, presented during German-American Day celebrations. Notable recipients include Dr. Angela Merkel (2009), Dirk Nowitzki (2017), and Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges (2024).
• German-American Day Annual celebration held on a weekend in early October commemorating the arrival of the first German immigrants in the US on October 6, 1683, featuring the presentation of the Lucius D. Clay Medal and weekend seminars for exchange students.
• Annual Convention Annual meeting held in late spring or early summer where Federation business is discussed, proposals are debated, and motions are passed. A new VDAC board of directors is elected every two years.
• Student Seminars Weekend seminars held throughout the year for students on, applying to, or returning from the VDAC program, including orientation seminars in October and May/June, cultural seminars during conventions, and current affairs seminars in partnership with Atlantische Akademie Rheinland-Pfalz.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 former exchange students by 2007, with the program operating since 1957
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VDAC Alumni e.V.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1974VDAC Alumni e.V. is the organization of former exchange participants. It operates nationwide and strengthens ties between former and current exchange students. Alumni support incoming students and assist with local coordination.
• German Universities (24 institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1957VDAC partners with 24 German universities including: Universität Bamberg, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, TU Berlin, Universität Bielefeld, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Universität Düsseldorf, Universität Erfurt, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Universität Hamburg, TU Hamburg, Universität Heidelberg, TU Kaiserslautern, KIT, Pädagogische Hochschule Karlsruhe, Universität Kassel, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Universität Mannheim, LMU München, TU München, Universität Passau, Universität Siegen, Universität Stuttgart, Bauhaus Universität Weimar, and JMU Würzburg. These universities host American exchange students nominated by VDAC.
• US Universities (13 institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1957VDAC partners with 13 US universities including: Central Michigan University, Concordia College Minnesota, Dartmouth College, Florida Atlantic University, Florida State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Oberlin College Ohio, Troy University Alabama, University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Cincinnati, University of Delaware, and University of Florida. Oberlin College was the first partner (1957). German students receive tuition fee waivers.
• Atlantische Akademie Rheinland-Pfalz e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVDAC partners with the Atlantische Akademie Rheinland-Pfalz to enable exchange students to participate in seminars on current affairs. The partnership allows students to explore transatlantic topics including trade, defense, culture, and cooperation between the US and Germany.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Youth For Understanding (YFU): A long-running international student exchange organisation with active US-Germany corridor programs. Closely comparable to VDAC on the youth-exchange side, though YFU operates globally and at larger scale.
• Fulbright Germany: The German-American Fulbright Commission operates the premier US-funded academic exchange between the two countries. It overlaps directly with VDAC on bilateral graduate and undergraduate placement, though it is heavily US-government funded whereas VDAC is donation-funded.
• AFS Intercultural Programs: A major international non-profit operating high-school and university-level student exchanges across many country corridors including the US and Germany. Comparable multi-discipline exchange provider competing for the same students VDAC targets.
• DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst): The German Academic Exchange Service is the world's largest funding organisation for international academic exchange and the dominant German-side comparator for bilateral student exchange. VDAC's German-university placement model is a smaller private complement to DAAD's scholarship programs.
• Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX): A binational youth exchange funded by the US and German governments, sending American and German teenagers between the two countries. Directly comparable to VDAC's Youth Program for ages 14-17 but at much larger federally funded scale.
• Experiment e.V. A German non-profit that organises school and youth exchanges between Germany and more than a dozen countries. Comparable private, volunteer-involved exchange operator targeting similar German-student outbound demographics.

Broad incumbents

• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): One of the largest US non-profit study-abroad providers with broad multi-country program offerings including Germany. Overlaps with VDAC on US-student placement in Germany but operates at materially larger scale and broader country coverage.
• Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD): The German federal agency for school-based international exchange, particularly with the US. Overlaps with VDAC on the German-student-to-US corridor at school level, though it focuses on secondary rather than tertiary exchange.

Others

• German-American Heritage Foundation (GAHF): A US-based non-profit dedicated to preserving German-American heritage. Adjacent to VDAC's mission of promoting German-American friendship but focused on cultural preservation rather than active exchange operations.
• Atlantische Akademie Rheinland-Pfalz: A German-American policy dialogue forum that is already an active VDAC partner (provides current-affairs seminars to VDAC students). Comparable on the cultural-relations mission and represents an adjacent ecosystem player.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dag.Bielefeld
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vdac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VDAC