In 2020, Harz University of Applied Sciences was able to award the DAAD Prize to the Ukrainian student Oleksandra Maslova, who has been studying in the Bachelor's programme "Public Administration" at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences at Harz University of Applied Sciences since 2017.

In her recommendation, Prof. Dr. Birgit Apfelbaum, the long-standing Representative for International Students and Staff at Harz University of Applied Sciences, drew an impressive picture of the student's life and personality to date.
In her laudation, the lecturer summed up: "Against the background of her extremely successful course of studies, including her work in various, socially highly relevant internships, (...), as well as her proven personal willingness to work in fields of action in the public sector, Ms Maslova fulfils the criteria for the DAAD Prize for Outstanding Achievement of Foreign Students in a special way".

At the personal presentation of the prize, which took place in a small setting at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences due to the corona-related contact restrictions, Ms Maslova expressed her gratitude, visibly moved: "... The small groups, the openness and the close contact with the lecturers and professors have helped me from the very beginning to successfully complete my studies and slowly find my place in German society".