Fifty-five years ago, the vision of Professor Fritz Leonhardt, then rector of the University of Stuttgart, and Professor Gordon Gilkey, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University, gave rise to one of the most dynamic and successful academic exchange programs in Europe and the United States. The initial bilateral relationship between the University of Stuttgart and Oregon State University developed into an exchange program between the states, involving more than 21 universities and enabling the exchange of thousands of students and numerous faculty and administrative staff.  

The reciprocal nature of the program has been its strength from the outset. The universities in Oregon waive tuition fees for BW students, and every exchange student from Oregon can count on a scholarship provided by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Arts.

The Oregon Study Center Germany (OSCG) was founded to coordinate the exchange program in Baden-Württemberg and to support students from Oregon and BW.

In 2002, the OUS - Baden-Württemberg exchange program was awarded the Cooperation Prize of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The program was honored as a “Flagship of State to State Cooperation.”