History
Freie Universität owes its founding, in 1948, to international support, and international impulses have shaped the university’s research activities and student life ever since.
Education
- Each year, about 600 international scholars and scientists contribute to the variety of teaching and research activities pursued at Freie Universität.
- One groundbreaking development that demonstrates the way the university takes international cooperation to the next level is the five international liaison offices of Freie Universität that were founded beginning in 2007 – in Beijing, Cairo, Moscow, New Delhi, and São Paulo. Another is the establishment of special arrangements with selected universities in the form of strategic partnerships.
Research
The main features of Freie Universität’s research activities include the broad variety of global academic and scientific cooperation arrangements in place as part of alliance projects and interdisciplinary networks with other entities active in research.
Career
- Freie Universität Berlin is not only the site of education for over 30,000 students across 11 departments, but also offers a wide array of possibilities for those just starting out in a particular occupation, such as vocational training, opportunities for cooperative academic education and vocational training, and traineeships in administration.
Freie Universität Berlin Key Statistics & Highlights
- #88 Ranking
- 39 Masters
- 77 Scholarships
- 625 Academic Staff
- 27,018 Students
- 6,214 Students (int'l)
- 16,481 Students (female)
- Public Institution Type
Freie Universität Berlin Overview
Freie Universität Berlin Scholarships
Freie Universität Berlin Scholarships
Below you will find scholarships related to Freie Universität Berlin. Distinction can be made between scholarships provided by the University and those provided by independent providers.
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Read more about eligibility
Freie Universität Berlin Student Reviews & Awards
Based on 48 reviews
- 5 Star 23 Reviews
- 4 Star 17 Reviews
- 3 Star 6 Reviews
- 2 Star 1 Review
- 1 Star 1 Review
How Students Rated This University
- Overall Satisfaction 4.3
- Student Teacher Interaction 4.3
- Student Diversity 4.2
- Admission Process 4.4
- Quality of Student Life 4.1
- Career Development 4.0
Rewarding Study Environment
Most professors are great and the other students are nice. Some of the first/second semester courses can be really challenging, but I never had a problem to find someone that could help me. A mensa and a supermarket is nearby, so there are enough food options.
Master's is very research focussed
FU Berlin is a recommendable university, especially the School of Business & Economics. I appreciated the competent professors and the high quality of scientific education provided. Although, especially my study programme, is more suited for students that appreciate an academic and research-oriented approach to management and marketing sciences.
Great option for international students
Freie Universitat Berlin is a great option for international students. Everyone is able to speak perfect English, the city and the university are very open minded and the lectures are of great value. People of all sorts can study here carefree. It is more focused towards a "leftist" view, and a very liberal university. The technology is - while not state of the art - quite modern and provides everything a student could need. The cafeteria has a lot of offers, ranging from vegan to traditional to international. Dahlem Dorf is a quiet space where one can study in peace, compared to the hectic theme of Berlin.
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2025
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
-
Overall SatisfactionHow would you rate your overall study experience?
-
Student Teacher InteractionHow helpful were your teachers?
-
Student DiversityHow diverse was the atmosphere at your university?
-
Admission ProcessHow simple was it to apply to your programme?
-
Quality of Student LifeHow was your everyday life?
-
Career DevelopmentDid the university provide support for your career development?
Freie Universität Berlin Rankings
Study Portals Meta Ranking
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
QS World University Rankings
By TopUniversities
Climbed 9 places compared to 2025
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend QS World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 98 | 97 | 88 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
World University Rankings
By Times Higher Education
Dropped 9 places compared to 2025
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 102 | 104 | 113 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Best Global Universities Rankings
By U.S. News & World Report
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2026 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | - | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Student services
The Student Services Center (SSC) is the first address for all concerns related to studying at Freie Universität.
Housing services
Freie Universität Berlin arranges accommodation for international exchange and program students as well as international visiting scholars of Freie Universität Berlin. We have a certain number of accommodation available for student accommodation, for which you can register via this website. Please note: The number of accommodations is limited, the distribution is based on the "first-come-first-served" principle. If all options are written off, the registration closes.
Wheelchair-accessible housing is available upon request. Please see our website for a full description of the furnished single-occupancy studio apartment and note that the registration deadline for this housing option is one month before the regular registration deadline.
Library services
The library portal Primo is the central search interface for searching and accessing local and outside resources, such as books, e-books, journal articles etc.; the Primo mega-index contains nearly one billion datasets.
Medical services
Please bring along proof of health insurance (European Health Insurance Card or temporary certificate) from the health insurance in your home country. This proof of health insurance must then be accepted by AOK (“Campus Point Freie Universität”) or by any other state-regulated health insurance company in Germany.
Sports facilities
You can combine work and sports at Freie Universität Berlin! Activities range from group runs before work to after-work tennis matches at the courts in Dahlem and getting the day off to a relaxing start with morning yoga at the library.
The University Sports Center offers all employees an attractive exercise program near the workplace. The center’s offerings are varied and extensive, ranging from team and individual sports to martial arts and relaxation and covering almost all facets of sports and exercise.
Student clubs
Since 1990, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany has sponsored more than 80 Local Student ERASMUS Initiatives at German universities. At Freie Universität Berlin, a group of FU students voluntarily organizes the DAAD-affiliated International Club. Not only do these students take care of incoming students who are in Berlin for a semester or more, they also help outgoing students prepare their studies abroad.
Accreditation
The system of accreditation was implemented in Germany on the part of the German Rectors' Conference within the framework of the Bologna Process which aims at creating a collective European space for higher education.
The system is designed to secure the quality of academics and teaching acccording to collective European standards. The process of accrediation is completed by an agency for accreditation. At the end of this process, the Accrediation Council awards their seal of approval to the respective degree program.