Freie Universität is one of the eleven universities to have been successful in all three lines of funding in the German government's Excellence Initiative in 2012.
- #118 Ranking
- 31 Masters
- Public Institution Type
4.2 out of 5 (91 ratings / 71 reviews) Berlin Steglitz, Germany
Top reasons to study here
- With a genetic trick, biologists from Freie Universität Berlin are making barley plants more drought-tolerant.
- Meteorology professor Uwe Ulbrich investigates whether meteorological extreme events are consequences of climate change.
- Highly regarded universities from six countries in the European Union (EU) have agreed to intensify their cross-border cooperation.
Master's Programmes
Social Sciences (13)
- M.A. Arabic Studies
- M.Sc. Economics
- M.A. Islamic Studies
- M.Sc. Public Economics
- Master Semitic Studies
Humanities (8)
- M.A. Arabic Studies
- M.A. Global History
- M.A. Islamic Studies
- Master Semitic Studies
Natural Sciences & Mathematics (8)
- M.Sc. Biochemistry
- M.Sc. Bioinformatics
- Master Biology
- M.Sc. Chemistry
- M.Sc. Mathematics
- M.Sc. Physics
Business & Management (4)
Computer Science & IT (3)
- M.Sc. Bioinformatics
- M.Sc. Computational Sciences
Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences (2)
- M.Sc. Geological Sciences
Arts, Design & Architecture (1)
Journalism & Media (1)
Law (1)
Medicine & Health (1)
- Master Pharmaceutical Research
About
History
Freie Universität Berlin was founded in 1948 by professors and students, in response to the persecution faced by students who took a critical eye of the system at Universität Unter den Linden, at that time located in the Soviet sector of the divided city. The idea of founding a free university found widespread support in the international community, including financial support.
Education
The future development concept of Freie Universität is based on three key strategic centers: the Center for Research Strategy, which focuses on research planning; the Center for International Cooperation; and the Dahlem Research School, which supports next-generation academic talent.
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 networks with other entities active in research, alongside the university’s innovative support concepts for junior scholars and scientists and the scope of the external funding the university raises.
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.
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2019
GSSA 2019
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2019. By rating institutions on a scale from 1 to 5, on multiple studies-related questions, we found the top educators in the world.
Learn more about the Global Student Satisfaction AwardsUniversity Ranking
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2021
118 -1
2020
117 -13
2019
104
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.
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2021
130
2020
130
2019
130
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.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2021
-
2020
122 -6
2019
116
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.
Services
Student services
The Student Services Center is open throughout the year. You can contact the Info-Service Studium without pre-registration. The service at the Info-Counter Mensa II (Otto-von-Simson-Str. 26) is available at the same time. The office hours of all further service facilities are listed below.
The central contact point for all kind of requests about your studies is located in Iltisstr. 4, subway station Dahlem-Dorf. On the ground floor employees of the Info-Service Studium receive the visitors. On the first and second floor the offices of the General Academic Advising, the Psychological Counseling and the International Student Mobility.
Housing services
We arrange 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.
Library services
At 2.5 million items, the University Library is the largest lending library at Freie Universität Berlin. A wide range of databases, electronic journals and e-books is provided.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.
ICT services
Here you will find IT services for students and employees of Freie Universität Berlin, as well as for guests and students in exchange programs.The IT supply of Freie Universität Berlin is based on a cooperative supply concept with 4 central IT service providers: CeDiS, eAS, UB and ZEDAT are the central IT departments of Freie Universität Berlin.
Medical services
Unlike in many other countries, you are not obliged to register with a doctor in Germany, but you can choose your doctor yourself. In addition to general practitioners (Hausärzte), there are specialists. If you have to consult a doctor it is best to ask acquaintances for advice.
Student Life
Campus life
Freie Universität Berlin has four main campuses. To help you find your way around, we have compiled brief descriptions, addresses, and maps of the four main campuses and other important institutions.
The Campuses of Freie Universität Berlin: Dahlem, Lankwitz, Düppel, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Benjamin Franklin Campus.
Sports facilities
The KRAFTKLUB at the GeoCampus in Lankwitz offers a versatile range of cardio and weight machines for a variable total body workout on a training area of around 200 square meters. We have the right offer for everyone. Whether dance class, relaxation workshop or catamaran sailing on Rügen, we fulfill your leisure time needs! In addition to many course offers in the health sector, we promote your health and exercise through the project "move4health" directly in the Unialltag. Regardless of whether in the office or in the sports hall, university sports offers specifically interesting sports and exercise programs specifically for employees of the FU.
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.
Student Reviews
Freie University: a home to the hungry learner and social butterfly alike
Anonymous rated 4 out of 5 stars
As I am an independent and self-disciplined student, the hands-off and flexible teaching style at the FU worked well for me. If you're a willing learner, you will take a lot away from your degree and grow academically. At the same time, the university does not foster much of a sense of community among students - the student body is large and some may find it difficult to...
Ambitious future teacher
Anonymous rated 5 out of 5 stars
I really had a great experience in my university at tunis and I am among the 20 first students in these previous two years
FU Berlin
Anonymous rated 4 out of 5 stars
International experience, high quality education, cooperative staff
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