Freie Universität Berlin
A tuition-free Berlin research university founded by students in 1948, with a leafy villa campus in Dahlem.
- Students
- 34,900
- Tuition
- Free
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1948
- QS World Ranking
- #98
- 2027 edition
About FU Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin was founded in December 1948 in West Berlin by students and academics who had left the university in the Soviet sector. Its values, printed on its seal, are veritas, iustitia and libertas. Today it is one of Germany's Universities of Excellence through the Berlin University Alliance with Humboldt-Universität, TU Berlin and the Charité. Most of it is on a green, suburban campus in Dahlem in south-west Berlin, where many institutes are in converted villas.
FU is a full university with 11 academic departments plus a joint medical faculty with Humboldt-Universität (the Charité). The departments are Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy; Earth Sciences; Education and Psychology; History and Cultural Studies; Law; Mathematics and Computer Science; Philosophy and Humanities; Physics; Political and Social Sciences; the School of Business and Economics; and Veterinary Medicine. It also has area-studies institutes for Eastern Europe, Latin America and North America. In winter 2025/26 it had about 34,900 students and 180 degree programmes, 81 of them undergraduate.
FU suits students who want a research university in the German capital without tuition fees, and who are comfortable studying in German. Bachelor's degrees are German-taught, and many are combined bachelor's degrees that pair a core subject with minors. International students make up 13% of bachelor's and 33% of master's students.
Veritas, Iustitia, Libertas
“Truth, Justice, Freedom” — university motto
Why students choose FU Berlin
There is no tuition for bachelor's or consecutive master's programmes, whatever your nationality: new students pay only EUR 376.80 per semester, which includes a Deutschlandticket for travel across Germany.
Combined bachelor's degrees let you pair a core subject with one 60-credit minor or two 30-credit modules from other fields, such as political science with Chinese studies.
Area-studies institutes such as the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies and the Institutes for Latin American and East European Studies are rare in Germany.
As part of the Berlin University Alliance, FU students are in a city with three other research universities and the Charité.
Admissions
Winter semester 2027/28 (starting October 2027)
Selectivity
No single admit rate. Bachelor's programmes are either unrestricted (all qualified applicants are admitted) or have limited admission (numerus clausus), where places go through quotas in which the school-leaving grade weighs heavily, including FU's own selection procedure (AdH). Pharmacy and veterinary medicine are allocated through hochschulstart.de.
Typical entry requirements
| German Abitur | Direct entry; for limited-admission programmes the Abitur average decides most places |
|---|---|
| Foreign school-leaving certificates (A-levels, IB, US diploma and others) | Checked by uni-assist, which issues a VPD (preliminary review documentation) stating equivalence and grade conversion; if not directly equivalent, you need the Studienkolleg first. Applicants with certificates from China, India or Vietnam also need an APS certificate. |
| German language | At least C1 (for example TestDaF 4/4/3/3) to apply; DSH-2, TestDaF 4 in all parts, telc C1 Hochschule, Goethe C2 or DSD II (C1 in all parts) to enrol |
| English language | Bachelor's programmes are taught in German; German proficiency is the key requirement. Some programmes also require other foreign languages, such as English or Latin, proven before or at enrolment. |
Deadlines
- Bachelor's with limited admission (winter semester) Non-binding15 July
Application period 1 June to 15 July; admission letters from mid-August
- Bachelor's with unrestricted admission (winter semester) Non-binding1 September
Application period 1 June to 1 September; notifications sent on a rolling basis
- Pharmacy and veterinary medicine, non-EU applicants without German qualification (via uni-assist) Non-binding15 July
Application period 1 June to 15 July
FU had published deadlines only for winter semester 2026/27 (1 June to 15 July 2026 for limited admission; 1 June to 1 September 2026 for unrestricted programmes). The same calendar dates are expected for 2027/28 but not yet confirmed. The deadline is met only when the complete application with VPD is in the FU portal, so request the VPD at least 8 weeks earlier.
How to apply
Applicants with a foreign qualification first request a VPD from uni-assist (available year-round, processing can take up to 8 weeks), then apply through FU's own online application portal before the deadline, with the VPD attached. Applicants with a German Abitur apply directly in the FU portal. Combined bachelor's applicants must apply for the core subject and the minor module(s) together.
What admissions looks for
- A school-leaving qualification that uni-assist's VPD confirms as a direct university entrance qualification.
- German at C1 level at application, and the higher level needed for enrolment.
- For limited-admission programmes, a strong converted grade average; part of the places go through FU's own selection criteria (AdH).
- Any subject-specific foreign-language skills listed for your programme.
Tips for applying to FU Berlin
- 1 Request your uni-assist VPD months before 15 July; FU judges the deadline by when the complete application with VPD reaches its portal, not by when you asked uni-assist.
- 2 Use FU's combination table to check that your chosen core subject and minors can be combined before you apply.
- 3 If your German certificate is below the enrolment level but at least C1, you can be admitted and then sit FU's own DSH exam.
- 4 A VPD stays valid for a year, so you can get it well ahead of your final application season.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
FU charges no tuition except for continuing-education programmes. Students may be eligible for German BAföG support through the studierendenWERK BERLIN and for Deutschlandstipendium merit scholarships; FU's Studentische Darlehenskasse offers short-term loans to some groups.
- EUR 376.80, of which EUR 226.80 is the Deutschlandsemesterticket
- Semester fees and contributions (winter 2026/27)
- None for bachelor's and consecutive master's programmes
- Tuition fees
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (winter semester from October, summer semester from April)
Political Science (Otto Suhr Institute)
Political science sits in FU's Department of Political and Social Sciences, a field closely tied to the university's Cold War founding in West Berlin.
North American Studies (John F. Kennedy Institute)
A central institute of FU dedicated to the United States and Canada, with its own Graduate School of North American Studies.
Veterinary Medicine
One of the few German universities to offer veterinary medicine, allocated nationally through hochschulstart.de.
Mathematics and Computer Science
Linked to the Berlin Mathematical School, a joint graduate school of Berlin's universities.
Law (state examination)
A full state-examination law programme in the German capital, with its own application track.
Research
- Funded under the German Excellence Strategy as part of the Berlin University Alliance.
- Speaker university for 10 DFG Collaborative Research Centres plus 4 Transregio co-speaker roles (2025).
- EUR 139 million in third-party research funding per year (preliminary figure).
Schools & faculties
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy
- Department of Earth Sciences
- Department of Education and Psychology
- Department of History and Cultural Studies
- Department of Law
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
- Department of Philosophy and Humanities
- Department of Physics
- Department of Political and Social Sciences
- School of Business and Economics
- School of Veterinary Medicine
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (joint medical school)
Student life
FU's Dahlem campus feels unlike the rest of Berlin: tree-lined streets, villas turned into institutes, and large 1950s to 1970s buildings such as the Henry-Ford-Bau and the Rost- und Silberlaube complex. Most students live elsewhere in the city in shared flats or studierendenWERK halls and commute by U-Bahn, using the Deutschlandticket included in the semester fee. Student life spills into Berlin's neighbourhoods rather than a campus bubble. On campus there are Mensa cafeterias, university sport, and a strong tradition of student politics dating back to the 1960s student movement.
- Henry-Ford-Bau, the 1950s main hall built with US funding
- Deutschlandticket for nationwide public transport included in the semester contribution
- A student-politics tradition going back to Rudi Dutschke and the 1960s student movement
- Online info sessions for international applicants, run from October to January
Housing. FU has no guaranteed housing; students rent in Berlin's tight private market or apply for studierendenWERK BERLIN halls.
Location
Dahlem is a quiet, green district in south-west Berlin, next to the Botanical Garden and a short U-Bahn ride from the city centre. Berlin itself is big, international and affordable by capital-city standards apart from rent, with a huge cultural scene, cheap food and good public transport. English goes a long way socially, but everyday administration and your degree will be in German.
Nearest airport: Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)
Notable alumni
- JL Jutta LimbachPresident of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
- RD Rudi DutschkeSpokesperson of the 1960s German student movement
- OS Otto SchilyGerman Federal Minister of the Interior
- GS Gesine SchwanPolitical scientist and two-time candidate for German president
- KW Klaus WowereitGoverning Mayor of Berlin 2001 to 2014
- RK Renate KünastGreen Party politician and former Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture
Frequently asked questions
Does FU Berlin charge tuition for international students?
No. FU charges no tuition fees, apart from continuing-education programmes. All students pay semester fees and contributions of EUR 376.80, including a Deutschlandticket.
Do I need uni-assist to apply to FU Berlin?
Yes, if your school qualification is not German. You first get a VPD from uni-assist, then apply in FU's own application portal with the VPD attached.
Can I study a bachelor's at FU Berlin in English?
Bachelor's programmes are German-taught. You need at least C1 German to apply and, for most programmes, DSH-2 or TestDaF 4 in all parts to enrol.
When is the FU Berlin application deadline?
For the winter semester, limited-admission bachelor's programmes take applications from 1 June to 15 July and unrestricted programmes until 1 September. These are the 2026 dates; check for the 2027 confirmation.
What is FU Berlin's QS ranking?
FU Berlin is 98th (tied) in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and joint 113th in the THE World University Rankings 2026.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
- FU Berlin - Zahlen und Fakten
- FU Berlin - Bachelor's degrees and state exam law (how to apply)
- FU Berlin - Application with non-German university entrance qualification (VPD)
- FU Berlin - Deadlines winter semester 2026/27
- FU Berlin - German skills for studying and applying
- FU Berlin - Gebühren (fees and contributions)
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