Free University of Berlin

One of the wonderful advantages of studying in Germany is that many of its universities recognized for their educational excellence are free to enroll and of course this is no exception, since the Freie Universität Berlin does not charge tuition fees except for some degree programs or graduate. Therefore, students only have to worry about covering some fees and charges that are better known as “fees and contributions” that are around $338 USD per month. In general, these contributions are:

• $61 USD registration fee/re-registration fee.
• $11 USD as a semester contribution to the studierendenWERK BERLIN as a student support service.
• $86 USD + $9 USD to the student union + $2 USD to the semester ticket office “Semesterticketbüro”.
• Contribution for the transport ticket that costs $243 USD (ABC zone), including $6 USD for the Social Fund.

Additional late fees of $25 USD (Säumnisgebühr) may be charged for late payments received after the re-registration deadline date. Of course, all these rates and contributions may change according to the conditions at the time of entry, so you must pay attention when looking for updated information.

How to study at the Freie Universität Berlin as a foreigner? What do you need?

The Free University of Berlin, in addition to being one of the largest houses of study for Germans, is an ideal center for foreign students, which is why every year it receives applications from many countries, enriching the university community with the different cultures and experiences of the applicants. Foreign students represent around 20% of the FU ‘s enrollment, the vast majority of whom come thanks to the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation . Therefore, if you want to apply, do not hesitate for a second, because even if you do not have enough qualifications to be able to apply to a program, you could go to the school-type preparation for a period of one year at the Studienkolleg . Whose approving final evaluation allows you to apply for degree programs at German universities. In addition to the wide academic offer, the University also offers the FUBiS Summer and Winter programs and the FU-BEST for foreign students and graduates who want to gain special insights into the German language and culture.

What is the Freie Universität Berlin going to ask you for? – Requirements

Among the documents to make an application at the FU they may ask you:

• Official High School Certificate translated (For undergraduate studies)
• University graduation certificate (if you have completed your studies) if this is not the case and you want to apply for a higher semester for a specific subject, you must present the university semesters certificate with the qualifications.
• The result of the Festellungsprüfung exam in case you have submitted it.
• Proof of Language (TestDAF, DSH) in case you are not an exchange student, since exchange students at the Free University of Berlin are exempt from a language exam, but it is recommended to have at least a B2 level .
• Motivation letter in German , it is rather an essay that talks about you, who are you and where are you from? What motivates you to study in Germany? Why did you choose the Free University of Berlin? It is super important that you can capture everything in this letter, it is your letter of introduction to the authorities in charge of the selection.
• Curriculum Vitae with supports.
• Official translations of all certificates if they have been issued in a language other than German or English.
• Letters of recommendation from teachers, bosses or colleagues that validate your skills.
• Other certificates that support your skills.

All documents must be submitted electronically. If you wish to have more information, you can do so directly in the undergraduate or postgraduate admission section of the university.

What is the process to be accepted?

1. Select the career or master’s degree you want to pursue.
2. Be clear about the deadlines for receiving papers, for example, most of the study courses are offered in the winter semester, but the courses of Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacy, Computer Science and Chemistry are normally also offered in the summer semester. In general, the registration phase ends on July 15 for winter and January 15 for summer .
3. Verify the dates of applications and application, it usually takes several weeks for an appointment.
4. Gather all the documents even before you start the process as an application can take around four to six weeks, so it is best to submit the application well in advance of the deadline .
5. Send the documents to the correct emails in the stipulated time, after the deadline no applications are accepted.
6. Wait for the acceptance letter.
7. Start the procedures for the student visa .

Tips for Studying at the Freie Universität Berlin

• Try to learn or improve your languages . If you already have knowledge in English, start learning German immediately, don’t waste valuable time because mastering the languages will open all doors for you.
• Always do extracurricular activities , this gives a very good impression to the selection juries.
• Investigate about German culture and begin to familiarize yourself with its customs , in this way you will connect faster with its people.
• When looking for letters of recommendation you should try to get them from people who really know your skills, sometimes by looking for recommendations from authorities the letters become monotonous or very formal.
• Do not keep anything in the motivation letter, try to explain in the best way why you want to study in Germany, this can be decisive in your application.

What can you study at the Freie Universität Berlin?

Currently the University has 12 Faculties, 3 interdisciplinary central institutes and other institutions that offer more than 200 programs including undergraduate and postgraduate, where you will find almost any course that interests you, you just have to search carefully.

If you want to know more about it, just click here .

If you want to know everything about the postgraduate courses at the Free University of Berlin, click here .

To learn about all the free courses offered by the Freie Universität Berlin , click here .

Study at the Freie Universität Berlin – What you need to know

The Free University of Berlin is one of the German universities that is essential for the international university network in the global competitions of these institutions, due to the focus and development of its research, in addition to the outstanding interdisciplinary collaborative research . The great performance of the university has strengthened its financing system, which is very beneficial for the development of internationally competitive research centers. For this reason, it has around 31,500 students in bachelor’s and master’s programs, 4,400 doctoral students, more than 300 professors, and more than 200 degree programs.

Can you work while you study?

The truth is that there are cases in which you can work . For example, undergraduate students on a student visa can work a maximum of 90 days (or 180 days) per year, knowing that in-university tutoring jobs do not count. However, students with scholarships are not allowed to work.

Study English at the Freie Universität Berlin

This University has a language school where you can take English and German courses in different modalities. If you want to know a little more about this, it is best to look for all the information directly from its page. Remember that the university also has the FU-BEST program that is offered in the fall and spring semesters to provide the student with a great experience learning the German language and the customs of the country.

How to go on an academic exchange at the Freie Universität Berlin?

If you want to go on an exchange, the university offers the possibility of a one-year or semester stay at the Institute of Latin American Studies (LAI) through the current exchange agreements and programs. You can find these agreements by clicking here . In the event that you are already a master’s student at a university that has an agreement with the Freie Universität Berlin, you can contact the staff in charge of the international area of the Latin American Institute by email: [email protected] to find all the information information about your application.

Requirements

• Application for admission/Antrag auf Zulassung.
• Application for registration (to enroll)/Antrag auf immatrikulation.
• Form “International for visiting students”, which must be delivered to the LAI office 203 before the return.

If you want more information, you can check directly on the university website in the “Semester at the LAI” section.

Scholarships and Grants offered by this university

Unfortunately, the Free University of Berlin does not offer scholarships , except for some agreement reached by the institutions, however, students can apply for a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) .

Headquarters and Campus

The Free University of Berlin has three main campuses .

Facilities and Extra Academic Offer

In addition to its incredible buildings, remember that the University offers a large number of exchange programs and short stays, so be sure to check out all the opportunities you have to take advantage of while you study. It also offers many advisory programs for international students such as:

• Info-Service Studio
• International Office
• AStA – Student Council of the General Student Committee.
• Internationaler Club – Group of students who organize multiple.
• ISFU project that organizes the orientation week for international students at the beginning of the semester, guiding them on the organization of their studies and the Campus.
• Sprachenzentrum language center that offers courses of different levels of about 13 languages including German for foreigners.
• FU Pass-Service that benefits both students and scientists at the university when they need a residence permit.
• They have the StudierendenWerk Berlin , which is an institution in charge of providing guidance on life in Berlin in all aspects: economic, social and cultural.

Library and digital classrooms

• PRIMO-QUICKSEARCH: This is the name of the library portal because the “Primo” search engine is the center of the FU libraries.

The university’s library system has around 3,300 workspaces , including reading rooms and sections for group work, some of which have specially conditioned spaces for visually impaired users. The main libraries are:

• University Library.
• Campus Library of Sciences, Cultural Studies, Education, Mathematics, Computer Science and Psychology.
• Libraries of Law and Economics.
• Library of Social Sciences and Eastern European Studies.
• Library of John F. Kennedy Institute.
• Philological Library.
• Library of the Institute of Theater Studies and the Institute of Art History.
• Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut Library.
• Vet Library.
• BGBM Library.
• Earth Science Library.
• Library of the Institute of Meteorology.
• Freie Universtät Berlin University Archive (including the Robinsohn Archive).

Laboratories

The laboratories in the service area are used by the staff of the Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum ( Borsch Group at the Institute of Biology – Systematic Botany and Plant Geography) and the Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research (BeGenDiv) . They can also be used by students and staff at the Dahlem Center of Plant Sciences (DCPS) . The laboratory area is divided into 2 locations and they cover around 450 m ² . The laboratories are affiliated on the one hand with the Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum, Berlin-Dahlem and on the other with the Borsch Group at the Institute for Plant Biology, Systematic Botany and Geography.

Coffee shops

• Mensa FU II.
• Mensa Hardenbergstraße.
• Foodtrucks – Mensa On Tour.

museums

Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum in Berlin.

hospitals

• Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. It is the joint medical school of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, currently it is located within the main university hospitals in Europe.

It is spread over more than 100 clinics and institutes that are grouped into 17 Charité Centers , the four main locations being: the Charité Mitte (CCM) campus, the Benjamin Franklin (CBF) campus, the Berlin-Buch (CBB) campus and the Virchow-Klinikum (CVK) campus.

Academic Departments

The main departments of the FUB are:

• Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy.
• Earth sciences.
• Education and Psychology.
• History and Cultural Studies.
• Right.
• Mathematics and Computer Science.
• Philosophy and Humanities.
• Physical.
• Political and Social Sciences.
• Veterinary Medicine.
• School of Economics and Business.
• Faculty of Medicine: Charité – Medical University of Berlin.

strategic centers

Dahlem Research School (DRS). As you will see, there are many alternatives that you have at the Freie Universität Berlin both to study and to share pleasantly on campus, so do not hesitate to consult all the information for you in Go-Study-In since we have expert advisors who will be able to guide you in your process making it easier for you. the way.

Free University of Berlin Photos