Address: Fahnenbergplatz, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Life Sciences & Bioengineering, Materials Science & Engineering, Computer Science & AI
The Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg is a public research university in Freiburg im Breisgau, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was founded on 21 September 1457 by Archduke Albert VI of Austria, after whom it was first named, and it opened with four faculties: theology, philosophy, medicine and law. The addition of Ludwig to its name dates from the early nineteenth century, after Grand Duke Ludwig I of Baden secured its survival with an annual contribution in 1820.
Today the university has about 24,500 students, around 4,600 academic staff and eleven faculties. About 18 percent of the students come from abroad, which meant 4,413 of 24,520 enrolled in the winter semester 2023/24, and they represent more than 120 countries. Around 240 degree programmes are on offer, 21 of them taught in English, while the majority are taught in German.
Freiburg belongs to the German U15 group of research universities and to the LERU network, and it takes part in the EUCOR Upper Rhine alliance. It runs two Clusters of Excellence, one in biological signalling studies and one in forest systems, and it raised 219 million euros in third-party research funding in 2023. Humanists such as Johannes Reuchlin and Geiler von Kaysersberg were among its early students, Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger taught there after the First World War, and in 1900 Freiburg became the first German university to admit female students.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of LERU, German U15, Eucor – The European Campus. Numerous Nobel laureates. Strong research collaborations.
Research:
Neuroscience & Medical technology, Sustainable materials & Energy systems, AI & Robotics, Immunology & Molecular medicine.
Famous Alumnis:
Numerous Nobel laureates including Hans Krebs, Georges Köhler, Harald zur Hausen.
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
7000
Current students***:
24000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Historic and highly ranked university, excellence in research (life sciences, materials), beautiful city in the Black Forest region.
Cons
Very competitive, traditional academic structure.
Best For
Historic research university strong in life sciences, materials science, and computer science.
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is the closest peer in the sciences, with physics and astronomy alongside chemistry and geosciences as main fields, and it enrolls about 29,000 students against roughly 24,500 in Freiburg.
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn pairs mathematics and physics with life and medical sciences, which mirrors Freiburg’s mix of natural sciences and medicine, and it is larger at about 38,000 students.
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München has about 52,000 students and lists physics and astronomy as well as chemistry among its main fields, so it offers a much larger setting for a comparable range of sciences.
Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main combines physics and geosciences with biosciences and chemistry, and it has around 46,000 students, almost twice the size of Freiburg.
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin covers physics and chemistry as well as life sciences, with about 35,000 students, and it is a capital-city alternative for applicants who want a broad research university.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Universität Basel in Switzerland works in life sciences, nanoscience, physics and chemistry with about 13,000 students, and it belongs, like Freiburg, to the late medieval wave of university foundings in the German-speaking world.
University of Vienna in Austria has more than 85,000 students and teaches law, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences; Freiburg was founded in 1457 by the Habsburgs as the second university in their territory after Vienna.
Universiteit Leiden in the Netherlands is a research university with life sciences, natural sciences and data science as main fields and about 34,000 students, a profile that overlaps with Freiburg’s sciences.
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium is a large research university of about 62,000 students, with engineering, life sciences and computer science among its main fields.
Uppsala University in Sweden, with about 50,000 students, covers life sciences, law and the humanities, and it is a long-established comprehensive university comparable to Freiburg in its range of faculties.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
When and by whom was the University of Freiburg founded?
It was founded on 21 September 1457 by Archduke Albert VI of Austria, who provided land, endowments and its own jurisdiction. It started with faculties of theology, philosophy, medicine and law, and its Latin name, Alma Mater Alberto-Ludoviciana, still recalls the founder and the later patron Ludwig I of Baden.
How big is the university and how is it organised?
The university has about 24,500 students, around 4,600 academic staff and eleven faculties, a number set in 2002. Its main site is in the centre of Freiburg im Breisgau in south-western Germany.
What share of the students come from abroad?
About 18 percent of the students are international, which corresponded to 4,413 out of 24,520 enrolled in the winter semester 2023/24. They come from more than 120 countries.
Which languages are used for teaching?
Most of the roughly 240 degree programmes are taught in German, and 21 are taught in English. Entry requirements, intake dates and language levels differ for every degree, so applicants should check the page of the programme they want.
What research strengths and networks does the university have?
It operates two Clusters of Excellence, one in biological signalling studies and one in forest systems, and it received 219 million euros in third-party research funding in 2023. It is a member of the U15 group of German research universities and of the LERU network.
Which well-known scholars are linked to Freiburg?
Early students included the humanists Johannes Reuchlin, Geiler von Kaysersberg and Jakob Wimpfeling, and the philosophers Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger taught there after the First World War, as did Edith Stein. The jurist Ulrich Zasius made the city a centre of humanist jurisprudence until 1536.
What is the motto of the university?
The motto is “Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen”, which means that the truth will set you free. In 1900 Freiburg also became the first German university to accept female students.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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