Founded in 1948, FU Berlin is a leading public research university, particularly strong in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences, mathematics, computer science).
The Freie Universität Berlin, FU Berlin, was founded in 1948 in the western part of the divided city, after students and professors at the Humboldt University in the Soviet sector protested against political pressure. American support helped the new university to open, and its motto, Truth, Justice, Freedom, refers to that origin. It has about 33,000 students and 5,000 staff, and around one student in five comes from abroad.
The main campus is in Dahlem, a green district in the south-west of Berlin with villas, museums and a botanical garden that belongs to the university. The location is quieter than the centre, and the campus is served by the U3 metro line. The Henry Ford Building, the Philology Library by Norman Foster and the Kennedy Institute for North American Studies are among the best-known sites.
FU Berlin is strong in the humanities, social sciences, political science, area studies and law, and it has important programmes in Latin American, East European, Middle Eastern and East Asian studies. In the natural sciences, physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics have large research groups, and the veterinary faculty is one of the few in Germany. The medical faculty is the Charité, which it shares with Humboldt-Universität.
FU is part of the Berlin University Alliance, which won University of Excellence status. Public universities in Berlin charge no tuition for most students, but a semester contribution of a few hundred euros includes the regional transport ticket. Bachelor’s programmes are mostly in German, and a growing number of master’s programmes are in English. Admission is restricted in popular subjects.
Many students live in shared flats in Berlin or in residences of the Studentenwerk near Dahlem. The research culture is international, with many visiting scholars every year. The Dahlem museums and the botanical garden are a short walk from the lecture halls.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Fluid Dynamics, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of German U15, Una Europa. Strong international research collaborations. Located in Berlin-Dahlem research hub.
Research:
Molecular biology & Biochemistry, Nanoscience & Materials, Theoretical physics & Complex systems, AI & Data science, Environmental earth sciences.
Famous Alumnis:
5 Nobel laureates including Ernst Ruska, Reinhard Selten.
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
5000
Current students***:
33000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading research university in Berlin, strong in natural sciences and computer science, vibrant international atmosphere.
Cons
Less focused on applied engineering compared to TU Berlin.
Best For
Leading research university with strong programs in physics, chemistry, life sciences, and computer science.
Another national school that puts astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies at the centre is Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and it covers agriculture as well, and has almost the same size, at about 35,000 students.
In terms of fields, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München is the nearest neighbour, with astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics again at the core; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Think of Universität Leipzig when astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics is the priority: it has almost the same size, at about 30,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Universität Potsdam offers a comparable education in astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics: it covers electrical and electronics as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 21,000 students against roughly 33,000 here.
Universität Bielefeld works in much the same fields, chiefly astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it is slightly smaller, at about 24,000 students against roughly 33,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
For astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies outside the home country, Jagiellonian University in Poland is a natural reference; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
The closest overseas parallel on astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics is Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, located in Poland; it has almost the same size, at about 35,000 students, and is also a public institution.
If this institution is on your list for astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics, Universität Zürich in Switzerland deserves a comparison, because it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Sorbonne Université in France shares the astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics orientation of this institution, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Université de Genève in Switzerland shares the astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics orientation of this institution, and it is smaller, enrolling about 19,000 students against roughly 33,000 here, and is also a public institution.
*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
Where is FU Berlin?
The administrative address is Kaiserswerther Straße 16-18 in Berlin-Dahlem, in the south-west of the city.
When was it founded?
In 1948 in West Berlin.
Why was it created?
Students and professors protested against political pressure at the Humboldt University in the Soviet sector and founded a new free university.
What is its motto?
Truth, Justice, Freedom.
How large is it?
About 33,000 students and 5,000 staff.
What is FU Berlin best known for?
Humanities, social sciences, political science, area studies, law and natural sciences.
What is the Kennedy Institute?
An institute for North American studies on the FU campus.
Is there tuition?
Public universities in Berlin charge no tuition for most students. A semester contribution applies and includes a regional transport ticket. Check the current tariff.
In which language are courses taught?
Mostly in German at bachelor level, with a growing number of master's programmes in English.
*: 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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