Freie Universität Berlin is an internationally oriented leading research institution in the southwestern part of the German capital. Approximately 33,500 students study there, and roughly 4,000 doctoral candidates conduct research. About 460 professors teach and conduct research in a broad range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, as well as the natural and life sciences. Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin is a joint institution of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
Freie Universität Berlin was founded in 1948 in response to the increasing political repression at the traditional Berlin university on Unter den Linden, which at that time was located in the Soviet sector of the divided city. Freie Universität Berlin emerged victorious in the three rounds of the German federal and state Excellence Competitions for universities in 2006/2007, 2012, and 2019, and was recognized as a German University of Excellence.
| Motto / Slogan | Veritas, Justitia, and Libertas, Truth, Justice and Freedom |
| Colour | Black and Green |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Location | Berlin, Berlin, Germany |
| Address | Freie Universität Berlin Kaiserswerther Str. 16-18 14195 Berlin Germany |
To be a globally recognized university that shapes the future through innovative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a strong commitment to academic excellence and societal impact.
Freie Universität Berlin promotes gender equality and equal opportunities at all levels while actively combating discrimination. The university values diversity, recognizing both the differences and shared experiences within its community. It is committed to removing barriers that prevent students, researchers, and staff from receiving fair treatment and fully benefiting from studying, working, and conducting research at the university.
Securing a livable future presents major global challenges, including climate protection, biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction, and intergenerational justice. Addressing these issues requires new knowledge, technical and social innovations, and essential skills. While many solutions are still evolving, it is widely recognized that higher education plays a vital role in developing the ideas, research, and leaders needed to build a sustainable future.
As a research-driven institution, Freie Universität Berlin is committed to maintaining high academic and ethical standards. Guided by its motto “Veritas, Iustitia, Libertas” (Truth, Justice, Freedom), the university upholds honesty, integrity, fairness, and trust as the core principles of its teaching, research, and support for early-career scholars.
Knowledge and technology transfer is a high priorities at Freie Universität Berlin. Cooperative arrangements with a large number of private-sector firms underscore the university’s commitment to academic work with a focus on practical, real-world applications. Profound Innovation is the central service facility for supporting the transfer of knowledge and technology at Freie Universität.
Entry requirements vary by program. View the admission requirements on the admission page.
Entry requirements vary by program. View the admission requirements on the admission page.
Email: [email protected]
Phone : +49 (0)30 838 70000
The students Otto Hess, Joachim Schwarz, and Otto Stolz, editor-in-chief of “Colloquium,” were expelled from the main university in Berlin (see photo) by the president of the So... read more
About 2,000 students protested in support of Otto Hess, Joachim Schwarz, and Otto Stolz in front of the Hotel Esplanade at Potsdamer Platz. They demanded the founding of a new, free university. The rector of the main Berlin university, Hermann Dersch, justified expelling them as he said their journalistic work was “an affront to decency and dignity.”
The Institute for Latin American Studies was opened. The interdisciplinary central institute for research and teaching in ancient American studies, history, Latin American studies, politics, sociology, and economics moved into a building at Rüdesheimer Strasse 54-56. The building was designed by Max Taut and Franz Hoffmann from 1929 to 1930 for the German Miners’ Union.
Joint University Day. Freie Universität invited researchers and students at Humboldt-Universität to visit the university in Dahlem. Members of the AStA student association as well as supporters of the autonomous scene in Kreuzberg disrupted the event with protests. In their eyes the event was an “imperialist takeover” of Humboldt-Universität by Freie Universität. Numerous invited guests left the assembly hall. However, the planned meetings between guests from Humboldt-Universität and their counterparts at Freie Universität were able to take place in the academic departments in the afternoon.
Freie Universität was one of the winners in the German federal and state governments’ Excellence Initiative, making it one of nine “Universities of Excellence” in Germany. Its concepts for graduate schools, clusters of excellence, and its development strategy for an “International Network University” were deciding factors. The previous year, in the first round of the Excellence Initiative, the Berlin Mathematical School, a joint institution of Freie Universität, Humboldt-Universität, and Technische Universität, had already been selected for funding through the Excellence Initiative.
Freie Universität Berlin was the first German university to declare a state of climate emergency. By doing so, the university pledged to incorporate climate protection and sustainability across the university to a greater extent in the future and set the goal of attaining “climate neutrality” by 2025.
