Freie Universität Berlin

Bachelor's admission

Applicants need a higher education entrance qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung, HZB). The German Abitur, or the European Baccalaureate, entitles holders to study any subject. A subject-specific entrance qualification (fachgebundene HZB) allows only certain subjects. The Fachhochschulreife does not entitle holders to study at Freie Universität Berlin. Applicants with an international HZB generally apply first for a preliminary review documentation (VPD, Vorprüfungsdokumentation) from uni-assist, which they then upload to the Freie Universität application portal within the university's deadlines; processing can take several weeks. Whether a foreign school-leaving certificate qualifies for direct entry is assessed using the DAAD admissions database and anabin. Applicants whose certificate does not qualify attend the Studienkolleg (a one-year preparatory course taught in German, shared with Humboldt-Universität and Charité, with no summer-semester intake) and pass the Feststellungsprüfung (assessment exam, held once a year in May/June), or may sit the exam without the course. Admission to the Studienkolleg requires proof of German and an entry test; applications go through uni-assist.

Many arts and science programmes are combined bachelor's degrees (one core subject plus modules of 30 credit points each, or one 60-credit module). Some programmes with limited admission apply a numerus clausus; programmes with unrestricted admission still require an application.

Deadlines (winter semester 2026/2027)

Bachelor's programmes with limited admission: 1 June to 15 July 2026. Programmes with unrestricted admission: 1 June to 1 September 2026. Applicants without a German HZB use the same deadlines and must also obtain the VPD. Pharmacy and veterinary medicine applications run through hochschulstart.de (28 April to 31 May 2026 for earlier school-leavers, 28 April to 15 July 2026 for recent school-leavers). Consecutive master's programmes with limited admission: 20 April to 31 May 2026; with unrestricted admission: 20 April to 15 August 2026.

German-language requirements

German at a high level is required for most programmes. For application, proof of at least level C1 CEFR is needed, for example TestDaF with at least 4/4/3/3, DSH 1, telc C1-Hochschule with the result befriedigend or ausreichend, DSD II, or an OnSet/OnDaF test at C1. For enrolment, the following are accepted: DSH 2, telc C1-Hochschule with at least gut, the Goethe-Institut C2 certificate, DSD II with C1 in all parts, the Studienkolleg Feststellungsprüfung, or TestDaF with at least level 4 in all four parts. Deutsche Philologie (Bachelor's) and Deutschsprachige Literatur (Master's) require TestDaF level 5 in all four parts or DSH 3 for enrolment. Certificates must not be older than three years. Applicants who lack a certificate but meet the minimum for application can take the DSH at the university after admission. For the Studienkolleg, level B2 is sufficient (for example DSH 1 or TestDaF level 3 in all four parts). No German is required for the programmes taught in English listed on the university's English-language programmes page, although some English-taught master's programmes (for example Biodiversity, Evolution, Ecology and Biology) require A1 and Interdisciplinary Latin American Studies requires B2 at application.

English-language requirements (master's programmes)

English can be shown by school records or tests. Level B2 corresponds, for example, to IELTS 5.5 to 6.5, TOEFL iBT 72 to 94, or UNIcert II; level C1 corresponds, for example, to IELTS 7.0, TOEFL iBT at least 95 or PTE Academic at least 76. Individual programmes state which level they require and may differ.

Master's admission

Applicants need a first professional degree (usually a bachelor's) by enrolment or by the end of the first semester at the latest; it is possible to begin with two-thirds of the bachelor's completed and to prove the remainder by the end of the first semester. The final grade must be shown on the certificate or transcript. Each consecutive master's programme lists its own specific requirements (for example subject credits, language, additional documents). Applicants with a non-German degree must obtain a VPD from uni-assist (valid for one year, issued for Freie Universität Berlin) and upload it with their application, official transcript, degree certificate, translations where documents are not in German or English, and language proof. Applicants with certificates from China, India or Vietnam must also submit an APS certificate. A fee is charged by uni-assist for the VPD.

Doctoral admission

Doctorates can be pursued individually or in structured programmes; the Dahlem Research School advises on supervision, admission and enrolment in PhD programmes. Enrolment in doctoral programmes is handled separately from undergraduate enrolment.

Entry and residence

Non-EU students need a student visa; at border control they may be asked for the admission letter, visa and proof of accommodation. Health insurance is compulsory from the first day and is needed for enrolment, and students from non-EU/EFTA countries need a residence permit from the Berlin Immigration Office (LEA), for which the university's Pass-Service offers support to enrolled students. Applicants contact the Student Services Center (Info-Service Studium) at +49 30 838 70000 or [email protected].

• Dahlem campus, Berlin (main campus): Habelschwerdter Allee 45 and Fabeckstrasse 23-25 (Rost- und Silberlaube and Holzlaube) house humanities and social science subjects and 14 smaller departments from History and Cultural Studies. Law, the School of Business and Economics, the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science, the Henry Ford Building and the Central Library are nearby; mathematics and computer science, biology, chemistry and pharmacy, physics and the John F. Kennedy Institute are north of Habelschwerdter Allee 45.
• Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem: a 106-acre garden with 22,000 plant species, used for teaching and plant research.
• Veterinary Medicine: more than 20 academic institutions including five veterinary clinics; the Veterinary Library is at Oertzenweg 19b, 14163 Berlin.
• Further sites: the Earth Sciences Library and University Archives are at Malteserstrasse 74-100, 12249 Berlin; the Theatre Studies Library is at Grunewaldstrasse 35, 12165 Berlin; the Meteorology Library is at Carl-Heinrich-Becker-Weg 6-10, 12165 Berlin.

The University Library has 14 locations: Central Library (Garystr. 39), Campus Library (Fabeckstr. 23/25), Philological Library (Habelschwerdter Allee 45, open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.), Law Library, Library of Economics, Library of Social Sciences and East European Studies, Library of North American Studies, History and Art History Library, Earth Sciences, Biology, Veterinary, Theatre Studies and Meteorology libraries. The Student Services Center (Info-Service Studium) is at Iltisstrasse 4, with an info counter at Mensa II, Otto-von-Simson-Strasse 26. Freie Universität does not itself offer accommodation to degree-seeking students; the Studierendenwerk Berlin offers rooms in over 30 residence halls across the city.