Free University of Berlin Ranking: QS, THE, US News Rankings, Subjectwise and more

Free University of Berlin Ranking: The Free University of Berlin or Freie Universität Berlin continues to build its position as one of the premier institutions to study in Germany and Europe. In the latest QS World University Rankings for 2025, the university placed 97th globally, up one spot from the previous year, and 4th among German universities. Furthermore, these rankings are because of academic prestige, research work, and commitment to internationalisation. 

Location	Berlin, Germany
Type	National Public University
Established	1948
Motto in English	Truth, Justice, Liberty
Official Website	https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/index.html
Rankings	#97 (QS World University Ranking 2025) #102 (THE World Ranking 2024) #66 (US News and World Report 2024)
National Ranking	4th
Ranking in Europe	39th

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Free University of Berlin: Overview

The Free University of Berlin is a famous public research university located in Berlin, Germany. Here is an overview of the institution. 

• The university was founded in 1948 during the early Cold War with American support. This was in response to the political repression faced by students at the former University of Berlin, which was located in East Berlin. 

• There are 11 departments each providing a diverse range of academic disciplines.

• The Free University of Berlin is recognised for its research output, with over 109,000 academic publications and approximately 2.46 million citations.

• It has been designated as a “University of Excellence” under Germany’s Universities Excellence Initiative, hence highlighting its high-quality research and education.

• The university’s seal features the Latin terms for Truth, Justice, and Liberty, which conveys its foundational principles and mission.

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Free University of Berlin Ranking: QS World Ranking 2025

As of 2025, the Free University of Berlin (Freie Universitaet Berlin) ranks #97 according to the QS World University Rankings 2024. Given below are the factors and their scores which help decide the institute’s worldwide ranking for this popular framework:

Factor	Score (out of 100)
Academic Reputation	80.3
Citations per Faculty	71.7
Employment Outcomes	32.8
Employer Reputation	56.9
Faculty Student Ratio	5
International Faculty Ratio	62.4
International Research Network	93.1
International Students Ratio	43.7
Sustainability	31.3

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Free University of Berlin THE World Ranking 2024

Meanwhile, Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings rank the Free University of Berlin at #102 for 2024. Here are the factors and their scores based on which the framework decides to rank the institute worldwide: 

Factor	Score (out of 100)
Overall	66.5
Teaching	52.1
Research Environment	59.7
Research Quality	82.5
Industry	71.6
International Outlook	82.4

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Free University of Berlin US News and World Report 2024

According to the US News and World Report, the Free University of Berlin ranking stands at the #66 spot among the Best Global Universities in 2024. Here’s how the system ranked the institute this year on the following factors to decide its global position:

Global Score	74.6
Global Research Reputation	#122
Regional Research Reputation	#35
Publications	#73
Books	#38
Conferences	#739
Normalised Citation Impact	#137
Total Citations	#58
Number of publications that are among the 10% most cited	#75
Percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited	#264
International collaboration – relative to the country	#773
International collaboration	#542
Number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited	#50
Percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited	#118

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Free University of Berlin Subjectwise Ranking

The Free University of Berlin is famous for its world-class courses offered in a range of disciplines, ranking among the top universities in Germany and globally. Let’s look at the Free University of Berlin ranking for its popular subjects below.

QS Subjectwise Ranking

Here are the subject rankings of the institute as per the QS framework:

Subject	QS WUR Ranking By Subject 2024
Engineering and Technology	#=228
Accounting and Finance	#201-250
Life Sciences and Medicine	#=143
Economics and Econometrics	#151-200
Mathematics	#130
English Language and Literature	#=42
Psychology	#=88
Law and Legal Studies	#65

US News Subjectwise Ranking

Here are the subject rankings of the institute as per the US News and World Report framework:

Subject	US News Subject Rankings
Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems	#9
Arts and Humanities	#74
Immunology	#38
Biology and Biochemistry	#57
Neuroscience and Behaviour	#41
Pharmacology and Toxicology	#47
Psychology/Psychiatry	#52
Surgery	#49

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Free University of Berlin Ranking 2024: In Germany

As for its reputation in Germany, the Free University of Berlin always ranks among the top 10 universities in the country. According to the QS World University Rankings 2025, the university is placed 4th among German universities. 

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Free University of Berlin Ranking 2024: In Europe

When it comes to the Free University of Berlin’s ranking in Europe, it is placed 18th by the CWUR (Center for World University Rankings) for 2024 and 39th according to the QS World University Rankings for Europe 2024. 

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Free University of Berlin Ranking: Yearwise Comparison

The Free University of Berlin has always ranked among the top universities in Germany as well as globally. Here is the yearwise ranking comparison of the university as per the frameworks.

Framework	Year	Rank
QS World University Rankings	2024	97
	2023	98
	2022	106
THE World University Rankings	2024	102
	2023	101
	2022	96

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Free University of Berlin: Eligibility Criteria 

The eligibility criteria for international students applying to the Free University of Berlin depends on the type of program (undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral) as well as on your educational background. Here is a general requirement for admission to FU Berlin: 

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You must have completed secondary education equivalent to the German Abitur.
• Proficiency in German is normally required, though some programs may be offered in English. 

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Application Process

Uni-assist reviews applications from non-German graduates to guarantee they meet formal and subject-specific prerequisites. Processing an application usually takes 4-6 weeks, but can take longer towards the end of the application period. Moreover, incomplete applications will be excluded from the admission procedure.

• If your application is successful, you will receive an admission notice necessary for enrollment.
• To begin your studies, you must enroll by submitting additional documents and paying the semester and other additional fees.

Documents Required 

Here are the general documents you have to submit:

• Notice of Admission
• Control View from Online Data Entry
• Completed Application for Enrollment
• Valid Identification (eg. Passport)
• Health Insurance Notification (from a German health insurance provider) 
• University Entrance Qualification
• Proof of Language Proficiency
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Letters of Recommendation
• Motivation Letter
• Transcripts
• Confirmation of membership in the Dahlem Research School (for Doctoral programs) 

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Free University of Berlin: Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate at the Free University of Berlin is around 15% as it is one of the top universities in Germany and has a highly competitive admission process. This means that out of every 100 applicants, only about 15 are admitted to the university. The low acceptance rate is due to the high number of applicants and the university’s strict eligibility criteria. However, 23% of the applicants are international students. 

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FAQs

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