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University Highlights

Im Ranking der DFG wird der Freien Universität eine exzellente Forschungsleistung in der ganzen Fächerbreite attestiert.

DFG rankings certify Freie Universität’s excellent research performance across its wide range of subjects.
Image Credit: Bernd Wannenmacher

Ausgezeichneter Klimaschutz: Die Freie Universität zählt mit einer installierten Leistung von insgesamt mehr als 480 Kilowatt zu den größten öffentlichen Solarstromerzeugern in Berlin.

Outstanding climate protection: Freie Universität, with a capacity of more than 480 kilowatts from an installation on campus, is one of the largest public solar power producers in Berlin.
Image Credit: Felix Rückert www.imagineur.net

In the Funding Atlas published by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for 2021, Freie Universität Berlinwas ranked among the top six higher education institutions for research in the country. It was the highest ranked higher education institution in Berlin. 

Freie Universität occupies an excellent position in national and international rankings. In terms of international comparison, the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings are particularly revealing.

According to the “Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2020,” Freie Universität Berlin is the most popular higher education institution in Germany for international academics and researchers. The same ranking also recognized Freie Universität as the most international university in Germany.

The university’s outstanding international reputation is also evident from the rankings published by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
According to the rankings published by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 2020, Freie Universität is the most popular higher education institution in Germany for leading researchers and young scholars from abroad. Achieving a top position in the Humboldt rankings is considered an important indicator of how German higher education institutions are viewed abroad. 

In 2020, Freie Universität once again achieved first place in the DAAD’s funding ranking: Compared with other institutions across Germany, Freie Universität was able to acquire the most third-party funding for internationalization from the DAAD – almost 10 million euros.

Freie Universität is involved in numerous research alliances and is successful in attracting individual projects that receive third-party funding, groups of junior scholars and scientists, and scholarly and academic awards. You can find more information about the research successes of Freie Universität here

Freie Universität also performed exceptionally well in the Center for Higher Education (CHE) rankings for 2021. This ranking is based on data provided by students about their degree programs in general, as well as about their experiences with advisory or support services during their studies or stays abroad.

In September 2020, Freie Universität received special recognition from Indiana University (IU); it was awarded the Bicentennial Medal for its global commitment.

Education for All 

Freie Universität Berlin supports its members through family-friendly policies and organization, making it easier to manage family responsibilities alongside work, study, and research. It received certification under the Family-Friendly Higher Education Audit (“audit familiengerechte hochschule”) in 2007 and helped establish the “Familie in der Hochschule e.V.” (Family in Higher Education Institutions) association in March 2018.

For several years now, Freie Universität has been considered one of the best universities in Germany when it comes to improving the representation of women at all levels of qualification in the academic system. In 2018, Freie Universität was given the “Outstanding Equal Opportunity!” distinction – one of only ten German universities awarded the honor – as part of the German federal and state governments’ female professors program. This achievement is a result of the university’s strong professional development and recruiting processes that support female academics on their way to becoming professors.

In 2020, Freie Universität Berlin received the TOTAL E-QUALITY Award for its exemplary commitment to promoting equity between women and men. This is the seventh year in a row that Freie Universität has been awarded the prize, which comprised an additional distinction for promoting diversity in 2021 for the first time. 

Since 2005, Freie Universität Berlin has consistently ranked among the best German universities with regard to equality in the rankings published by the Center for Excellence Women and Science (CEWS).

An Environmentally Friendly University

Freie Universität Berlin was the first German university to declare a state of climate emergency in December 2019. This involved committing itself to taking sustainability and climate protection into consideration in all its decisions and plans, as well as the aim to become climate neutral by 2025.

Over the past two decades, Freie Universität has been able to reduce its energy consumption by 27 percent and its CO2 emissions by 80 percent.

Freie Universität Berlin was awarded the EMAS seal of approval in 2021, considered to be the seal of approval for corporate environmental management with the most stringent criteria in the world.

Ideas for the Business Sector

Knowledge and technology transfer are considered a top priority at Freie Universität. The university has been successfully offering start-up support since the 1980s. The aim is to establish entrepreneurial thinking and doing among both researchers and students. 

According to the 2021 Gründungsradar (start-up radar), Freie Universität Berlin was among the ten higher education institutions in Germany with more than 15,000 students that provided exemplary start-up support.

In the 2020 Businessplan-Wettbewerb Berlin-Brandenburg (Berlin-Brandenburg business plan competition), Freie Universität Berlin was awarded the title “Ideenschmiede Berlin” (powerhouse of ideas) for the eighth time due to its notable success in supporting young businesspeople. 

External Fundraising

Freie Universität Berlin’s reputation as a leader in research is also demonstrated by its success in acquiring external funding. This includes public funds as well as funding from foundations and business partners. Combined with the basic financing granted to all public universities by the government, this amounts to a significant amount of research funding.

The acquisition and expenditure of external funds by Freie Universität Berlin has risen continuously for more than ten years. The total amount of spending of external funding increased from 106,290 million euros net in 2010 to 144.218 million euros in 2022.