The humanities have not only remained in first place among German universities, but also place among the best universities around the world. Among European universities, humanities at Freie Universität ranked third, just after Oxford und Cambridge.  In the global ranking, humanities at Freie Universität take place 24. In the social sciences Freie Universität ranks first among German universities (global ranking: 62, European ranking: 16). In the natural sciences Freie Universität places fifth among German universities (global ranking: 82,  European ranking: 25). Placing 137 in the total ranking, Freie Universität moved up nine positions since last year's ranking. Freie Universität placed fourth among German universities, after Universität Heidelberg, TU München, and LMU (Munich).

Professor Dieter Lenzen, President of Freie Universität Berlin, expressed pleasure over the results. "The World University Ranking confirms that Freie Universität is not only one of the leading German universities, but also one of the best universities in the world. Our global ranking confirms the results of the German Excellence Competition. It is particularly good to see that in the lastest ranking, for the first time, all three large Berlin universities have placed among the Top 200. This success reflects the enormous capacity of the Berlin universities. It is important to maintain and improve upon this capacity. Political recognition of the significance of the Berlin research landscape beyond the borders of Germany is necessary to ensure that the universities' financial requirements will be reflected in the government's budget. The current capacity of the universities must be maintained."

For further information, please contact:

Goran Krstin, Press Spokesperson for the President of Freie Universität Berlin, Tel. +49 (0)30/ 838-73106, Fax: +49 (0)30/838-4-73106, Email: goran.krstin@fu-berlin.de