Free University of Berlin

Freie Universität Berlin is a public research university in southwest Berlin (Dahlem) with students from over 80 countries. It is known for strong departments in political science, law, economics, natural sciences and area studies, and its International Student Support office guides degree-seeking students from abroad before, during and after their studies.

Why South Asian students choose FU Berlin

• No tuition: FU charges no tuition fees — only semester fees and contributions (currently €376.80), which include the nationwide Deutschland-Semesterticket for public transport.
• English-taught master's programmes: programmes in the natural and computational sciences, physics and area studies offer English-language tracks; language requirements are published per programme.
• Dedicated support: the Info-Service Studium / Student Services Center is the central contact point for international applicants and enrolled students.
• Scholarships: enrolled international students can apply for DAAD STIBET scholarships (€250/month) and the Deutschlandstipendium.

Full tuition detail (verified): Freie Universität Berlin does not charge tuition fees; consecutive master's programmes require no additional tuition beyond the regular semester fees. Semester fees and contributions total €376.80: €85 Studierendenwerk social contribution, €50 administration fee, €10 student government (AStA), €226.80 Deutschlandsemesterticket, €5 social fund. A late-payment surcharge of €19.94 applies if the re-registration deadline is missed. Per FU's official fees page.

Applicants with a non-German degree must apply via uni-assist (the VPD — preliminary review documentation — procedure). Uni-assist checks foreign certificates, degrees and diplomas; if all admission requirements are met, the application is forwarded to FU Berlin, which decides on admission. Apply early: processing takes 4–6 weeks, up to 8 weeks at peak times.

Key points

• For many consecutive master's programmes the winter-semester deadline is 31 May; some programmes differ — always check the programme's own page.
• Consecutive master's programmes charge no tuition beyond the regular semester fees; continuing-education master's programmes charge additional tuition.
• Most bachelor's programmes are German-taught and require German proficiency (e.g., DSH-2/TestDaF); some subjects additionally require foreign-language proof (English, French, etc.).
• English-taught master's programmes set their own English requirements — there is no single university-wide IELTS/TOEFL minimum.

FU Berlin charges no application fee itself; uni-assist charges its own handling fee per application.

FU Berlin offers bachelor's, consecutive master's, state-examination and continuing-education master's programmes. Options of interest to international students include:

• English-taught master's programmes (e.g., in the natural and computational sciences) — language requirements vary; see each programme's study-programme page.
• Consecutive master's programmes — continue the undergraduate discipline; no additional tuition beyond semester fees.
• Bachelor's programmes — mostly German-taught; some require special foreign-language admission requirements (e.g., English for English Philology or North American Studies).
• Short-term options: FUBiS international summer/winter university and FU-BEST semester study abroad.

Notable institutes include the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies and the School of Business & Economics.

DAAD STIBET scholarships (via FU's Center for Academic Advising): for enrolled international students — 10 awards of €250 per month over 10 months (March–December 2026 round), targeted at students with a refugee background, with children under 12, caregivers, or with disabilities/chronic illness. Applicants must have obtained their university entrance qualification abroad and be regularly enrolled in a degree programme; applications close by the annual deadline (11 January for the 2026 round).

Deutschlandstipendium: open to enrolled FU students (and newly admitted first-semester students) of all nationalities within the standard period of study, across bachelor's, master's and state-exam programmes; selection is primarily merit-based with attention to social criteria (refugees, first-generation students, students with children or disabilities, competitive athletes). Note: applying for the Deutschlandstipendium is not a route to a study place — you must already be admitted or enrolled.

• DAAD scholarships and other external funding (e.g., stipendiumplus.de, mystipendium.de) are also promoted by FU's advising services.