Freie Universität Berlin

General information

• Location: Berlin – mainly the Dahlem campus, as well as locations in Düppel and other parts of the city. Medicine is studied jointly with Humboldt-Universität through Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
• Founded: 1948
• Language of instruction: mostly German, especially for bachelor's degrees. There are also courses in English, mainly at master's level; one of the few fully English-taught bachelor's degrees is North American Studies.
• Main fields: law, economics and business, political and social sciences, psychology and education, history and cultural studies, philology and humanities, mathematics and computer science, physics, biology, chemistry and pharmacy, earth sciences, veterinary medicine, and medicine and dentistry through Charité. Around 180 courses in total.

Deadlines

Undergraduate – winter semester 2026/27

• Courses with restricted admission (NC): 1 June – 15 July 2026 for the first semester
• With a diploma from outside Germany, a VPD from uni-assist is usually required
• For some unrestricted courses, FU states that the VPD must be submitted by 1 September 2026 at the latest

The exact deadline also depends on whether the course has restricted or open admission.

Semesters

• Winter semester 2026/27: 1 October 2026 – 31 March 2027
• Summer semester 2027: 1 April – 30 September 2027

The enrolment deadline for newly admitted students is stated individually in the admission decision.

Courses – undergraduate

Psychology

• Duration: 3 years (6 semesters), 180 ECTS
• Location: mainly the Dahlem campus
• Start: winter semester only
• Language: German; English at least at B2 level is also required
• Fees: there is no tuition fee. For the 2026/27 winter semester the semester fee is €376.80 and includes the Deutschlandsemesterticket.
• Application: 1 June – 15 July for the 2026/27 winter semester
• Admission: restricted (NC)

Applying from Bulgaria: first a VPD through uni-assist, after which the application is submitted separately to FU Berlin.

BaPsy-DGPs: FU takes part in the specialised psychology admissions test. In university selection (AdH), 50% comes from the diploma average and 50% from the BaPsy result. The test is voluntary, but in a competitive admissions round it can significantly improve your chances. It assesses:

• mathematical skills
• logical and cognitive reasoning
• comprehension of psychological texts in German
• comprehension of texts in English

From 2027 the test will be held twice a year. The next dates are 14 November 2026 and 22 May 2027 – both apply for the 2027/28 winter semester application. The test is sat in person, in German, and the fee is €100.

Law (Rechtswissenschaft)

• Duration: 10 semesters (5 years); the 10th semester is intended for the state examination
• Completion: First State Examination in Law – not a classic bachelor's degree. It consists of a university examination on a chosen specialisation and the state examination.
• Location: Dahlem campus
• Start: in principle possible in both the winter and summer semester, if the course is offered that semester. For the 2026/27 winter semester, applications ran 1 June – 15 July 2026; for summer 2026, 1 December 2025 – 15 January 2026.
• Admission: restricted (NC); FU decides afresh each semester whether, and how many, places are restricted

For the 2025/26 winter semester there were 440 places for 2,322 applications. In the quota based on diploma average alone, the cut-off was 1.6. However, FU also allocates 60% of places through university selection (AdH), where the cut-off was 35 points – so applicants with 1.6 or better are not the only ones with a chance.

Points in AdH:

• diploma average – up to 50
• relevant completed vocational training – +20
• relevant professional activity – +15
• longer relevant work placement or internship – +10
• a specific preparatory course – +5

Applying with a Bulgarian diploma: in principle a VPD from uni-assist is required, which is then uploaded to FU's portal within the deadline. The VPD should be requested early – FU states a processing time of up to 8 weeks.

Business Administration (BWL)

• Duration: 3 years (6 semesters), 180 ECTS
• Location: Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaft
• Start: winter semester only
• Language: mainly German; English at B2 level is also required
• Admission: FU decides each semester whether BWL has restricted or open admission

Applying with a Bulgarian diploma: a VPD through uni-assist is required.