Free University of Berlin Germany

Free University of Berlin Germany

The Freie Universität Berlin ("Free University of Berlin") is the largest of the four research universities in Berlin, Germany. Research at the university is focused on the humanities and social sciences, as well as on health and natural sciences. Founded in West Berlin during the early Cold War period and born out of the increasingly Communist-controlled Humboldt University, its name refers to West Berlin's status as part of the free world, as opposed to the Soviet-occupied areas surrounding the city.
The Freie Universität Berlin was one of nine German top-universities (also known as elite universities) to win in the German Universities Excellence Initiative, a national competition for universities organized by the German Federal Government. Winning a distinction for five doctoral programs, three interdisciplinary research clusters (some of them in cooperation with other universities) and its overall institutional strategy, the Freie Universität Berlin was the single most successful university in the initiative. In university rankings, the Freie Universität Berlin ranks among the best German universities; it has established a strong international showing in the Arts & Humanities followed by the Social Sciences, making it one of Europe's top institutions in these fields.
Excluding the Charité medical school which is co-administered by the university with the Humboldt University, the Freie Universität is currently the lead university for eight collaborative research centres of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and also has five DFG research units. Fourteen scholars of the Freie Universität have to date been awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the DFG - the most acclaimed award for research achievements in Germany.

Freie Universitaet Berlin is one of the leading universities in Germany and distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. In university rankings Freie Universitaet places among the best universities. According to the internationally relevant ranking of The Times Higher Education Supplement, the humanities at Freie Universitaet are the best in Germany. The Funding Rankings of the German Research Foundation DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemein- schaft) place the humanities at Freie Universitaet in first place and the natural sciences in fourth place.
Freie Universitaet is also one of the largest universities in Germany, offering degree courses in about 100 subjects for 34,000 students - of whom 15 per cent come from other countries. For many foreign scholars, such as fellows of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Freie Universität is the university of preference for their stay in Germany.

Without including Medicine, Freie Universitaet is currently lead university for seven collaborative research centers of the German Research Foundation DFG and also has four DFG research units. In addition, because of the wide variety of subjects it offers, Freie Universitaet has three collaborative research centers in the humanities and social sciences. Fourteen scholars of Freie Universitaet have to date been awarded a Leibniz Prize of the DFG, the most important German prize for research achievements. With the amount of 60 million euros of external funding acquired each year, Freie Universitaet canvasses a significant proportion of its income from third-party funds.

Location

Kaiserswerther Str. 16-18
14195  Berlin
Germany
Phone:
49 30 8381

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Germany

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (German: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), commonly known as the University of Munich or LMU, is a university in Munich, Germany. A public research university, it is among Germany's oldest universities.
Originally established in Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke Ludwig IX of Bavaria-Landshut, the university was moved in 1800 to Landshut by King Maximilian I of Bavaria when Ingolstadt was threatened by the French, before being relocated to its present-day location in Munich in 1826 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria. In 1802, the university was officially named Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität by King Maximilian I of Bavaria in his as well as the university's original founder's honour.

The University of Munich has, particularly since the 19th century, been considered as one of Germany's as well as Europe's most prestigious universities; with 34 Nobel laureates associated with the university, it ranks 13th worldwide in terms of Nobel laureates. Among these were Wilhelm Röntgen, Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, Otto Hahn and Thomas Mann. Pope Benedict XVI was also a student and professor at the university. The LMU has recently been conferred the title of "elite university" under the German Universities Excellence Initiative.

The LMU is currently the second-largest university in Germany in terms of student population; in the winter semester of 2009/2010, the university had a total of 45,539 matriculated students. Of these, 7,801 were freshmen while international students totalled 6,743 or almost 15% of the student population. As for endowments, the university records in 2008 a total of 458.8 million Euros in funding without the university hospital; with the university hospital, the university has a total funding amounting to approximately 1 billion Euros.

Humboldt University of Berlin Germany

Humboldt University of Berlin

The university was founded in Berlin in 1810, and the foundation concept of Wilhelm von Humboldt gave it the title "Mother of all modern universities".

This concept envisaged a "Universitas litterarum" which would achieve a unity of teaching and research and provide students with an all-round humanist education. This concept spread throughout the world and gave rise to the foundation of many universities of the same type over the next century and a half.
The concept of the academic and statesman Wilhelm von Humboldt was influenced, among others, by the reform ideas of the philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte, the first vice chancellor of the university, and by the theologian and philosopher Friedrich Schleiermacher.

From the outset, the university in Berlin had the four classical faculties of Law, Medicine, Philosophy and Theology. Its first academic term began with 256 students and 52 teaching staff. Professors such as Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel (Philosophy), Karl Friedrich von Savigny (Law), August Boeckh (Classical Philology), Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland (Medicine) and Albrecht Daniel Thaer (Agriculture), shaped the profile of the individual faculties in accordance with Humboldt's concept.

Partly due to the influence of the natural scientist Alexander von Humboldt, the university pioneered the introduction of many new disciplines. The chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann, the physicist Hermann von Helmholtz, the mathematicians Ernst Kummer, Leopold Kronecker, Karl Theodor Weierstrass (the "triple star of Mathematics") and the medical scientists Johannes Müller and Rudolf Virchow became known in their specialist areas far beyond the university in Berlin. Later, a total of 29 Nobel Prize winners did some of their scientific work at the university in Berlin, including Albert Einstein, Emil Fischer, Max Planck and Fritz Haber. And many famous people such as Heinrich Heine, Adelbert von Chamisso, Ludwig Feuerbach, Otto von Bismarck, Karl Liebknecht, Franz Mehring, Alice Salomon, Karl Marx and Kurt Tucholsky were also enrolled at the "Alma mater" of Berlin. Heinrich Mann was the first honorary doctor of the university after the end of the Second World War.

Location

Unter den Linden 6
10099  Berlin
Germany
Phone:
49 30 20930

The University of Münster Germany

The University of Münster Germany

The University of Münster is the third largest in Germany. Currently, about 39,000 students are enrolled and every year about 5,000 are graduating.

The university's popularity is no doubt due to the wide range of subjects on offer (over 120), the excellence of the research carried out in many departments, and the high quality of life in the city of Münster.
Münster University has an international dimension. More than 3,500 foreign students study here, and we have partnership agreements with over 400 academic institutions all over the world. Together with Enschede (Netherlands) and Osnabrück (Germany), Münster forms a university triangle within the area known as "Euregio".

The Westphalian metropolis is sometimes described as a cyclist's paradise. There are a great many cycle lanes, and most students have bicycles.
The university's numerous institutes are dotted all over the mediaeval city centre as well as the western districts of Münster. However, although its buildings are all within walking or cycling distance, Münster University is quite different from campus universities in that its activities tend to merge with everyday urban life.


Location

Schlossplatz 2
48149  Münster
Germany
Phone:
49 251 830

Universität Regensburg Germany

Universität Regensburg


Universität Regensburg, founded in 1962, is located on a modern campus at the southern edge of a historic city dating back to the Roman Ages. The university provides a broad variety of disciplines, a favourable student-teacher ratio and excellent facilities.

Originally designed as a regional university, it has developed into a renowned centre of teaching and research with a strong tradition in international cooperation. There are currently around 18,500 students enrolled at Universität Regensburg, including 1,400 international students (as of winter semester 2010/11).
Furthermore, the Universität Regensburg is committed to the academic freedom in research and teaching. The university sees itself as a community supporting the equality of women and men. Research is the university’s principal duty and its foundation for expert teaching.

The university fosters the advancement of professional skills as well as the general development of its students into motivated and critical individuals with a sense of initiative and responsibility. In this context the Universität Regensburg supports creativity and interdisciplinary cooperation.

Location

Universitätsstraße 31
93053  Regensburg
Germany
Phone:
49 941 94301