Free University of Berlin

Free University of Berlin is one of the leading research universities in Germany and distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. The Freie Universität Berlin is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on humanities and social sciences and on health and natural sciences. Freie Universität Berlin was one of nine German top-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, Freie Universität Berlin was the single most successful university in the initiative. In university rankings, Freie Universität Berlin ranks among the best universities. The Times Higher Education Supplement world rankings in Arts and Humanities of 2009 place the Freie Universität of Berlin 1st in Germany, 6th best in Europe, and 27th in the world. Without the medical school, Freie Universität is currently lead university for eight collaborative research centers of the German Research Foundation DFG and also has five DFG research units. Fifteen scholars of Freie Universität have to date been awarded a Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the DFG, the most important German prize for research achievements. Founded in West Berlin during the early Cold War, its name refers to West Berlin's status as part of the free world, as opposed to the Soviet-occupied areas surrounding the city and the then communist-controlled Humboldt University in particular.