Freemover

As a freemover, you organise your study abroad experience yourself, without participating in an exchange programme. For short-term admission, you must provide evidence of German-language skills and show that you have already completed several semesters in the same subject at your home university. It is not possible to earn a degree within the context of short-term studies (as a freemover). If you would like to earn a degree at the University of Freiburg, you must apply for full-time studies. As a freemover, you generally remain enrolled your home university for the duration of your studies at the University of Freiburg and continue your course of study there upon your return.

Full-time studies (degree seekers)

If you wish to come to the University of Freiburg as a freemover, we advise that you apply by the general application deadline of 15 July or 15 January. This gives you time to arrange your visa, flights, accommodation, and any other practicalities of your stay. You must apply no later than 15 March for a summer semester or 15 September for a winter semester.

Please send your application to the

Service Center Studium
Application and Admission
z.Hd. Herrn Nicolas Gignac
Sedanstr. 6
79098 Freiburg

You must submit a completed application for admission together with the additional documents listed in our checklist:

When applying as a freemover, please enter ‘No formal degree’ under ‘Desired degree programme’.

Service Center Studium
Application and Admission

Telephone office hours
Mon – Fri: 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Mon – Thu: 1:00 pm–3:00 pm
Service Center Studium
Sedanstraße 6
2nd floor
79098 Freiburg

Applications for admission to short-term studies as a free mover are not possible for the following programmes:

Applied Political Science (Bachelor of Arts)
Medicine (State Examination)
Liberal Arts and Sciences (Bachelor)
Molecular Medicine (Bachelor of Science)
Regio Chimica (Bachelor of Science)
Pharmacy (State Examination)
Psychology (Bachelor of Science)
Dentistry (State Examination)

In the following subjects, you need express written permission from the department to apply for admission to short-term studies as a free mover:

Law (State Examination)
All master’s programmes (Master of Arts and Master of Science)

IIf you wish to study in one of these degree programmes as a freemover, please contact a departmental academic adviser for your chosen degree programme. Contact information can be found here:

Degree programme finder

Important information

Please note that the University of Freiburg does not offer any scholarships.

A good place to look for possible funding opportunities is the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (www.daad.de).

(Research) stays within the context of final theses are possible under the conditions described in this application form .

Fees per semester:

EU citizens: 183€
Non-EU citizens: 1683€

In order to be admitted to short-term studies at the University of Freiburg that do not lead to formal degree, you must have already completed several semesters at your home university and still be enrolled there. (You’ll need to present a certificate of enrolment as evidence.) In addition, the degree programme you enrol in at the University of Freiburg must be related to your degree programme at your home university.

The language of instruction at the University of Freiburg is German, except for certain master’s and postgraduate programmes and the Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which are taught in English or French. It is therefore essential that you acquire a good command of German in your home country. Please provide certificates confirming your German language skills; a minimum level of B2 is required. As an applicant for a short-term study programme, you do not need to take the DSH examination.

International applicants who wish to apply for admission to a German university need a recognized university entrance qualification, just like German applicants. If your secondary school qualification from your home country is recognized as equivalent to the German Abitur, you can be admitted directly to the University of Freiburg. If you have successfully completed two or more semesters of university study in your home country, you can generally also be admitted directly to a degree programme at the University of Freiburg. The decision as to whether university entrance qualifications earned abroad are fully equivalent or only partially equivalent to the German Abitur is made on the basis of recommendations by the ministers of education and cultural affairs of the German states (Central Office for Foreign Education). You can check whether your university entrance qualification is equivalent to the German qualification in the database of the Conference of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK).

Go to the database anabin [de]

If you enrol in short-term studies that do not lead to a formal degree at the University of Freiburg, you will be allowed to take courses and most of the examinations in your subject, but you cannot earn a degree. Please check early on to make sure the credits you earn at the University of Freiburg can be transferred to your home university upon your return.