It is only recently that Germany began establishing elite universities in the country along the lines of Harvard, Oxford or the Sorbonne. In 2007, the government selected nine universities to receive extra funding to lure better professors, as well as upgrade their research and educational materials. The universities offer the same bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees of other universities, but they carry an extra bit of clout.

Only one of Berlin’s three universities, the Freie Universität, won elite status. Despite the new elite programme, students still have free choice of which university to attend and the schools pick students based on the final exam grades of the applicants. For example, if a school has room for 300 students, then it simply selects the 300 applicants with the highest grades. Luckily, schools reserve a certain contingent for foreign students. If you want to study in Berlin, your chosen university needs to accept your application before you apply for a student visa.

To apply, you’ll need to make a formal application, which includes a statement of why you want to study in Germany, proof of your final grades or A-levels and the results of a language proficiency exam—if you don’t do well, you can make language courses part of your studies. Be sure to mention anything else you’ve done that might apply to your studies, such as time spent working, including doing voluntary work, in your field. Application forms are available in English on the websites of all three universities. Although an application for a German university is relatively simple, a significant number of expat kids in Germany choose to go elsewhere for college.

Student Life
Berlin isn’t a university town in the sense that the institutions shape the overall character of the city, but it’s an excellent place for students. The city is littered with cafes and bars ideal for brooding over Nietzsche, Brecht or the theory of relativity, and is a living monument to both recent and distant history. If university libraries don’t hold enough information, the city’s other public libraries will, complete with government archives.

All three universities are well-versed in foreign students and offer comprehensive information on their websites in English. International students can get help adjusting to life in Berlin, finding work (student visas carry limited work allowances) or the right topic for study—all for free.

Student housing is available on or near campus, but very few students take advantage of it. Berlin rents are cheap and living with fellow students in a Wohngemeinschaft or WG—a shared apartment—is a rite of passage for the educated. The schools all have deep resources for finding roommates; just stop by the English-language part of the relevant website or check in with Studentenwerk (www.studentenwerk-berlin.de), the organisation tasked with supporting student life. Upon presenting your student ID you will be entitled to endless discounts; from theatre tickets to renting a car.

Further Education
Just as Germans love to join clubs, they also love to take classes. The city is covered in a special form of higher education facility that caters either to university-age students who know exactly what they want to learn or adults looking to change careers or just delve deeper into something of interest. These schools are known as Volkshochschule, directly translated as ‘the people’s colleges’. They are scattered throughout the city. You can take an evening Russian course, pick up some web programming or even get career-specific training.

For a listing of universities in Berlin, visit our A-Z listings under the Education category.

Reprinted with permission of Explorer Publishing from Berlin Complete Residents' Gude.