Director's Welcome

Welcome to FU-BEST, the Berlin European Studies Program of the Freie Universität! I invite you to examine the information available at this site and hope, of course, that you will decide to spend one or more semesters with us in the exciting German capital!

If you want to get a sense of the reunified Germany and the challenges of the post-Cold War era in a fast-changing Europe, there is really almost no better place to come to than Berlin. Located in the heart of Europe, this metropolis with some 3.4 million inhabitants will offer you unrivalled educational, intellectual, cultural, and recreational opportunities. Either through the program or on your own, you will be able to become acquainted with many parts of Germany and Europe. What is more, Berlin's rich museum landscape, its monuments and memorials, its concerts halls and opera houses, its stage and movie theaters, its pubs and clubs, and its range of recreational offerings will all be at your disposal.

The program will enable you to enroll in stimulating courses taught by expert faculty. You will find yourself making solid progress in your German language skills, from elementary through advanced, by way of mandatory participation in intensive language training. Group-based or individualized local field-trips will be linked to many of the courses.

The Freie Universität, a German leader in international education, will be your host. You will have full access to its facilities and will have the opportunity to get to know and interact with its students. The university is located in a charming, quiet section of the city, yet within easy reach of the city's downtown areas. You will have the option of living with a host-family or in a single-occupancy, fully furnished studio apartment.

I look forward to welcoming you personally to Berlin!

Dr. Dirk Verheyen