The

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

-Brandenburg capital region is one of the most prolific centers of higher education and research in the world. It is the largest concentration of universities and colleges in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The city has four public research universities and 27 private, professional and technical colleges ''(Hochschulen)'', offering a wide range of disciplines. Access to the German university system is tuition free. 175,000 students were enrolled in the winter term of 2014/15. Around 20% have an international background. Student figures have grown by 50% in the last 15 years. The

Humboldt Universität zu Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of ...

''(HU Berlin)'' has 34,000 students, the

Freie Universität Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

''(Free University of Berlin, FU Berlin)'' has 34,000 students, and the

Technische Universität Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was ...

''(TU Berlin)'' around 30,000 students. The Universität der Künste ''(UdK)'' has about 4,000 students and the

Berlin School of Economics and Law The Berlin School of Economics and Law (German: ''Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht''), abbreviated as BSEL, is a public institution of higher education and research founded on 1 April 2009 through the merger of the Berlin School of Economi ...

has enrollment of about 10,000 students. 40 Nobel Prize winners are affiliated to the Berlin-based universities.

History

The Prussian Academy of Arts (German: ''Preußische Akademie der Künste'') was an

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-second ...

set up in

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

, in 1694/1696 by

prince-elector The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century onwards, the prin ...

Frederick III, in personal union Duke

Frederick I of Prussia Frederick I (german: Friedrich I.; 11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg-Prussia). The latter function h ...

, and later king in

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

. It had a decisive influence on art and its development in the German-speaking world throughout its existence. It dropped 'Prussian' from its name in 1945 and was finally disbanded in 1955 after the 1954 foundation of two separate academies of art for East Berlin and

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

in 1954. Those two separate academies merged in 1993 to form Berlin's present-day Academy of Arts. The Humboldt University of Berlin is one of

's oldest

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin (''Universität zu Berlin'') by the liberal

n educational reformer and linguist

Wilhelm von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (, also , ; ; 22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin, which was named afte ...

, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities.

Universities

Public universities

There are six big internationally renowned research universities in the Berlin-Brandenburg capital region: *

Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

(''FU Berlin''), a German University of Excellence (

Berlin University Alliance The Berlin University Alliance is a consortium of three universities and one hospital in Berlin: the Free University of Berlin, the Humboldt University of Berlin, the Technical University of Berlin, and the Charité – Berlin University of Med ...

) *

Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

(''HU Berlin''), a German University of Excellence (

) *The Charité is a medical school, one of the largest

university hospital A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following i ...

s in Europe and a German University of Excellence (

) * Technical University of Berlin (''TU Berlin''), a German University of Excellence (

) * Berlin University of the Arts (''UdK'') is the largest art and design school in Europe *

University of Potsdam The University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is mainly situated across three campuses in the city. Some faculty buildings are part of the New Palace of Sanssouci which is known ...

is situated in the south western part of the Berlin urban region

Private universities

There are six recognized private universities in Berlin: *

ESCP Europe ESCP Business School (french: École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris) is a French business school and ''grande école'' founded in Paris and based across Europe with campuses in Paris, Berlin, London, Madrid, Turin, and Warsaw. It is consisten ...

Wirtschaftshochschule Berlin *

Hertie School The Hertie School (until 2019 Hertie School of Governance) is a German private, independent graduate school for governance (public policy, international affairs and data science) located in Berlin's Friedrichstraße. Hertie School is according ...

Steinbeis-Hochschule Berlin Steinbeis-Hochschule Berlin (SHB) (or Steinbeis University) is a private German university of applied sciences founded in 1998. The university is based in Berlin and has supplementary campuses in Baden-Württemberg. The university mainly offers e ...

* ESMT European School of Management and Technology * International Psychoanalytic University Berlin

Universities of applied sciences

Berlin has several public or private universities of applied sciences (Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaften) * Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin (public) * Bard College Berlin * Berlin International University of Applied Sciences *

(public) *Berufsakademie Berli

* Berliner Hochschule für Technik, Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Technology (public) * CODE University of Applied Sciences * design akademie berlin, SRH Hochschule für Kommunikation und Designbr>
* Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin, German Academy for Film and Television Berlin *Evangelische Fachhochschul

* Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (public) *Fachhochschule für Verwaltung und Rechtspflege Berlin Campus Wilhelminenhof

* Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler (public) * Hochschule für Schauspielkunst „Ernst Busch“ (public) *International Business School *Katholische Fachhochschul

*Katholische Hochschule für Sozialwesen Berli

* Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin (public) *Mediadesign Hochschul

* OTA private University of applied sciences Berlin (''OTA Hochschule Berlin'') *

Teikyo University is a private university headquartered in the Itabashi ward of Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 1931 as Teikyo Commercial High School (帝京商業高等学校). It became Teikyo University in 1966. It is part of Teikyo Group, a multinational ...

, Berlin campus *

Touro College Berlin Touro College Berlin is a small independent American college in Berlin, Germany. Touro College Berlin was founded in 2003 as the first and only Jewish American college in Germany. The college is part of the Touro College and University System netwo ...

Research institutions

Berlin has a high density of research institutions, such as the

Fraunhofer Society The Fraunhofer Society (german: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., lit=Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research) is a German research organization with 76institutes spread throughout Germany ...

, the

Leibniz Association The Leibniz Association (German: ''Leibniz-Gemeinschaft'' or ''Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz'') is a union of German non-university research institutes from various disciplines. As of 2020, 96 non-university research insti ...

, the

Helmholtz Association The Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (german: Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren) is the largest scientific organisation in Germany. It is a union of 18 scientific-technical and biological-medical research centers. ...

, and the Max Planck Society, which are independent of, or only loosely connected to its universities. A total number of around 65,000 scientists are working in research and development in 2012. The city is one of the centers of knowledge and innovation communities (Future Information and Communication Society and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation) of the

European Institute of Innovation and Technology The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an independent body of the European Union with juridical personality, established in 2008 intended to strengthen Europe's ability to innovate. The EIT is an integral part of Horizon ...

(EIT).

* Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften *Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft * Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) * Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung * Telekom Innovation Laboratories (affiliated with

TU Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It wa ...

) *

German Archaeological Institute The German Archaeological Institute (german: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany ...

(DAI) *Deutsches Bibliotheksinstitut *Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin * Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik *Ecologic gGmb

*Fachinformationszentrum Chemi

*Institute for Cultural Inquiry *Institute of Electronic Business * Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) * Otto Suhr Institute for

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

(OSI) of the

* Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) * Robert Koch Institute (RKI) *

Socio-Economic Panel The ''German'' Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP [], for ''Sozio-oekonomisches Panel'') is a Longitudinal study, longitudinal panel dataset of the population in Germany. It is a household based study which started in 1984 and which reinterviews adul ...

(SOEP) *Umweltbundesamt *Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin -

Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin The Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin (german: Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin) is an interdisciplinary institute founded in 1981 in Grunewald, Berlin, Germany, dedicated to research projects in the natural and social sciences. It is model ...

br>
*Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung * WISTA, Wissenschafts- und Wirtschaftsstandort Adlershof *Institut für Museumskunde *Institut für Ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung gGmb

*

Institute for Media and Communication Policy The Institute for Media and Communication Policy (IfM) was founded in 2005 as an independent research institution that is exclusively dedicated to issues surrounding media and communication policies. It was established in February 2006 in Berlin-Ch ...

Leibniz Institutes

* Leibniz Sozietät * Deutsches Institut für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung (DIPF) *

German Institute for Economic Research The German Institute for Economic Research (german: Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung), or, more commonly DIWBerlin, is a economic research institute in Germany, involved in basic research and policy advice. It is a non-profit acad ...

- Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) * Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum Berlin (DRFZ) * Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften (GESIS) * Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS – e.V. * Natural History Museum, Berlin (MfN) * WZB Berlin Social Science Center Under Forschungsverbund Berlin e. V. (FVB) (Research Association of Berlin): * Ferdinand-Braun-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnikbr>
* Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)br>
* :de:Leibniz-Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei, Leibniz-Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei (IGB)br>
* Institut für Kristallzüchtung, Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtungbr>
* :de:Institut für Zoo- und Wildtierforschung, Institut für Zoo- und Wildtierforschungbr>
* :de:Max-Born-Institut für Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie, Max-Born-Institut für Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie (MBI)br>
* :de:Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Leibniz-Institut (PDI)br>
* Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik (WIAS)br>

Helmholtz centers

* Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine * Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (BESSY) *Institut für Planetenforschung of the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrtbr>

Max-Planck Institutes

Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG The Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI) is a science research institute located at the heart of the academic district of Dahlem (Berlin), Dahlem, in Berlin, Germany. The original Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physical Chemistry ...

(FHI) * Max Planck Institute for Human Development * Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology * Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MOLGEN) *

Max Planck Institute for the History of Science The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (German: Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte) is a scientific research institute founded in March 1994. It is dedicated to addressing fundamental questions of the history of knowledg ...

* Archiv zur Geschichte der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Fraunhofer Institutes

* Fraunhofer-Institut für Nachrichtentechnik **Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI

**Sino-German Mobile Communications Institute * Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems, Fraunhofer-Institut für offene Kommunikationssysteme (FOKUS)br>
*Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionsanlagen und Konstruktionstechnik (IPK

*Fraunhofer-Institut für Rechnerarchitektur und Softwaretechnik (integrated into FOKUS in 2012

*Fraunhofer-Institut für Software- und Systemtechnik (integrated into FOKUS in 2012

*Fraunhofer-Institut für Zuverlässigkeit und Mikrointegration (IZM

Nobel Prize winners

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-46019-0001, Otto Hahn

There are 43 Nobel laureates affiliated to the Berlin-based Universities:

References

{{authority control List of universities, colleges, and research institutions in Berlin *List of universities, colleges, and research institutions Universities, colleges, and research institutions Berlin, List of universities, colleges, and research institutions in