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China & Taiwan

1. Program Description

Freie Universität Berlin expects to have study places (semester places) available at the following universities. Please note that additional costs may apply, e.g. for health insurance, medical certificates and various administrative fees. We kindly ask you to inform yourself in advance.

Please note: Students without Chinese language skills apply to the English-speaking Asia program.

The Freie Universität has a liaison office in Beijing.

1.1 Undergraduate Students (Applications for the direct exchange for all universities. BAPlus applications only for Peking University):

1.2 Graduate Students:

2. Application

Students of Freie Universität apply for an exchange place in the China & Taiwan Program in general; a ranking of the preferred partner universities within the program is done when filling out the application form.

We would like to emphasize that Freie Universität cannot guarantee admission to the foreign partner university for applicants nominated for a direct exchange scholarship, as the final decision on the acceptance of the proposed candidates rests exclusively with the partner university.

2.1 Application deadline

For the academic year 2025/26: December 3rd 2024

2.2. Term

Generally, semesters at universities run from September - January or February - end of July.

Students can choose to apply for one or two semesters; for all partner universities.

2.3 Requirement

  1. Applicants need to be immatriculated at the Freie Universität Berlin.
    1. Bachelor students shall be in their 3rd semester of study at the beginning of the application process.
    2. Master students shall be in their 1st semester of study at the beginning of the application process.
  2. Applicants need to have good skills in Chinese based on the semester of study. These need to be proven in the application.
  3. It is necessary that applicants can prove their adequate subject specific performance as the partner universities decide on immatriculation, level of studies as well as possible stipends.
  4. Students that will finish their studies before the start of the exchange are not eligible.
  5. Restrictions
    a) Students cannot take courses in the departments of medical schools as well as pharmacy.
    b) Students will have limited access to courses in clinical psychology, journalism and business administration.
    c) Students of law could apply for the direct exchange under certain conditions: https://www.jura.fu-berlin.de/international/studierendenaustausch/outgoings/zentrale_progr/index.html
  6. Applicants with Chinese citizenship may not participate in exchange programs with the PRC. They may only apply for Taiwanese universities. Chinese citizens are eligible to be nominated for only one semester at a Taiwanese university.

2.4 Application documents

Please submit your application documents as early as possible to clarify potential questions or issues in time. Feel free to come by our office hours for a personal consultation.

The following documents should arrive at our office on the day of the application deadline:

1 - Online application form

You will find the link to the application form here; it will be online about 4 weeks before the application deadline.

2 - Certificate of enrollment

With details of your study program and your current semester (Fachsemester). You can download your current certificate of enrollment from the student’s administration website (Zedat Portal).

3/1 - A print-out from Campus Management

“Leistungsübersicht über begonnene und abgeschlossene Module” – available in your Campus Management under the tab “Noten & Punkte”.

3/2 - Copy of your diploma (only MA)

In English including a transcript of records; the copy does not have to be certified.

For non-german undergraduate certificates: please also submit the grade conversion document from your uniassist procedure.

4 - Motivational Letter

A detailed explanation of your study proposal in English, no longer than 2 pages.

Please include the following in your letter:

Academic interest
What made you choose your program of study? Why do you want to study in Asia? What classes would you like to take at the partner university? Which area of study in your field would you like to focus on during your time in Asia and why? What advantages can you take from this direct exchange for your studies here at Free University?

Preference list of partner universities
Please explain your choice of universities in the preference list you gave in the online application form. Briefly explain your top 3 choices. Why are these universities the best universities for your particular area of study? To help you, feel free to check our partner universities’ websites for further information. (Your preference list and explanations will only be seen by our selection committee and not by the partner universities).

5 - Letter of recommendation

Two letters of recommendation by lecturers in English. At least one letter should be written by a lecturer of Freie Universitaet Berlin, for doctoral students from the supervisor of the dissertation. Graduate students who are new at Freie Universitaet Berlin are exempted from submitting a letter of recommendation by a lecturer of Freie Universitaet Berlin, in this case both letters of recommendation may be written by lecturers from their previous university. All referees should use our form.

Please have the reviewer fill out the form linked here and send it as a PDF document directly to the Office for International Student Mobility. After the application process has been completed, the letter of recommendation will remain with us; it will not be returned to the applicant or forwarded to offices outside of Freie Universität Berlin.

6 - Proof of language proficiency

For Students of Chinese Studies it is sufficient to prove that the module "Chinesisich 2" has been completed. For all other applicants: A language certificate, which has been filled out and signed by a lector (form language certificate).

Language certificates may not be older than 2 years, the relevant date concerning this is the application deadline of the program.

2.5. Submission of applications

Please name each document as follows: YourLastName_DocumentTitle (e.g. Schmid_MotivationLetter). All documents (except for the letter of recommendation) should then be sent as separate PDF-documents within one zip folder (also titled with your last name) and sent to auslstud@fu-berlin.de.

You will receive a confirmation of receipt within a week of submitting your application. In case you don't receive an E-Mail from us after a week, please get in touch with us. However, please refrain from sending several emails after having submitted your application, as this slows down our working process.

3. Further information

3.1 Waiver of tuition fees

The nomination at a partner university always includes the waiver of the tuition fees there; information on possible scholarship offers can be found on the individual university pages.

3.2 Funding

Foreign partner universities grant tuition waivers to students of Freie Universität.

It is possible to apply for additional financial support from the DAAD or through PROMOS. Please note that the DAAD usually only announces annual scholarships once a year. Please inform yourself in time.

Under the following link you will also find further information on funding opportunities.

3.3 Admission as a non-degree student

Within the framework of our exchange agreements, admission as a non-degree student has been agreed upon for the duration of the scholarship. Therefore, graduation at the partner university is generally not possible.

3.4 Creditability of courses

The creditability of courses taken abroad must be clarified with your own institute at Freie Universität. We recommend that you arrange this before you start your stay abroad.

3.5 Leave of Absence

Students can take a leave of absence for one or two semesters to study abroad.

3.6. Final announcements

Please note that due to the required reciprocity, final information on the exact number of exchange places as well as on the participating universities will only be available in the fall.

Applicants' data will be stored in accordance with the "Law on Protection against Misuse of Personal Data in Data Processing" as far as they are necessary for processing the application or scholarship. The documents of unsuccessful applicants will be destroyed after a reasonable period of time.