The exchange of scientists and academics with institutions all over the world and the high-level lectures and conferences that are held at the university clearly reflect the part played by Freie Universität in the scientific community. Between 1948 and 1967 alone, there were 272 visiting professors from the United States. Among them were Franz Leopold Neumann (1950-1954, Columbia), Paul Hindemith (1950, Yale), Ludwig Marcuse (1956-57 and 1960, Los Angeles), Fritz Epstein (1949-1954, Stanford), and many other German emigrants.

Scientists and academics from Freie Universität, in their turn, found acceptance at numerous foreign universities. A study carried out in German universities in 2002 found graduates of Freie Universität to be ahead of the group as a whole in terms of general mobility and their readiness to consider and undertake a study period abroad.