2010 marked the 200th anniversary of the Humboldt-Universität. Numerous events from October 2009 to December 2010 honoured the ideas of its founding fathers. In dialogue with the city of Berlin, the alma mater celebrated science, research and teaching, and the relevance of Humboldt’s founding principles for the present day.
Two hundred years ago, in 1810, Wilhelm von Humboldt's vision of a new type of university became reality. The newly founded Prussian alma mater was the first to introduce the unity of research and teaching, to uphold the ideal of research without restrictions and to provide a comprehensive education for its students.
Education
Humboldt's ideal of the coexistence of research and teaching has become a model for universities all over the world. Central to this model is the idea of research-oriented teaching and the transfer of knowledge from the spirit of research. Students and teachers are joined together in an endeavour to critically examine traditional bodies of knowledge and to actively advance learning. For this reason, the Humboldt-Universität promotes social and communicative competences among all of its members and supports their initiatives wherever it can.
Research
Since its foundation, Humboldt-Universität has been a universitas litterarum embracing all major scientific disciplines in the humanities and arts, social and cultural sciences, mathematics and natural sciences, medicine and agricultural sciences. The profile of Humboldt research is reflected in Clusters of Excellence, ten DFG Collaborative Research Centers and in 13 Research Training Groups in which Humboldt-Universität has the coordinating function.
Career
Humboldt-Universität also plays a significant role in the DFG Research Center Matheon. Being aware of the growing need for interdisciplinary research, Humboldt began to set up ad hoc Integrative Research Institutes and Interdisciplinary Centres across faculty boundaries, some of which include Collaborative Research Centres.
Humboldt University BerlinKey Statistics & Highlights
#51Ranking
1 Courses
625Academic Staff
33,868Students
6,096Students (int'l)
22,289Students (female)
Public Institution Type
Humboldt University BerlinOverview
Humboldt University BerlinRankings
Study Portals Meta Ranking
Top 4.6%Germany
Top 4.4%Worldwide
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
Best Global Universities Rankings
51
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 4 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings
2025
2026
2027
48
47
51
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
QS World University Rankings
140
By TopUniversities
Dropped 10 places compared to 2026
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend QS World University Rankings
2025
2026
2027
126
130
140
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
World University Rankings
No 2027 Ranking
By Times Higher Education
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend World University Rankings
2025
2026
2027
84
89
-
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin considers itself as a public institution offering a great variety of services. Thus, the central information service supports users in finding their way among more than 5,000 addresses and approximately 100 public events each month.Further services are provided by the University's central institutions, such as the library with more than 4.2 million books and journals and support for more than 29,000 internet accounts.
Housing services
The Berlin housing market offers a wide range of apartments and rooms. Housing is available in many different sizes and at various prices and in all Berlin districts.In preparation of your stay in Berlin in your home country you should seek initial information about accommodation in the city. To make your search easier, we refer you to the an overview of local real-estate information sources in Berlin.Should you not have an apartment when you arrive in Berlin, you can rent a room from the University's guest house for the first few weeks.
Campus life
Today, the former Palais of Prince Heinrich on the avenue Unter den Linden, is the representative seat of the university As an integral part of Berlin's marvelous city centre, it draws many visitors every year. The institutes of the Humboldt-Universität are grouped into three main campuses.
Campus Mitte – rich in tradition – is home to the Arts and Humanities, Law, Economics and Business Studies as well as Theology. On the picturesque Campus Nord, the Life Sciences are concentrated. Mathematics and the Natural Sciences are located on the modern, high-tech Campus Adlershof.
Sports facilities
HU Berlin Sport and Recreation offers students and staff a varied programme of courses. In addition to traditional sports such as football, volleyball and basketball, you can also try trendy sports such as Zumba, climbing or kickboxing. Sport and Recreation is meeting the steadily increasing demand (particularly for health/sport courses) with a comprehensive, specific programme. More than 80 sports and forms of exercise are offered to around 17,000 participants every semester. The Sport and Recreation programme also includes workshops, advanced training and competitive events.
Student clubs
Former students of Humboldt-Universität are able to choose from a variety of initiatives and associations. These are supporting activities like graduations, alumni reunions, and career services. Due to their specific faculty relations, those associations offer specialized events and contacts.The central alumni office would like to encourage further interchange between the initiatives and subsequently offers a central service to both alumni and initiatives.
Humboldt University BerlinStudent Reviews & Awards
3.8
Based on 35 reviews
5 Star
7 Reviews
4 Star
17 Reviews
3 Star
10 Reviews
2 Star
0 Reviews
1 Star
1 Review
How Students Rated This University
Student Diversity4.2
Admission Process4.2
Quality of Student Life4.2
5/5
Top economics studies in Berlin
One of the best universities for economics in Germany, there's a reason they're place 3 in Economics and place 4 in Business Economics. The buildings are great, organization is excellent, IT systems and WiFi work very good and they have a whole host of partner universities all around the world which you can go to for an exchange semester with a guaranteed scholarship. 100 % recommend. Bonus: the students of the economic faculty are very sociable and there are plenty of gatherings and parties on campus so it's easy to find friends and have a great time.
Posted byAnonymous
Studied fromOct 2024 - Sep 2026
Posted onAug 2026
5/5
Pursuing Excellence in international relations
What I liked about this course is ;
Opportunity to learn from renowned professors, Research opportunities and resources, diverse student community.
I would which the school should take us or focus on more practical application, better career support services etc.
I'm excited to deepen my knowledge and skills in international relations at Humboldt University Berlin, leveraging world-class resources and networking opportunities.
Posted byAnonymous
Studied fromApr 2026 - Sep 2028
Posted onApr 2026
3/5
Layanan Cukup Baik dan Informasi yang Berguna
Saya sangat menyukai kemudahan dalam mencari informasi jurusan di sini. Materinya sangat jelas dan membantu saya memahami pilihan karir di bidang Geografi. Mungkin ke depannya bisa ditambah lebih banyak informasi tentang beasiswa penuh.
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
Student Diversity
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