The minimum age for participation in the FUBiS program is 18. In addition, participants should have studied at least one year at a university or college. A minimum grade point average of 2.8 (US grading system) or 2.3 (German marking system) is recommended.

FUBiS does not require any certificates of language proficiency like TOEFL or Test-DaF from the students.

For the subject courses held in German, your language proficiency level should correspond to the Intermediate 2 level or higher. Most subject courses are taught in English and require an Intermediate 2 language proficiency level in English for successful completion.

FUBiS reserves the right to exclude participants from their subject course(s) when they do not meet the essential language requirements as stated in the syllabus and on the FUBiS website. The decision will be made in consultation with the instructors, the student and the FUBiS Program officials.

German language courses are generally offered at all levels, including for beginners without previous knowledge of German. Before the start of class, you will be placed in the optimal language level for you through the use of a multi-step assessment process (Also see:“How do I know which level is right for me?”).

You can register for the FUBiS program online.

In addition to your courses, you can also choose the following options:

• FUBiS insurance
• Accommodation during the program
• FUBiS excursions

After you have registered for FUBiS, you will receive an invoice. Invoices sent more than 4 weeks prior to program start, must be paid within 7 days. Invoices sent at a later point in time must be paid within 3 days.You may pay by credit card or by bank transfer. After we have received your payment, you are officially registered for FUBiS. Course spots will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. It is therefore advisable to register as soon as you decide to take part in FUBiS.

You can find the registration deadlines for the respective FUBiS terms here.

Regular cancellation policy:

• If you withdraw from the FUBiS program no later than four weeks before the respective term, the course fee will be refunded to you, minus any incurred bank/transfer fees. The program fee is non-refundable.
• As a rule, a refund is not possible in case of a later withdrawal (later than four weeks prior to the start of a term). In this case, please contact the FUBiS team. Please note that withdrawals can only be considered if they are received in written form.

In times of the coronavirus, FUBiS offers its participants special cancellation policies:

• Before the start of the FUBiS term: Participants who registered for a FUBiS on-site course, but are prevented from entering Germany due to German government restrictions can cancel their registration free of charge. The cancellation needs to be submitted immediately via e-mail to fubis@fubis.org, upon request including proof of the travel ban. All costs paid by the participant up to that date will then be fully refunded (minus any incurred bank/transfer fees). This regulation does not apply for online courses.
• For participants selecting The Social Hub as their accommodation, an adapted refund policy applies for this option. Please check the accommodation section on the FUBiS website for details on the refund policy at The Social Hub.
• After the start of the FUBiS term: If due to new developments and recommendations of public organizations the FUBiS on-site courses will not be able to take place as intended, parts of the teaching activities can be shifted to remote teaching (blended learning). If necessary according to institutional guidelines, up to 100% of teaching can take place and be completed online. Should it in special cases not be possible for the Freie Universität Berlin to offer a course online, all incurred tuition costs will be refunded to the participant (minus any incurred bank/transfer fees). In that case, the FUBiS team will contact the persons concerned.

• Should a FUBiS registration be canceled for personal reasons, the general terms and conditions apply. In that case, a full refund is not possible.

After the registration deadline, FUBiS excursion tickets are non-refundable. Students who do not wish to participate in an excursion for which they have purchased a ticket in advance may sell their ticket to another FUBiS student on site. FUBiS provides a swap-board for this purpose where students can offer and search for excursion tickets. Students will have to inform FUBiS of any ticket swaps prior to the excursion.

Missed excursions (e.g. due to lateness) will not be refunded.

FUBiS does not offer scholarships on a regular basis.

In case funds for FUBiS scholarships do become available, this will be published on the website: http://www.fubis.org/5_geb/stipendien/index.html. Here you will also find information on the scholarship provider and eligibility requirements, as well as the scholarship application forms. 

Please note that scholarship funds may become available at short notice. If you would like to be informed as soon as FUBiS scholarships are available, you can subscribe to the FUBiS newsletter.

Students may want to do some research for scholarships offered by their home university and organizations in their home country. The FUBiS website lists some foreign scholarship programs that students may be eligible for.