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Incomings

A warm welcome to all incomings!

Please take your time to read through the information assembled here. There should be an answer to each of your questions. If not, let us know. Thank you!

Once you have been nominated by your home university and also been accepted by Freie Universität Berlin, you will receive all information via email starting about one term prior to your stay. Do not expect preparatory mails for the summer term before autum, nor for the winter term before April. It is also only in these months that our FU distributed campus portal will be accessible to you.

Until then you may find relevant information here.

Orientation days are organized at the beginning of April and October.

Applications must go to the local Erasmus Coordinator at your home university, who will make the selection and nominate you for participating in the exchange program if your applications meets the requirements

Once you have been nominated by your home university and also been accepted by Freie Universität Berlin, you will receive all information via email starting about one term prior to your stay. Do not expect preparatory mails for the summer term before autum nor for the winter term before April. It is also only in these months that our FU distributed campus portal will be accessible to you.

Until then you may find relevant information here.

Orientation days are organized at the beginning of April and October.

At FU Berlin, the academic year is divided into two parts, called semesters:

  • Winter semester / winter term:

    The lecture period of the winter semester starts mid-October and extends to mid-February.

    Oficially, the summer semester spreads from 1st of October to 31st of March.

  • Summer semester / summer term:

    The lecture time of the winter semester starts mid-April and ends around mid-July.

    Oficially the summer semester spreads from 1st of April to 30th of September.

  • Semester break:

    Sometimes (follow-up) exams are written in the first weeks or last weeks of the semester break.
    A number of courses are offered as blocks between terms during semester breaks. This includes intensive language courses.

An exchange student usually will stay for one semester.
Check the academic calender of FU Berlin for precise dates and deadlines.

Course Language

Important notice:
Our degree programs in Computer Science and Mathematics are German degrees.
Thus, usually, lectures are given in German!

Only the Master Data Science is an English degree program. Here, however, the number of students admitted in general is very limited (currently it is 25 per application round) and so will be your chance to join the courses in this degree.

So please be aware that English as the course language is merely an exception.
If at all, it is the Master courses which are more likely to be held in English. As an Erasmus+ BSc student you may attend Master courses only after checking in advance with the individual lecturer. Please accept this procedure! It enables the lecturer to mantain the level of competence aspired both with respect to the students' prior scientific knowledge and competence in English.

Level of Competence in German

German B1 as a requirement.
We however urgently recommend a higher level.

Level of Competence in English

English B2 as a requirement.
English C1 is much preferred – to your own benefit and the rest of the students' wishing to attend a successful lecture.

How to Find English Courses

The course language of each lecture is specified in the course catalog. It is specified in the course descriptions under the term "Unterrichtssprache/Course language".

To find courses offered in English or German/English, go to https://mycampus.imp.fu-berlin.de/mvs2/course/overview/?locale=en
  • chose:
Faculties
Mathematics and Computer Science
Departments
Computer Science or Mathematics
Semester
WiSe 2025/26 or SoSe 2026
Course Language
English or German/English
  • click "Show Ancillary Courses" (nothing else)
  • click "View"
  • In the following list, filter for the status "Published" 
If the course language is said to be "English", the course will defenitely be held in English. If the course language is said to be "German/English", it is a matter of discussion between the lecturer, the other participants of the course and you whether the lecture may be held in English or not. If in doubt, contact the lecturer of a specific course and ask about the language he teaches in.

Useful Links

Exchange students are invited to attend all lectures and seminars which fit into their curriculum.

The final list of classes

  • for the winter term is usually available only in September, 

  • and for the summer term in late March. 

Before these dates you may only chose from last years' corresponding terms and hope that the courses you find there will be offered again. It might help to contact the lecturers via email and ask them kindly whether the course will be available once more.

Some courses are given annually, some every two years, but there are also courses which are given only occasionally or merely once.

Please notice that in the winter term 2025/2026 the following courses will not be offered:

  • Data Visualization and Mining
  • Explainable AI for Data Science
  • Machine Learning for Data Science
It is often necessary to change one's OLA in the first weeks of the semester due to short-term changes in the curriculum. For this you have the possibilty to enter changes to the OLA (or fill out the During Section in the LA).

Check the Course Cataloge here:

You find the most comprehensive course descriptions (including ECTS credit points) in the
MyCampus Course Management / Curriculum System (MVS = Modulverwaltungssystem) of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Go to https://mycampus.imp.fu-berlin.de/mvs2/
→ Course Planning (Planung)
→ Longtermschedule (Langfristplanung)
→ Course-oriented Schedule
           or Module-oriented Schedule
→ Faculty: Mathematics and Computer Science
→ Department/Fachrichtung: Mathematics / Bioinformatics / Computer Science

By clicking on the courses that interest you, you may get information about their contents and their ECTS credits (LP = Leistungspunkte).

Module descriptions / Further details as to the courses' contents

In the following documents you find the module descriptions of our degrees so that you may check for yourself whether they meet your needs:

Other Ways of Checking the Course Catalog

Alternative but less informative ways to check for courses are via:

1. General Professional Skills Courses (ABV) for BSc Students

These general professional skills courses (marked as ABV in the course catalog) may provide you with interdisciplinary skills in different areas to improve your career prospects:

  • information and media
  • gender and diversity
  • organization and management
  • communication
  • sustainable development
  • subject-related additional qualifications

2. Courses for International Exchange Students: “Berlin and Germany in a European Perspective"

Exchange students may sign up for special courses on “Berlin and Germany in a European Perspective".

Different modules cover key aspects of German history, culture or society, and help you acquire useful skills for a German academic environment.

Each course provides 5 ECTS.
  • Orientation in Berlin and Germany
  • Central Aspects of German and European Society and Culture
  • Key Issues of German and European Culture
  • Film, Art and Literature in a Social and Cultural Context
  • Aspects of German and European Culture
  • German and European Politics
  • German Media – Media in Germany
  • German History in a European Context
  • Economy and Economics in Germany and Europe

3. German Language Courses

The FU Language Centre offers German language courses prior to and during the semester:

  • the six-week intensive pre-semester courses may be booked for a reduced participation fee by exchange students
  • courses during the semester range from 4–8 hours per week and are free of charge

4. Courses Offered by Other Berlin Universities

Students are very welcome to attend courses at

However, you must make sure that you still complete courses at the FU, because if you wish an FU transcript at the end of your stay, this is only issued if you have also completed FU courses. If only courses from the other universities are completed, no ToR can be issued by FU Berlin.

Find general information about ECTS credits (= Leistungspunkte), modules and courses here.

There are two options to check the ECTS credits of courses at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science:

Go to https://mycampus.imp.fu-berlin.de/mvs2/
→ Course Planning (Planung)
→ Longtermschedule (Langfristplanung)
→ Course-oriented Schedule OR Module-oriented Schedule (see below)
→ Faculty: Mathematics and Computer Science
→ Department/Fachrichtung: Mathematics / Bioinformatics / Computer Science

1. Module-Oriented Schedule

Select your study program:

You then see the ECTS credit points for each module in the left column in light blue color marked as "LP".

Example: If at home you study in the computer engineering department at the undergraduate level, it is the regulation "0086e: 2023, BSc Informatik (mono), 150 LPs" you need to choose at FU Berlin to see BSc courses.

2. Course-oriented schedule

The leftmost column under the heading "Modules" shows one or several "module keys".

  • Select the module key with the prefix of your study program according to the above list and click it (e.g. 0086e).

  • A subwindow will open, in which you find the ECTS credits in the box with the heading "LP".

For Bioinformatics, the course-based view is incomplete because many courses are given by other departments.

 

As a rule, classes with 4+2 hours (= 4 hours lectures and 2 hours exercises) typically have 9 ECTS, sometimes less, classes with 2+2 hours or seminars with 2 hours have typically 6 ECTS.

  • Usually, lectures are paired up with exercise/tutorial classes ("practice seminar"), and the lecture plus the excercises together form one module.

  • The ETCS credits are given for the module.

  • You have to pass both, the criteria for the exercises (usually based on regular participation, and submitting exercise sheets) and for the lecture (typically an exam) to get the credits for the module.

Besides these "practice seminars", there are also other seminars, that truly have the character of a seminar. Usually the participants prepare a presentation based on studying the literature.

Before completing your OLA, read this AND the information on OLAs in the Distributed Campus portal. For "Responsible Person at the Receiving Institution", always enter the email address international@mi.fu-berlin.de
Receiving Institution Info  
Name: Freie Universität Berlin
Country: Germany
Erasmus Code: D BERLIN01
Address Berlin
Faculty: Mathematics and Computer Science
Contact Person: Agnès Voisard, international@mi.fu-berlin.de
Responsible Person Agnès Voisard, international@mi.fu-berlin.de

 

As a student of Mathematics or Computer Science, you need to enter modules into the lines of the OLA:

  • If a module consists of several items, as is usually the case, enter the CODE number for both items on one line, e.g. 19303701+19303702 or 19303701 + 02.
  • For the SUBJECT, it is sufficient to name the subject of the lecture and add "and practice seminar". 

Notice:The Distributed Campus portal recommends to enter "only individual courses (seminar, lecture, exercise, etc.)", but at our department the above applies.

At the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science you need to register in two systems before the semester starts to be able to attend classes and receive ECTS credits:

1. Registration in Campus Management (CM)

Register all courses you wish to take and agreed upon in the Learning Agreement in Campus Management (CM).

Only by doing so you may earn credit points and grades. CM is the official platform where all your grades will be uploaded at the end of the semester. You need to register in CM to „prove“ that you are enrolled in a class.

In CM you have to you have to find the course via the module. Pick a module from a selection of modules that is available for your study program, and within that module, you have to select the course. The course name is the title with which you are familiar.

A course may be associated to several modules, because it belongs to different study programs (for example, Computer Science and Bioinformatics) or several classes are associated to the same generic module.

Some classes have several parts, typically "Vorlesung+Übung" (lectures + exercises/practice seminar). You need to register for both parts in order to get a grade.

Depending on your enrollment at FU Berlin and the degree programm you study in, you will see only a limited selection of courses. When wishing to attend courses which you may not find in your view in CM, use the module registration form to register for them. As the reason for using the form, write "Erasmus".

You may use the same form for late module registration.

Return it to the

Department of Mathematics/Computer Science and Physics
Examination Office
Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin
maria.koekenhoff@fu-berlin.de
http://www.imp.fu-berlin.de/fbv/pruefungsbuero/index.html

2. Registration in Whiteboard

Secondly, register in Whiteboard, our Learning Management System at the department.

Whiteboard is the platform used to share documents, exercise sheets, register for tutorial classes etc.

Once the grades of ALL your courses have been entered in Campus Management, or the lecturers have signed individual grade certificates (Leistungsnachweise/Scheine), please complete

and send it via email to international@mi.fu-berlin.de.
Adhere to the email etiquette, please.

PLEASE read the form thoroughly and provide ALL information asked for, listing all courses as agreed upon in your last learning agreement:

  • those you have attended, 
  • those you have not attended,
  • your language courses, and also
  • lectures from other departments.

Attach

You need to deliver us the grades and ECTS you actually achieved (last colum in the ToR request form), not the official ECTS you might get for a course. As usually the grades are entered into Campus Management only after the make-up exam (the second exam for those who failed the first exam) has been graded, it might take some time up to several months until the transcript of records can be issued. If you do not intend to take part in the make-up exam, you may kindly ask your teachers to enter your grades in CM or confirm them on a grade certificate as soon as they are known, in order to speed up the process. The ToR can only be issued once you have collected ALL your grade certificates. Should this not be the case before your departure, then please wait with the request until you receive the certificates or grades from your professors.

  • There is no such deadline as the final day of the semester for issuing the ToR and thus no deadline for any lecturer here in Berlin to grade your exams by this day.

    Please understand that it is necessary to check ALL exams first to set up the benchmark for the individual grades. and also consider that there is a lot of other work piling up on our lecturer’s desks.

    We would thus appreciate you patiently await the normal process without putting too much pressure on those responsible.

    You may kindly ask them in person or via mail for a speedy entry of your grade into CM once all grades are given, but this is all you may do. Thank you for your understanding.

  • We cannot issue more than one ToR, thus no temporary transcripts will be issued.
  • There is no deadline for issuing the ToR.

Upon completion, the transcript of records will be sent by email to your home university with a carbon copy to you.
The original paper document will follow per postal service to the address you specify in the ToR request form if your home university needs a paper version.

Should you need a confirmation of stay or attendance certificate, please request it via mail from incoming@fu-berlin.de.

Answer the following questions:

  1. Did you participate in the orientation days?
  2. When did you arrive in Berlin?
  3. On which day did your last written or oral exam take place (unfortunately, final essays do not count)?
  4. On which day did you have your last class @ Freie Universität Berlin?
  5. What is the mail address of the student mobility office of your home university?
  6. Did you participate in the pre-semester German course?
Do not forget to attach the form for the confirmation of stay provided by your home university.

→ The incomings team will send the confirmation directly to your home university and cc you.

One of our student mentors might be able to support you with finding your way around the procedures at a German university.