The FUBiS orientation meeting takes place on the first Sunday in Term II and Term III. In Term I, the date for the orientation meeting varies. You will receive your personal documents (student identity card, ZEDAT computer account, Mensa card, tickets for the excursions you booked during the registration, and insurance documents, if applicable).

During the orientation meeting, you will receive an overview of the structure of the program as well as specific details regarding the activities and events of the following weeks. During a buffet, you will have the chance to get to know the FUBiS team, your instructors and your fellow students.

The participation in the orientation meeting is mandatory for all FUBiS students.

About four weeks before your FUBiS term begins, you will receive pre-departure information that helps you find the directions from your accommodation to the FUBiS orientation at Freie Universität Berlin. On the day of the orientation meeting a FUBiS staff member will meet students in selected accommodations and accompany them to the university. Students who are placed in homestays or who have arranged for an accommodation independently will travel to the orientation meeting individually.

In Term II and III, the first day of class for students taking a course on the A or C track is Monday. The B track courses begin on Tuesday. The meeting place and time will be announced at the orientation meeting. Students of the D track courses will find information about their first day of class in the course description (syllabus).

For Term I you will find the dates of your first day of class in the respective course syllabus.

German courses: If you have registered for a German course that requires a certain level of prior knowledge, your first day of class may in some cases begin with a short interview which will help the instructors to assess your speaking skills. Together with the online placement test and the detailed questionnaire, this interview will help to make sure that you are placed in the course which best suits your language proficiency level.

Starting about four weeks before the FUBiS term begins, you will receive several important informational e-mails. In the first e-mail, you will find important pre-departure information including a student guide with details about the day of arrival, directions to your accommodation, a detailed overview of the FUBiS program, and other tips to help you prepare yourself for the FUBiS term (information about the campus, libraries, emergency phone numbers etc.).

The following e-mails will inform you on for example the online placement test for German language course students and your housing placement. Please make sure to also check your spam folder frequently so as to not miss any important messages.

Usually, there will also be a pre-departure webinar offered for registered students a few weeks before the program starts.

Every subject course participant will receive a digital reader either through the service “FU Box” or the e-learning platform Blackboard. This reader is included in the course fee. The access to Blackboard is tied to enrolment, so the exact time at which students receive it may differ.

In addition, some professors give recommendations for further reading which is not included in the reader. More information on suggested readings can be found in the respective course description (syllabus) on the FUBiS website. Please note that the purchase of additional literature occurs voluntarily and is not a course requirement.

German course participants will receive a textbook (included in the course fee) for the respective level (see syllabi German A1 to C1). Additional materials will be provided by your instructor.

FUBiS is an intensive short-term study program and therefore there is no drop-add period. However, a course change is possible under the following circumstances:

• the maximum number of participants in the desired course has not been reached;
• the change has been approved by the instructors of both affected courses;
• the change has been approved by the Program Director.

We urgently recommend that you get in touch with your home university to clarify whether the study achievements in the other (new) course will be recognized.

The last chance for a course change is the second business day after the first official day of class in Term I and Term III. In Term II, it is the fourth business day after the first official day of class. No course changes will be approved after these deadlines.

For a course change after registration you will be charged a fee of 75€ per subject course.

If you would like to drop a course, please read the terms of cancellation.