Students face various challenges when looking for housing that is available for short-term lease, meets basic standards and still remains affordable. As an optional service, FUBiS serves as an intermediary between students and a range of accommodation options that match these criteria. Please note that your lease will be short-term. In Germany, it is customary that short-term leases are relatively more expensive than long-term leases - one can expect to pay more than twice as much for a short-term stay. Cost advantages that FUBiS might be able to negotiate with housing providers are passed on to the student.

FUBiS offers participants the possibility to book an accommodation upon registration. You have the choice between several housing options:

• Single room in a student dorm: Students live together in an apartment-sharing cluster with other students with whom they share the kitchen and the bathroom. Washing machines and tumble driers can be used for a small extra fee.
• Single room or double room at Jugendgästehaus Lichterfelde (JuLi): Students will be provided with a bed (incl. bed sheets) and a closet in a single room or double room and will have access to a shared bathroom according to their gender. A washer and dryer is available, as well as a common room with a TV, books, and board games, Wi-Fi is included in the price. There is a kitchen (access needs to be coordinated with hostel administration), and a small tea kitchen with a microwave and a water boiler which can be used by hostel guests.
• Homestay accommodation: Students have their own room with a bed, cupboard and desk. The size and other furnishings of the rooms can vary. Breakfast and one additional meal a day are included in the price as well as Wi-Fi if it’s available at your homestay.
• The Social Hub: students have their own room that is fully furnished, along with an en-suite bathroom and fully equipped shared kitchen. Additionally, the Hotel has a laundry room, gym, yoga room, a library, access to bikes and an outdoor cinema. Additionally, it offers free Wi-Fi and an in-house restaurant and bar along with several lounge areas.
• Boothstr. 17 (wheelchair-accessible housing): For students in a wheelchair, FUBiS offers a furnished, single-occupancy studio apartment. The apartment is part of an inclusive housing project where people with disabilities live together with students. The kitchen and showers are shared. The apartment has a height-adjustable desk, a bed, a private bathroom with a widened door, and Wi-Fi. A second room can be rented for an accompanying assistant. Please note that the deadline for this housing option is one month before our regular term registration deadline.

You can find further information on the housing options here. 

An overview of the costs and which housing is available in which term can be found here.

You will also find the particular cancellation policy regarding The Social Hub on the FUBiS website.

Please note that FUBiS only acts as an intermediary between landlord and tenant. FUBiS is not responsible for any agreement between both parties.

If you plan on arriving before the beginning of the FUBiS term or extending your stay after the term, we recommend finding an individual accommodation for the extra day before/after the official program dates. If you plan to have a friend or family member stay with you (especially for an extended period of time) during your stay in Berlin, we advise you to arrange for an accommodation individually because the accommodation options offered through FUBiS are for FUBiS participants only and are intended for just one person. Some helpful tips can be found here.

Students participating in FUBiS Term II and Term III can stay in the dorms the week in between the two terms for no extra charge. Please see the accommodation options for further details.

The rooms’ furnishing serves basic needs. Every room has a bed (including bed linen) and most of them are furnished with a cupboard, a desk and a chair. Most accommodations do not provide towels so please remember to bring your own. Depending on the accommodation, there might be a kitchen and/or laundry room available. You can find more detailed information on available facilities at each accommodation in the section above.

Most accommodations offer some kind of internet access; this cannot be guaranteed, though. The Social Hub, the Jugendgästehaus Lichterfelde, the Boothstr. 17, as well as partially the dorms offer their guests free Wi-Fi, and all FUBiS participants will have access to the computer labs and the Wi-Fi network available on campus. In addition, there are many affordable internet cafés in Berlin as well as cafés that offer free wireless to their customers.

Another solution is to purchase a “surfstick” - a USB-stick-like modem that lets you connect to the internet via cell phone networks. Many cell phone providers have surfstick options, but only some have prepaid options without a minimum contract duration. Also, there are data volume restrictions and the stick itself can be quite expensive (50 € to 70 €), so make sure to go over terms and conditions carefully.

If you choose a single room in a student dorm, The Social Hub, JuLi or Boothstr. 17, meals are not included in the price. However, you will have a furnished kitchen in which you can prepare your meals. At Boothstr. 17 you will have a private, lockable refrigerator. At Jugendgästehaus Lichterfelde, there is a kitchen (access needs to be coordinated with hostel administration), and a small tea kitchen with a microwave and a water kettle which can be used by hostel guests.

If you are staying in a homestay, breakfast and one additional meal are included in the price.

Near each accommodation, there is a supermarket where you can buy food and other convenience goods. There are also many possibilities to go shopping near the university. Please note that on Sundays, shops are normally closed in Germany (except for supermarkets in major railway stations). Usual closing times are between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on weekdays.

Each accommodation can be reached via public transport. With public transportation you need approximately 30 to 50 minutes to get from your accommodation to Freie Universität Berlin. You should plan about the same amount of time for getting to the city center. Berlin is a very big, spread-out city, and commutes of 60 minutes or more are quite normal.

Like most German universities, Freie Universität Berlin does not own its own housing facilities. If you have problems concerning your accommodation (e.g. a broken appliance), please contact the staff of your accommodation who will be able to help you. The contact person for your housing as well as the e-mail address, telephone number and the office hours will be sent to you before the beginning of the FUBiS program. Should a problem not be resolved, you can also turn to the FUBiS team.

For homestay issues, please contact the FUBiS team and the homestay coordinator. You will receive the contact information of the host family coordinator before the FUBiS program begins.

Please know that you are not alone. You can always reach out, in person or in full anonymity, to your accommodation officer, your program administration, or the "NO means NO" initiative of the FU Berlin. You can find more information about the initiative on this page.

All courses are open to registered FUBiS students only. Please understand that we do not admit any auditors in order to guarantee that the course can take place as planned and not to disturb other course participants. Participation in the extracurricular activities is possible (at the guest’s expense) upon agreement and availability.

The rooms in the student dorms are intended for only one person and are furnished with a single, twin-sized bed. Therefore, guests cannot stay overnight. The same is valid if you are placed in a host family.