IB Pathways
University College Freiburg

Freiburg im Breisgau · Germany · Research university

University of Freiburg - University College Freiburg

The University of Freiburg's English-taught college: one four-year Liberal Arts and Sciences bachelor, about 80 places a year, with four majors.

Image: University College Freiburg

In English
1 programme
City
Freiburg im Breisgau
Apply via
hochschulstart.de
Next deadline
31 May 2027

Deadlines

  1. 31 May 2027*

    Medicine group closes for gap-year applicants (leaving certificate before mid-January)
    Hard deadline
    Details

    This deadline applies if your school-leaving certificate predates 16 January of the application year, which for an IB candidate means you took a gap year. Straight from the Diploma, this is not your deadline.

    Published as "31.05.2026 - Ende der Bewerbungsphase (Ausschlussfrist) fuer Alt-Abiturient*innen", qualified "mit einem HZB-Zeugnis vor 16.01.2026". If you take a gap year and apply with your 2027 diploma for 2028 entry, you become an Altabiturient and the deadline moves forward by six weeks. An Ausschlussfrist cannot be extended, and hochschulstart says so explicitly - not even where the applicant is blameless. hochschulstart.de carries only two tables, Wintersemester 2026/27 and an archive of Sommersemester 2026, and no Wintersemester 2027/28 dates exist anywhere on the site. Judging by this cycle the winter table appears in spring, so recheck from about March 2027.

    Source

  2. 6 July 2027*

    IB results released
    Details

    Early July, which is what places an IB candidate in the later medicine group rather than the earlier one.

    Source

  3. 15 July 2027*

    Medicine and neighbours close — for applicants with a 2027 certificate
    Hard deadline
    Details

    The deadline for a student applying straight from the May 2027 session. Roughly a week after results, so the paperwork has to be ready before they arrive.

    Published as "15.07.2026 - Ende der Bewerbungsphase (Ausschlussfrist) fuer Neu-Abiturient*innen", qualified "mit einem HZB-Zeugnis nach 15.01.2026". Your IB results arrive 6 July 2027, so you fall in the Neuabiturient group and this is the deadline that matters. Which group you are in turns on the date printed on the certificate, not on when you apply. hochschulstart.de carries only two tables, Wintersemester 2026/27 and an archive of Sommersemester 2026, and no Wintersemester 2027/28 dates exist anywhere on the site. Judging by this cycle the winter table appears in spring, so recheck from about March 2027.

    Source

* Last year’s date, not yet confirmed.

Every date in Germany

What you could study here

EU/EEA tuition: Free (semester fee only).

Liberal Arts and Sciences

BA or BSc (by major) · 4 yrs

Majors: Culture and History, Governance, Life Sciences, or Environmental and Sustainability Sciences.

Interdisciplinary

What it asks of IB students

Ranked on your IB converted to a German grade, improved by up to 0.5 each for a 500-word essay and a 500-word motivation letter. English at B2; Freiburg itself must recognise your IB (KMK rule).

Where it says so

Where it says so

Its IB recognition statement

Worth knowing

The 2027 dates are not out yet: for 2026 the window ran 1 June to 15 July, and the essay topic and letter guidelines are published on 1 April each…

All 3 notes
  • The 2027 dates are not out yet: for 2026 the window ran 1 June to 15 July, and the essay topic and letter guidelines are published on 1 April each year.
  • Freiburg's English B2 list names an IB only from an anglophone country, so ask UCF whether yours counts or take IELTS (5.5+) or TOEFL iBT (72+).
  • You register on hochschulstart first; if you apply elsewhere through it too, set your priorities by the DoSV cut-off (22 July in 2026).

Sources
  1. UCF — LAS Application & Admissions (2026 guidelines; 2027 to follow) — checked 2026-09-25
  2. UCF — Liberal Arts and Sciences programme (4 years, 240 ECTS; foundational year; about 80% study abroad) — checked 2026-09-30
  3. UCF — LAS Open Days 2027 (dates announced December 2026) — checked 2026-09-25
  4. University of Freiburg — Language certificates (English B2 list) — checked 2026-09-25
  5. University of Freiburg — Admission requirements (IB Diploma recognition) — checked 2026-09-25
  6. DAAD International Programmes — Liberal Arts and Sciences (BA/BSc) at University College Freiburg — checked 2026-09-25
  7. KMK — Agreement on the recognition of the IB Diploma, English translation — checked 2026-09-25
  8. University of Freiburg — Liberal Arts and Sciences course page ("Mit Zulassungsbeschränkung (74 Plätze)"; 90% selection, 10% waiting time; past results 1.3 in 2025/26, 1.0 in 2024/25) — checked 2026-09-30
  9. University of Freiburg — Auswahlsatzung LAS, 28 Feb 2023 (§ 7: letter and essay each improve the grade by up to 0,5; each at least 4,0) — checked 2026-09-30
  10. University of Freiburg — Results of the 2nd follow-up round, winter 2026/27 ("Liberal Arts and Sciences (Bachelor) Auswahl 1,5") — checked 2026-09-30
  11. University of Freiburg — Online study-choice assistants (orientation procedure required in Baden-Württemberg) — checked 2026-09-30