Germany · Bachelor's
Free University of Berlin
Bachelor in Political Science
Free University of Berlin
Course Overview
FU Berlin's Politikwissenschaft Bachelor — delivered through the historic Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft (OSI) in Dahlem — is the most prestigious undergraduate political science degree in the German-speaking world. FU Berlin sits at #1 in Germany for Politics & International Studies (Shanghai) and top-100 globally (QS subject). The three-year programme covers political theory, comparative politics, international relations, German political system, and methods/statistics. Students take a minor in a related field (sociology, economics, history or area studies — South Asia available through FU's Institute of South Asian Studies).
Berlin is the political nerve centre of Europe — students intern at the Bundestag, federal ministries, the think-tank cluster around Tiergarten (SWP, DGAP, Hertie School, Mercator Institute), and the diplomatic corps. The Bachelor is taught primarily in German, but FU Berlin operates the most extensive English-medium parallel offering of any German political science department — international students take ~60% of credits in English in the modernised English-friendly track. Berlin remains tuition-free at the state level. Sri Lankan applicants typically pair this degree with a Studienkolleg G-Kurs (humanities) year or a one-year intensive German programme.
Entry Requirements
Academic
- check_circle Sri Lankan GCE A/L: 3 strong passes (B or above) — humanities or science stream both accepted.
- check_circle Cambridge / Edexcel A-Levels: BBB-ABB.
- check_circle IB Diploma: 30+ points.
- check_circle Preliminary documentation (VPD) from uni-assist for all Sri Lankan qualifications — 6-8 week processing.
- check_circle Most Sri Lankan A/L applicants reach FU Berlin via a Studienkolleg G-Kurs (humanities track) year.
- check_circle Motivation letter, CV and academic references.
English Proficiency
- check_circle IELTS Academic: 6.5 Overall (no band below 6.0) for the English-medium parallel track.
- check_circle TOEFL iBT: 90 Overall.
- check_circle German DSH-2 or TestDaF 4 required for the full programme (the German-medium core sits at ~40% of credits).
- check_circle Waived if your A/L, Cambridge International or IB programme was taught and assessed entirely in English (English component only — German requirement stands).
Estimated Cost of Study
| Expense Category | Amount (€) | Approx. LKR |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition Fee (per year — tuition-free) | € 0 | Rs. 0 |
| Semester Contribution (×2, incl. Berlin transit pass) | € 660 | Rs. 228,000 |
| Living Expenses (Berlin, 12 mo.) | € 12,000 | Rs. 4,140,000 |
| Blocked Account + Visa + Health Ins. | € 11,800 | Rs. 4,071,000 |
| Total Year 1 Investment | € 24,460 | Rs. 8,439,000 |
*LKR conversion based on current bank rates. Subject to change.
Career Outcomes & PR
FU Berlin Politikwissenschaft graduates route into German federal ministries, the Bundestag, EU institutions (Brussels and Strasbourg), German political foundations (Konrad-Adenauer, Friedrich-Ebert, Heinrich Böll), think tanks (SWP, DGAP, Hertie School), international NGOs, the German Foreign Service, and into postgraduate routes at Hertie School, SciencesPo, LSE and Oxford. Germany offers an 18-month Job Seeker Visa post-graduation. Sri Lankan returnees route into policy roles at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sri Lanka, UN agencies (UNDP, UNESCO Colombo) and international NGOs (The Asia Foundation, Sri Lanka office).
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ඔබට සුදුසු විශ්වවිද්යාලයක් තේරීම, අයදුම්පත් යොමු කිරීම, SOP සකස් කිරීම සහ වීසා ලබා ගැනීම ඇතුළු සෑම පියවරකදීම, ඔබ වෙනුවෙන් සියලුම වගකීම් විශ්වාසවන්තව අප භාර ගනිමු.