Location
  • Germany
    • Freiburg
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer
Subject Areas
Business Cultural Studies Ecology Economics European Studies History International Business International Relations Liberal Arts Political Science Sociology +1

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
Bachelors
Housing
Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Price Details
Contact IES Abroad or see website for details: www.IESabroad.org/freiburg
What's Included
Accommodation Classes Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Visa
May 14, 2021
Jan 11, 2021

About Program

Study abroad in Freiburg, the sunniest and warmest city in Germany. It’s easy to take advantage of the sunshine and hike up to the Schlossberg tower for the view or explore the many Black Forest trails that are easily accessible. Immerse yourself in the vibrant student culture of this friendly and welcoming city, where students are one-sixth of the population.

Freiburg and the surrounding regions will be your classroom. Can you imagine traveling to the Rhine River Valley to take samples and observe local ecology, or visiting the European Parliament and discussing current social and political issues with EU officials, or discussing German theater and then seeing a local production that evening? Welcome to study abroad! Wherever possible, your courses take you outside the classroom to give you hands-on experience and to take advantage of all that your study abroad location has to offer.

Video and Photos

Scholarships

IES Abroad Scholarships

IES Abroad Scholarships and Financial Aid

As far as we're concerned, financial limitations shouldn't prevent you from studying abroad with us. That's why we offer more than $5 million in scholarships and aid.

Value
$500 - $5,000

Popular Programs

students gathered around a professor looking at soil in the forest

This English-taught program allows you to explore topics in Environmental Studies, Forest Ecology, and Sustainability while living in Freiburg, a well-known center for environmental innovation. Courses are organized as a series of three-week modules that focus on the sustainable management of natural resources, with a special emphasis on the adaptive management of forests, ecological processes in ecosystems, and human effects on the environment.

group of students lead by an IES Abroad professor trekking through the hills of the Swiss Alps

Taught in English, the IES Abroad European Union Program gives you the chance to study Politics, Economics, Business, and International Relations like you never have before. The program features an integrative seminar that incorporates approximately 21 days of field study to travel to numerous countries inside and outside of the EU. As you visit each new country, you develop your understanding of the European Union, its history, and its institutions

cute, quiet cobblestone street in Freiburg lined with white, yellow, and tan buildings

Ideal for students interested in rapidly improving their German language skills, the IES Abroad Freiburg Program offers you IES Abroad and university courses taught in German by distinguished local faculty. You can also participate in an internship, which includes time spent working at your placement and an academic seminar that helps you contextualize what you're learning.

group of four students standing in front of the ocean with little building behind them

Based in Freiburg, Germany, the European Union Summer Program takes you on extended field study trips to Turkey and the Western Balkan states for an intensive study of the European Union and its relationships with its neighbors to the east. This program challenges you with a unique Integrative Seminar and with a variety of elective course options.

Program Reviews

9.45 Rating
based on 111 reviews
  • 9-10 rating 90.09%
  • 7-8 rating 9.91%
  • 5-6 rating 0%
  • 3-4 rating 0%
  • 1-2 rating 0%
  • Academics 8.1
  • Support 9
  • Fun 8.7
  • Housing 9
  • Safety 9.7
Showing 1 - 8 of 111 reviews
Default avatar
Eleyna
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program

IES Abroad in Freiburg!

I was in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany for three awesome weeks before I was sent home due to COVID-19. When I arrived I was greeted by a local German student who lived in my building. I had some time in my room to rest and unpack before meeting the group of IES students and student guides for dinner at a local restaurant. We got to know each other and made plans to find grocery stores, cook dinner, and explore the city together. I was nervous about making friends, but once I was there it was pretty obvious that everyone wanted to hang out with everyone, since we were all in the same boat. This sense of group support and connection continued throughout my time there, and we kept the group chat going even when the program went remote. I also became friends with one of my flatmates!

Our classes didn't start until we had already gone home, so unfortunately we never met our professors in person. Online classes were difficult because all online classes are, but the professors were really wonderful about trying to make the experience less stressful. The IES Abroad staff gave us mixed signals about COVID-19, which is understandable given the unprecedented nature of the crisis, but it was incredibly frustrating and stressful for the students. Our on-site staff told us IES would never send us home, but that was not based on any real policy, so when the Chicago office sent us home we had no warning at all. However, staff changes were made after the fact and they let us know by email.

All in all, I had a great experience and I still miss my time in person with IES. If COVID-19 hadn't happened, it would have been perfect! I absolutely recommend going abroad with IES!

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
The scariest moment was when we all found out we had to go home. It felt like there was a mad rush out of the country, and we all thought we were taking the virus home to our families. It was devastating to leave my friends and the city I had just fallen in love with. I spent the last few days with my friends, taking in as much of the city as we possibly could. The biggest source of support through the experience was the group chat with everyone in the program.
16 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Timmy
8/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Simple, Traditional, Amazing

I loved my study abroad experience and I loved the area. Freiburg is a medium-big traditional German college town in the Black Forest. This means that there were a lot of typical German traditions with a mixture of a feeling of open-mindedness. Freiburg is amazing also in the sense that it is a city with a lot of environmentally conscious policies and goals, which means that people have the right of way above cars and cyclists in the downtown area.
I learned a lot about myself when I was away from my support group and family that feels way different from college. I felt like an adult which is incredibly exciting. I also learned to be more open-minded because I got to see the many ways that Germany tries to help its future through the development of different renewable energies like Biogas and how there is a cab service that is free for women after a certain time.
The academics offered where tough courses that challenges students in their ability to understand and retain information in german. The academics offered where tough courses that challenges students in their ability to understand and retain information in german. That being said the spacing of everything was weird because of where they decided to place breaks. That made it so that Midterms happened 2 weeks before the final and most teachers did not give prompts for the final until the week before the final essay was due which was terrible. Everyone in the administration was very nice and very good at giving us helpful tips on how to feel less homesick and trying to get students out of their dorms and explore the general area.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Freiburg is a great city to have as a base to return to when traveling in Europe because it's always very calming and small. Often if your plans are to go to large cities that have a lot to offer and do having a medium-sized city to return helps with unwinding from weekends of traveling. Also, Freiburg's public transport is good for getting used to European public transport systems. Freiburg covers a large area and offers many modes of transport and train lines to get around which is helpful for when going to bigger cities that are difficult to navigate. For traveling Freiburg is a good location because of an amazing company called FlixBus. FlixBus is an incredibly cheap way to travel through Europe via Bus. Most trips cost around 30 euros less than the train like Deutsche Bahn. The buses come with wifi and a place to charge your phone. It's a really nice bus and because of Freiburg's placement in Europe, it's a 1-hour drive to France and Switzerland and 4 hours to München.
15 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jovanna
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Study Abroad Here!

I had an amazing time while studying abroad in Freiburg, Germany for IES European Union Summer Study Abroad Program! I had the opportunity to travel to so many countries that I wouldn't have ventured to otherwise like Russia, Bosnia, and Serbia. I had lifelong connections with the other students that traveled abroad with me and I absolutely love the faculty and staff at this location. They were very supportive and inclusive to students of color and the unique struggles that they may experience abroad. The courses were definitely immersive and eyeopening, to say the least. The coursework is manageable and still gives you time to explore and enjoy your time abroad! This program will help you get out of comfort zone as it did for and genuinely contribute to tour growth. If you're thinking of studying abroad, I strongly encourage choosing this program!

What would you improve about this program?
I wish this program was advertised at more HBCUs. I was the only black student on my program and clearly the only student from an HBCU (Spelman College). I think if this program were advertised to more HBCUs I wouldn't have been in that situation.
15 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Rena
8/10
Yes, I recommend this program

22 Cities & 12 Countries!

As I boarded the plane for Munich, I was anxious to discover what awaited me. I had quite a few concerns and reservations, but upon arrival I realized all of my concerns were anticipated by the program administration. I lived in an apartment complex with five German students, who became some of my closest friends in Freiburg. The program gave us many opportunities to befriend fellow IES students and German students, alike. We spent the semester eating $1 gelato, traveling between EU countries, and exploring all Freiburg has to offer. I overcame my fear of public speaking and formed really strong connections with many of my professors over the course of the semester. I had a wonderful experience, one filled with both personal and academic accomplishments. I highly recommend studying in Freiburg!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Budget wisely! You'll blow through your money quickly unless you take the time to sort out your finances at the start of the program.
13 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Anita
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Learning through travel and new experiences!

I was searching for a study abroad experience that would allow me to study what I am interested in, travel to multiple places, and have experiences that I could not plan/afford as a college student. The IES European Union program offered me all of these opportunities. We traveled to seven countries during 22 days of the program, where we attended talks specialized to our academic interests. The program also organized city tours for us, and we stayed in hotels close to the middle of the cities.

In Freiburg, I lived in a seven person suite, and the rest of my suitemates were German. This offered me opportunities to immerse myself in German culture, and also allowed me more exposure to the language.

The additional IES EU field trips allowed me to visit countries and environments I would not have had access to otherwise. The two most popular field trips they offered my semester were a tour of castles in Germany, and a beautiful hike in Switzerland. They always arranged a tour and transportation, and so it was a stress-free and highly enjoyable experience each time.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and matched all the aspects I was looking for in a study abroad program!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
They tell you the countries and cities you will visit ahead of time, so do your research before and figure out all the places you want to see there! Makes it a lot more fun and a lot less stressful than doing it close to the travel dates.
14 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Lilly
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Freiburg was a dream

Being a smaller, lesser known city than a lot of other study abroad options, I thought Freiburg facilitated a more authentic cultural experience. I didn’t know any German before I went on the program (which is not a problem because mostly everyone speaks english) but by the end of the trip I was able to ask basic questions and read a whole menu/order at cafes just by being surrounded by it. IES is great at giving you all the information you need to get around and familiarize yourself and you also make friends extremely fast!
Freiburg is in a great location for traveling around Europe, it is the sunniest spot in Germany and there is so so much to do outside (go swimming, hikes, bike rides, concerts in nearby towns, biergartens), the public transportation is amazing and affordable, and you are always surrounded by the Black Forest and expansive fields/orchards to have a picnic in. Freiburg is a perfect size to be able to get to know in a semester and by the end it really felt like a second home to me because there is a strong community feeling there. There's local student spots that hold a lot of events and do a great job including international students. It is so easy and fun to meet people from all over the world! Live music is plenty downtown. Really cool opportunities to get involved in local volunteering, sustainability, or artistic initiatives. Classes were super informative and applicable to real-world sustainability work, not to mention interesting. All the IES instructors were really knowledgable, kind, and approachable.
Fun things to do are cooking big dinners in someones flat, going to a german Bathhouse, or taking weekend trips to other european cities, but the best thing about this specific program which I think a lot of people who go abroad to other places do not experience is the incredible beauty that we got to see. From the Swiss Alps to the Vosges Mountains in France to the surrounding Black Forest towns, you are seeing beautiful landscapes continuously throughout this program and hiking a lot. I learned so much about sustainability and practicing a green lifestyle which I could have only adopted by being in a green-focused environment. Freiburg is a really special place.

14 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Rebekah
8/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Living in Freiburg

Although at the beginning of the semester there is a lot of orientation, there are many things where you are left on your own to do, i.e. groceries, transportation, etc. This allowed me to really get a feel for living on your own in Germany and not just studying abroad there. I was able to make friends (both American and German) and socialize while also taking my courses with IES. Although all my courses were in the IES Center, majority of my professors were actual university professors and were quite experienced (and interesting). Freiburg is a beautiful city with a great location and lots of things to do in the surrounding areas. The administration of the IES office in Freiburg are super helpful and friendly and always there if you need help with something.

13 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Lauren
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Ready to go back

In IES I studied under some of the best professors I've ever had, lived with several amazing international students outside of my program, and really enjoyed Freiburg. Academically, the professors were all unique and were given the flexibility needed to teach our classes based on what best suited us. The courses were done in modules (instead of 5 classes all taken at the same time throughout the semester, we had five 3-week blocks where each class began only when the other completely ended) which I believe allowed for better focus and encouraged us to dive deeper into subjects. The courses also weren't limited to the classroom, and included dozens of excursions both throughout the city and outside of it- the Swiss Alps hiking trip was particularly amazing. I do believe one or two classes needed better organization and communication between professors, especially those where we had multiple professors (which in theory was great as they each had a different expertise), and that the administration could have been more response and proactive in solving these issues. However this was the only issue I found with administration. They were otherwise extremely helpful, great with communcation, and always open to answering questions. Freiburg is great for studen- big enough to always find something new to do, but small enough that it's easy to navigate and get to classes. It has plenty of hiking trails reachable with public transit or even just walking from housing; the smaller "suburbs" outside each have their own feel and cool things to do, and are also easy to reach. The train station in the center of the city can connect you to tons of other German and International cities, and a small airport nearby can get you on a quick flight. The IES Environmental Program schedule doesn't leave a lot of room for long trips, but there are definitely some 4-day weekends you can use to go somewhere further. It also "forced" us to really look into Freiburg during our free time which I was very thankful for by the end of the trip. You'll have many chances to meet german, or international, students- whether through your housing or the required german courses.

13 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

In order to apply, you must be at least 18 years old and have a 2.75 GPA or higher.