About us

The European University Viadrina – Study in the Heart of Europe

Situated right alongside the Oder River, which marks the border between the two states Germany and Poland, the university’s geographical location underlines the international profile of the institution. Since its re-establishment in 1991 as a result of the German reconciliation, the Viadrina has been actively pursuing the mission to overcome national borders, in particular those towards the eastern European countries.

Already in the past, for more than three hundred years (from 1506 to 1811) Frankfurt (Oder) used to be the home of the first public university of the principality of Brandenburg, the Alma Mater Viadrina. It enjoyed great repute as an institution of learning for persons who later played an important part in shaping and staffing the civil service of this principality as well as the Prussian state. The matriculation rolls of the old Viadrina include the well-known names of Ulrich von Hutten, the composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the theologian Thomas Müntzer, the poet and dramatist Heinrich von Kleist, a native son of Frankfurt (Oder), and the brothers Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt. At any given time, large numbers of students from Bulgaria, Rumania, Lithuania, Poland as well as other central and eastern European countries were enrolled at the university, which, for many apprising young scholars often became a first academic base for their exploration of European scholarship.

The Viadrina has preserved this European heritage over time and represents today an established meeting ground for scholars on both East and West. Scholars and students come from both sides of the river and from all over the world. In our daily work here, these efforts are not limited to the intensive support of instruction in foreign languages alone – they are extended to include the entire range of learning opportunities offered by the three faculties: the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies. A prime focus of the educational program is to attract students worldwide in order to create a multinational student body which constitutes the university’s unique intercultural atmosphere.

Although being one of the country’s smallest universities, the Viadrina has one of the highest percentages of international students in Germany. About one fourth of our students come from foreign countries. The opportunity to study together with young motivated people from all over the world is regarded as great enrichment of both, their academic and personal lives, as it leads to the development of close contacts, frequently deepening into long lasting friendships. This human potential represents an important treasure, one that we wish to cultivate and preserve.

European University Viadrina will continue its development on this positive basis, having as its aim the further improvement of conditions for education and research and as its wish the promotion of a greater coherence of our united Europe. In the future as well, this university will make every effort to promote and to expand this international character and will continue to open up new perspectives which will take us above and beyond traditional borders.

Organisational Team