Why study in Freiburg? Why come for a year?

If you’ve been questioning whether an Academic Year in Freiburg is worth it, keep on reading. Below are the top five reasons why you’ll be glad you spent an Academic Year in Freiburg!

Affordability: If you want to go abroad, you’re not going to find a more affordable program than AYF. With more than 50 years of experience sending American students to Freiburg and developing long-standing, special relationships between universities on both sides of the Atlantic, AYF can help provide students with an immersion experience in German culture and language while remaining affordable. For many students, an Academic Year in Freiburg can be comparable to the cost of tuition and housing in the United States. In some cases, it can even be cheaper.

International Reputation: A year at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg is not a year wasted abroad. The University of Freiburg is world-renowned.  It is one of the best universities in German-speaking Europe and is consistently ranked in the top 100 universities worldwide. AYF provides a study program at a university very comparable to its American partner schools in size, rigorousness and reputation.

AYF is at Your Side: A student should be abroad to study, not to worry. That’s where AYF comes in. Instead of being left to fend for yourself in a foreign country, AYF helps to take care of the paperwork. We’ll register you at the university, with local authorities, set up your bank account and health insurance, find you an apartment and even talk you through formatting a term paper. For all other concerns, just come and see us. AYF is ready to help with whatever comes your way. The only thing left for you to do is study!

Year-long Immersion: If you want to learn real German, there’s no better way than surrounding yourself with the language and culture. Going abroad for a year can be a lot of work, but the payoffs – academically, personally and professionally – are absolutely worth it. AYF is always there to help you immerse yourself in the German culture and can help you along by offering programs such as its language and culture tandem partnerships. Spending an Academic Year in Freiburg gives you the opportunity to explore Europe and you’re bound to miss Germany and all the friends you’ve made here when you go back home.

Jumpstarting Your Future: Studying abroad with AYF helps you prepare for the future in a way you just can’t at an American university. Not only can you dramatically improve your foreign language and intercultural skills, but you may also be able to take part in an internship in your field. By immersing yourself in German (work) culture on a daily basis, you can also develop invaluable “soft skills” needed in all job sectors. Living in a foreign culture may help you to identify what’s really important to you personally and can help you explore career paths or fields of study more intensively than at your home university.