Rankings and certificates

The European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) has once again achieved top positions in the nationwide university ranking of the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) and the weekly newspaper Die ZEIT. The ranking, which also takes student assessments into account, once again recognises Viadrina's excellent study conditions, excellent support and outstanding international orientation.

Top rankings for support, integration of theory and practice and internationalisation in business and economics study courses

In terms of study situation, internationalisation and support, the Bachelor's degree programmes in International Business Administration, Internationale Betriebswirtschaftslehre and the dual Bachelor's degree programme Wirtschaftsprüfung top places nationwide. Students awarded top marks for the support provided by lecturers and the course programme, for digital learning and the organisation of examinations. Viadrina is also ahead of the rest of Germany in terms of support and opportunities to study abroad as well as internationalisation on site.
Viadrina is further in the top group when it comes to the integration of theory and practice in the dual study course Wirtschaftsprüfung.

Law degree programme receives top marks from students - integrated Master's from October 2026

The Law (state examination) study course is also a national leader in terms of study conditions. In the students' assessment, the individual supervision and support provided by lecturers, the course programme and the organisation of examinations in particular received top marks, which are well above the national average. The excellent individual support at the start of the degree programme was emphasised.

This focus on the needs of students, particularly in the demanding law (state examination) study course, is reflected in the introduction of a master's degree in German and European Law (LL.M.), the only one of its kind in Germany, in the winter semester 2026/27. The degree, which is integrated into the law (state examination) study course, complements the existing Bachelor of Laws degree and offers students a law degree regardless of the outcome of the state examination.

In the International Student Barometer (isb), the Viadrina was voted the most popular university in Germany by international students. It was ranked first out of 16 participating German universities, 6th out of 55 universities in continental Europe and 20th out of 199 universities worldwide.

The International Student Barometer is the world's largest survey of internationally mobile students and doctoral candidates. It is compiled annually by the company i-graduate, which uses it to create a benchmark study in which universities from all over the world survey their international students on their choice of location and student satisfaction.

The European University Viadrina took 4th place among the 77 medium-sized universities in Germany in the start-up radar of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft.

In 2020, the European University Viadrina took part in the international university comparison U-Multirank for the first time in the field of Business Studies in addition to the overall ranking. With 7th place in the field of 70 German universities and 28th place out of 316 European universities compared, it was one of the top-rated universities both nationally and internationally. The international orientation of the degree programmes was rated particularly highly. The Viadrina was also rated above average in terms of study conditions.

U-Multirank compares universities in five categories: Teaching and Learning, Research, Knowledge Transfer, International Orientation and Regional Engagement. The data compared comes from verified self-reports, international databases and student surveys.

The Europaean University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) has completed the 2021 Diversity Audit „Vielfalt gestalten“ of the Stifterverband. The certificate marks the end of a two-year process with the aim of making Viadrina a non-discriminatory place to work and study.

Among the first measures already implemented as part of the audit were a survey of students on their experiences of discrimination and the adoption of rules to protect against discrimination and harassment. The Viadrina was also scrutinised as a place of work: Suggestions were jointly developed on how the different needs of all employees can be better taken into account. The aim is to develop a family-friendly and diversity-sensitive learning, teaching, academic and working culture.

In 2018, the Viadrina has joined the initiative „Klischeefrei – Nationale Kooperationen zur Berufs- und Studienwahl frei von Geschlechterklischees“. The aim of the alliance is to support young people in finding professions and study programmes that correspond to their individual abilities, interests and strengths and not the familiar role stereotypes.

The „Klischeefrei“ alliance consists of federal and state ministries, the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, universities and social partners as well as representatives from science, practice and business.

The European University Viadrina has been successfully system-accredited since the end of March 2017. This officially confirms that the Viadrina has a well-functioning internal quality assurance system in the area of teaching and learning that the university will be able to independently assess its individual degree programmes in the future.

The university was also certified as having a very successful internationalisation strategy, which was specifically the subject of the assessment procedure using the example of the implementation of international multiple degrees, so-called „Joint Programmes“.
With the successful completion of the procedure, the Viadrina joins the ranks of system-accredited universities in Germany with its quality assurance system.

The seal of quality is awarded once a year by the DAAD for special merits and achievements in Erasmus exchange programmes for German and foreign students and lecturers.

The Viadrina is one of Brandenburg's leading universities in terms of internationality.

The Viadrina is Brandenburg's leader in terms of internationality: it maintains close cooperation with around 200 universities and colleges abroad, which enable around 400 students a year to spend time abroad - which is compulsory in most of the study courses offered at the European University.

In May 2014, the European University Viadrina signed the Charta „Familie in der Hochschule“ and is thus also a member of the best practice club of the same name. By signing the charter, all members make a voluntary commitment to pursue and implement demanding standards of family-orientation. They define the compatibility of studies, career and science with family responsibilities as a defining profile element of their university and are committed to a social development towards more family-orientation and appreciation of diversity.

In November 2013, the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) received the "Corporate Health Award", which is awarded by Handelsblatt and TÜV SÜD.

This makes the university one of the leading institutions in the field of corporate health management in Germany.

The Viadrina has been dedicated to health management since 2012. For example, employees have the opportunity to use one hour of their working time each week for preventative sports activities. A health day and numerous workshops and lectures throughout the year provide further impetus for employee health.

Document and publication servers provide universities and libraries with worldwide and long-term secure access to scientific publications. They thus make a decisive contribution to the spread of electronic publishing as a new tool for scientific work.

DINI, the German Initiative for Network Information, accompanies and supports these developments in order to achieve a higher level of scientific communication both nationally and internationally. By awarding a certificate, DINI e. V. enables established quality control for document and publication services, now in its third generation.

In order to make it easier for student athletes to balance their studies and top-class sport, the German University Sports Federation (adh) initiated the "Partner University of Top-class Sport" project with various partners in 1999.

Within the framework of these cooperation agreements, around 1,200 top athletes currently studying at over 85 adh member universities are provided with a network system to compensate for specific disadvantages.

The Viadrina's top sports representative is Franziska Boll, Head of the Student Advisory Service.

The Manager Magazin, together with the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Management und Beratung (WGMB), a privately owned research institute, conducted a survey among decision-makers to determine the best Wirtschaftsprüfung firms in Germany. More than 80 auditing firms and around 1,700 clients took part in the study. The survey also identified the leading universities in the field of Wirtschaftsprüfung - the European University Viadrina was once again among the frontrunners.