Free University of Berlin - FU vs Hertie School of Governance vs IU International University of Applied Sciences vs Whitecliffe University of Applied Sciences vs Touro University Berlin

Side-by-side comparison from 179 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: Forward College (4.90)
Free University of Berlin - FU: wins 0/6 categories
Hertie School of Governance: wins 0/6 categories
IU International University of Applied Sciences: wins 0/6 categories
Whitecliffe University of Applied Sciences: wins 0/6 categories
Touro University Berlin: wins 0/6 categories
Forward College: wins 4/6 categories
Catalyst – Institute for Creative Arts and Technology: wins 2/6 categories
Comparing
Best programme: Business Administration
Best programme: MBA
Best programme: International Marketing
Best programme: Business Administration
Paris, France
4.90
Top
Read more reviews
16 reviews
×
Best programme: Politics and International Relations
Best programme: Music Production and Sound Engineering
Category ratings
Facilities
4.00
Not rated
3.69
3.50
4.67
4.47
4.75
Win
Location
4.00
Not rated
3.87
4.00
4.86
5.00
Win
4.25
Professors
4.20
Not rated
4.43
4.50
4.57
5.00
Win
3.88
Internationality
4.45
Not rated
4.44
5.00
4.86
4.75
5.00
Student life
4.00
Not rated
3.62
3.50
4.57
4.73
4.75
Win
Value
4.00
Not rated
4.32
4.00
4.57
4.63
Win
4.13
Accommodation
3.11
Not rated
3.11
2.67
3.83
4.33
Win
2.25
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Excellent faculty and academic quality
  • +International and diverse environment
  • +Accessible education with no tuition fees

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  • +Flexible online study for work-life balance
  • +Modern, intuitive digital platform for easy access
  • +Relevant, high-quality educational content
  • +High quality education and knowledgeable, helpful professors
  • +Welcoming and international atmosphere with friendly people
  • +Vibrant campus life and cool architecture
  • +Small class sizes and accessible professors
  • +International environment and diverse student body
  • +Value and career-focused programs
  • +Engaging learning environment with interactive methods
  • +Diverse and international student community
  • +Unique multi-city European study experience
  • +Hands-on learning and practical experience
  • +Access to professional gear and facilities
  • +Supportive and collaborative environment
Cons
  • -Administrative and management issues are a frequent source of frustration.
  • -Facilities are often described as outdated or poorly maintained.
  • -Course content and teaching quality are sometimes criticized as lacking or ineffective.

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  • -Slow and unresponsive administrative processes, including grade processing and student support.
  • -Poor staff attitude and lack of accountability for errors in student records and applications.
  • -Inadequate support and guidance for online students.
  • -Frustration with administrative and management issues is common.
  • -Outdated facilities and lack of resources are frequently criticized.
  • -Poor communication and unsupportive faculty are recurring complaints.
  • -Administrative and management issues are a frequent source of frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and poor maintenance are significant drawbacks.
  • -Lack of resources and support negatively impacts the learning experience.
  • -Administrative & management issues cause frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and equipment are a concern.
  • -Lack of transparency and communication is prevalent.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and equipment are a recurring problem.
  • -Lack of clear communication and support is a major concern.
Rating summary
What students say

This institution demonstrates a strong overall performance, with particularly high marks in Internationality (4.45), closely followed by Professors (4.2) and Student Life (4), Facilities (4), and Value (4). Accommodation emerges as the weakest area, receiving a lower rating of 3.1. The university generally offers a positive experience, with notable strengths in global engagement and academic quality.

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This institution garners notable praise in several key areas, with **Internationality** and **Professors** receiving particularly high scores. The **Value** proposition is also well-regarded. Conversely, **Accomodation** stands out as the lowest-rated aspect. Other aspects like Facilities, Location, and Student Life fall within a more moderate range of positive feedback.

This institution demonstrates a particularly strong performance in its internationality, achieving a perfect score. It also excels in the quality of its professors, receiving a rating of 4.5. Conversely, the university's accommodation facilities present its weakest area, with a significantly lower score of 2.67. Other aspects like facilities and student life are rated moderately well, alongside a good location and value.

This institution garners strong approval, particularly in its Location and Internationality, both scoring an impressive 4.86. Professors and Student Life also receive high marks, averaging 4.57. While Facilities are well-regarded at 4.67 and Value is a solid 4.57, Accomodation stands out as the weakest area with a rating of 3.83.

This university garners excellent reviews, particularly excelling in its **professors and location**, both achieving perfect scores. Student life and internationality also stand out with scores above 4.7. Areas with slightly lower, though still strong, ratings include **facilities and accommodation**. Overall, the university presents a well-rounded positive student experience with high marks across most aspects.

This institution achieves outstanding scores in several key areas, notably Internationality (5.0) and Facilities and Student Life, both at an impressive 4.75. However, Accomodation presents a significant challenge, receiving the lowest rating at 2.25. Professors and Value also received solid, above-average scores.

Reviews summary
Highlights

With 21 positive out of 24 reviews and an average rating of 4.17/5, ~88% of feedback is highly positive. Students praise strong academics, a diverse, international environment, and supportive professors, with few mentioning minor issues like confusing course selection.

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~95% of reviews are positive, praising flexibility, modern platforms, and accessible materials. A small percentage (~5%) mention issues with grading delays and slow administrative support.

With an average rating of 3.75/5, student feedback is predominantly positive (~100%). Reviews highlight internationality, campus atmosphere, and excellent educational quality.

All 7 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.57/5. Students highlight a strong international environment, small class sizes, and supportive faculty, contributing to a positive academic and cultural experience.

Students highly praise the interactive learning, international community, and opportunities for academic and personal growth. There are no negative reviews.

University reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with ~88% of feedback being 4-5 stars. Students praise hands-on learning, creative freedom, and access to professional-grade equipment. There is virtually no negative feedback.

Rating distribution
5★
29%
0%
63%
25%
57%
94%
25%
4★
58%
0%
27%
25%
43%
6%
63%
3★
13%
0%
6%
50%
0%
0%
13%
2★
0%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1★
0%
0%
3%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
Research

Free University of Berlin is a great educational institution for international students. It gives you a great opportunity to learn how to work with an international teams in fields of the sociological research.

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The best university in the world

My experience with IU is very wonderful and exceptional. The learning process is smooth and easy especially for online students and the exams are well tailored to test your knowledge on what you have been learning. It is quite great indeed.

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Great modern university approach

I am currently a 3rd year student at Forward College and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to other students. The interactive approach of Forward where questions, debate, and discussion were encouraged enhanced my learning so much and I feel like I genuinely enjoyed every class. Having the experience of living in 3 different cultures, surrounded by people from all over the world made this experience even more special and helped me develop and grow in so many ways. Another aspect I have loved are the professors. Speaking with friends at other university I am so grateful to have teachers that actually know us, are excited to teach and interact with us, and will always take the time to help you.

The Challenge

I'm a Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering graduate. My experience at Catalyst was generally positive. It had a culture of friendliness, kindness and helpfulness from the staff, professors and students. The classes are not the typical classes but are more so akin to workshops. You get introduced to a subject, technique or idea and you are very quickly thrown in the deep end to get your hands dirty in experimentation and practice, which I prefer. You get access to studios and a lot of fancy audio gear. One downside I experienced is the limited studio time. I loved working in the big studios but they increasingly over the years kept getting harder to book due to limited availability. What I found to be the most impactful experience was how challenging the projects were. There were no exams, fun fact. Instead of exams, we had big projects that spanned the entirety of each semester with hard milestone deadlines in between. Since these projects span the whole semester, you can begin to imagine the scale of work involved in completing them. The challenge in handling all the projects pushed me to achieve more than I could have imagined. I needed an environment like that. In conclusion, my time at Catalyst was great. Through all the hard work my skills increased exponentially in a short period of time. The staff and teachers are amazing and always ready to help.

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