University of Erlangen–Nuremberg
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg | |
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg seal | |
| Latin: Universitas Friderico-Alexandrina | |
Former names | Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen |
|---|---|
| Motto | Wissen bewegen |
Motto in English | Moving knowledge. FAU. |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1742 (first) 4 November 1743 (moved) |
| Founder | Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth |
| Budget | EUR 721.6 million Third party funding: EUR 300.35 million |
| Chancellor | Christian Zens |
| President | Joachim Hornegger |
Academic staff | 629 professors 3604 (other academic staff) |
Total staff | 6,723 (2025) |
| Students | 40.996 (WS 2025/26) |
| Location | , , Germany 49°35′52.5″N 11°0′17.17″E / 49.597917°N 11.0047694°E |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Blue |
| Affiliations | Franco-German University, EELISA |
| Website | fau.eu |
The Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg (German: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, FAU) is a public research university in the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The name Friedrich-Alexander is derived from the university's first founder Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, and its benefactor Alexander, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
With around 40,000 students and over 275 degree programs in five faculties, FAU is one of the 15 largest universities in Germany. It is the third largest university in Bavaria after LMU Munich and the Technical University of Munich. It was established in Bayreuth in 1742 and moved to Erlangen in 1743. FAU expanded to Nuremberg in 1961 and to Fürth in 2004. About two-thirds of students mainly use the campus in Erlangen and one-third use the one in Nuremberg.
In the winter semester of 2024/25, around 50 percent of the nearly 40,000 students were female, and around 9,200 came from abroad. FAU offers a wide range of subjects across 272 degree programs, including 82 bachelor's degrees, 98 master's degrees, and 92 degrees leading to a state examination, such as teaching, law, or medicine (as of 2023). To reduce the risk of technology drain, the admission of scholarship holders from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) was initially suspended in 2023, but only temporarily. An exception is made for students who come to Germany with an additional scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
FAU is a member of the German Research Foundation DFG. Based on DFG funding, FAU has been one of the top ten universities in Germany for many years now. A total of 117.7 million euros in funding were approved in 2023. The university has seven DFG research groups and several graduate colleges. Due to numerous collaborations with other universities, colleges, and technical colleges in the region, Friedrich-Alexander University has outposts throughout northern Bavaria. The FAU Language Center enables students of all disciplines to obtain international language qualifications with UNIcert certification. FAU is a member of MedienCampus Bayern, the umbrella organization for media education and training in Bavaria.