🥇 DFG Ranking 🎓 A Guide for International Students

In this article, we are going to talk about the DFG Ranking created by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG) - the largest research funding organization and central self-governing body for science in Germany - with an annual budget of more than 3 billion Euro. Every three years, the DFG publishes the DFG Funding Atlas (formerly known as the "DFG Funding Ranking" until 2009). Based on a large number of data from all major public research funders in Germany and the EU, this ranking provides us with detailed and diverse insights into where and how cutting-edge research and funding bear fruit in universities in Germany. That being said, if you are interested in knowing more about the research profile of your future university in Germany, look no further, as we are about to break down all aspects relating to the DFG ranking now! Below, you will get to know about the foundation itself, how it creates the ranking, the top German universities according to the latest ranking, and most importantly, how you can use this ranking as a reference to search for your dream study program.

Overview/Summary

DFG Ranking Fact Sheet
Issued by	Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)
Frequency of publication	Tri-annually (since 1997)
Level of comparison	Institutional; departmental information available
Number of Institutions	85 universities with DFG support
Focus on	Research performance
Ranking parameters	Amounts of research funding universities could allocate from DFG
Strengths	A good indicator of the institution’s research and funding profile
Website	https://sites.dfg.de/sites/foerderatlas2021/

This is part of our "Germany in University Rankings" articles' series

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What is the DFG (German Research Foundation)?

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) is Germany's central autonomous research funding organization. The DFG's main task is to promote research in all its forms and disciplines at German universities and non-university research institutions by funding projects developed by the academic community itself in the field of knowledge-driven research. The selection of the projects to be funded is based on an anonymous peer review process by so-called DFG reviewers - who usually include the most experienced and renowned professors of the respective subject.

In 2021, the DFG will have funded more than 31,600 projects with a total annual budget of 3.6 billion euros, mainly provided by the Federal Government (69%) and the Länder (30%). As the largest research funding organisation in Europe, the DFG plays a crucial role in regulating German research. Whether you are an archaeologist working on an excavation in Egypt or a physicist testing new theories (did we hear Einstein?), the DFG can fund both the purchase of expensive instruments and your travel as a researcher to attend conferences or meet experts in the field. Finally, in addition to its headquarters in Bonn, the DFG has offices in China, Japan, India, Russia, North America and Latin America, making it quite influential and well-connected internationally.

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Is the DFG Ranking trustworthy?

Short answer: Yes!

Long answer: The DFG ranking uses the "Funding Atlas", a system of indicators that collects its data from the funding bodies rather than from the funding recipients. This means that the HEIs included in the ranking do not have to provide the same amount of data as most other ranking and indicator systems. Another feature of the approach that enhances its credibility is the use of standardised definitions, so that there are no errors arising from the different data management practices of the institutions included in the report. As a result of the 'Core Data Set Research' initiative of the German Council of Science and Humanities, there is a growing recognition that research information recorded according to fixed standards can ease the burden of processing the most diverse data requests. In October 2020, the German Council of Science and Humanities presented a proposal to further advance the initiative, now called "KDSF - German Research Information Standard". The German Research Information Council (KFiD) will provide the necessary support.

DFG Ranking Methodology

For the DFG ranking database is quite comprehensive, with 8 indicators assigned to 4 categories:

Monetary indicators i.e.:

Current basic funds, administrative income and third party funding
DFG funding approvals
Direct research and development (FuE) project funding from the federal government
EU funding

University staff statistics

Full-time academic staff
Professors

Scientific expertise statistics

Review boards
Referees

International attractivity statistics

What does this ranking tell you?

DFG third-party funding is one of the most important research funds for German universities. It is applied for and approved strictly on the basis of research level, and therefore it is a good measure of the overall research strength of a university.

What are the limitations of the DFG ranking?

The DFG ranking reflects the research strength of a university in the field of top-level research - but it does not contain any statements, e.g., about the quality of teaching, the level of application or the situation of students. Due to the methodology of the ranking, the Funding Atlas only reflects a small selection of the German higher education landscape: namely, predominantly the large (research) universities. Universities of Applied Sciences, Academies of Music and Art Colleges are not included - although the DFG also offers funding programs for them.

Top 10 German higher education institutions ranked by the DFG

Here is the list of the German Universities with the highest DFG awards for 2017 to 2019 (overall):

German Universities in the DFG Ranking