If you don't know Potsdam, you might think it's kind of Berlin's little sister. But it's actually the other way round: Potsdam is considerably more magnificent and, above all, around 250 years older than Berlin. As the capital of Brandenburg, it is also a centre of politics and administration. Potsdam is an ideal place to live and study because you can concentrate on your studies while living on an idyllic island - Potsdam is actually a real island - but you can be in Berlin in less than half an hour if you want the maximum programme of culture and partying. According to some rankings, Potsdam is the best city in Germany when it comes to leisure and nature. These are ideal conditions for living and studying.
Around 180,000 people live in Potsdam and 26,000 of them are students. That's a share of 14%. So, there is definitely a buzzing student life with parties and events. In addition to CBS, Potsdam also has the University of Potsdam, which is the largest university in Potsdam with around 20,000 students. The Potsdam University of Applied Sciences has around 4,000 students and the Babelsberg Film University has another 1,000. Other universities include the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences for Sport and Management, and the Clara Hoffbauer University of Applied Sciences.
The CBS campus in Potsdam is located in the middle of the grounds of the Babelsberg film studios, known to be the Hollywood of Germany. The film studios in Potsdam-Babelsberg are very old, yet very modern, and highly successful. Babylon Berlin", for example, was filmed here, as well as many television series and some Hollywood films. Babelsberg is a district of Potsdam that is also quite popular as a residential area.
Potsdam has a lot of nature; a lot of water and great tourist highlights such as the UNESCO World Heritage Sanssouci Palace - and with Babelsberg, the glamour of a film city. The many landscaped gardens and parks are simply wonderful for relaxing between or after lectures. The palace park of Sanssouci Palace alone is 300 hectares in size and doesn't even cost admission.
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Every fourth person who works in Potsdam has an academic degree. The proportion of academics is therefore extremely high. This means that many well educated-people work and live in Potsdam, which has a corresponding effect on life in the city and the cityscape. There is also a great amount of non-university research. The Max Planck Society has several institutes in Potsdam (e.g., Gravitational Physics, Molecular Plant Physiology), as does the Fraunhofer Institute (Cell Therapy and Immunology, Applied Polymer Research), and there is a Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics. This basic and cutting-edge research in turn gives rise to many spin-offs or start-ups - with the result that Potsdam continues to grow as an academic and research location.
What do you do when you have Berlin as a neighbouring city, one of the most sought-after metropolises in the world? Potsdam could have leaned back, but Potsdam did the exact opposite. Competition is the mother of invention. For example, the popular KUZE, the Student Cultural Centre Potsdam, came into being. This was the idea of the University of Potsdam's Student Body to create a central meeting place for students in the city centre. You'll also love the "Erlebnisquartier Schiffbauergasse", where you can find theatre, concerts, poetry slams and much more.
Take the first step towards your dream career! Download our brochure & learn more about our undergraduate & graduate degrees in Germany!
Take the first step towards your dream career! Download our brochure & learn more about our undergraduate & graduate degrees in Germany!
Potsdam is not just a community from which you commute to Berlin. The opposite is true. Many people move away from Berlin to live in Potsdam, a beautiful city with lots of water, greenery, quality of life, well-paid jobs, and proximity to Berlin. As is to be expected, living in Potsdam is not cheap. However, the housing market is not that bad, but as in all university cities, it is very tight, especially looking for one-bedroom flats and shared flats at the start of the semester. Privately run student halls of residence or student flats are an interesting housing option, as the standard of construction and the services are attractive. Commuting from Berlin is even quite easy, the station "Potsdam Medienstadt Babelsberg" is less than ten minutes' walk from the CBS campus.
13,000 companies. 110,000 employees, mainly academics. Highly interesting industries. And in addition, the film industry and tourism, which need seasonal or occasional student help. In Potsdam, you have the chance to find classic part-time jobs and contacts to companies that are looking for young academics.
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Whether Bachelor's, Master's, full or part-time, in German or English - there is something for everyone here at CBS in Germany.
