Freiburg is a famous center of academics and research. Some of the greatest minds have lived and worked in Freiburg and the city houses one of the oldest and most renowned German universities, the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, as well as its equally prestigious medical center.

Freiburg is also home to various other institutes of education and research, among them are: the Freiburg University of Education, the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Freiburg, the Freiburg Music University, the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg, three Max Planck Institutes, and five Fraunhofer Institutes.