Medicine Schools and Programs in Germany

Medicine Studies in Germany

Study Medicine in Germany at Technische Universität München (Munich).

Medicine in Germany is not a bachelor's and master's degree. It is a single programme regulated by federal law, the Approbationsordnung für Ärzte, which ends with a state examination (Staatsexamen, officially the Ärztliche Prüfung) instead of a university degree. The programme is taught at universities and their teaching hospitals, almost entirely in German, and admission is restricted across the whole country.

SpainExchange lists 14 schools in Germany under Medicine: 13 universities and one language institute that teaches German for medical professionals. Munich has two of them, the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and the Technische Universität München (TUM); the others are in Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Duisburg and Essen, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Kiel, Münster, Regensburg, Ulm and Düsseldorf.

How the degree is organised

The Approbationsordnung sets the same framework for every university. Medical training consists of:

• a university programme of 5,500 hours over six years, the last year being a continuous practical year (Praktisches Jahr) of 48 weeks
• first-aid training
• a nursing placement (Krankenpflegedienst) of three months
• clinical electives (Famulatur) of four months
• the Ärztliche Prüfung, taken in three parts

The first part of the examination comes after two years of study, the second after three more years and the third after the practical year. The standard period of study, including the last examination, is six years and three months. The Universität Heidelberg, for example, lists its programme with a standard period of 12.5 semesters, a start in the winter semester only and German as the language of instruction, and describes a preclinical phase of two years followed by three clinical years and the practical year.

Universities organise the curriculum in their own way within these rules. In Munich, TUM teaches only the clinical part: the pre-clinical part is taken at LMU, and international applicants apply directly to LMU.

Admission and language

Medicine is one of four subjects with country-wide admission restrictions, together with pharmacy, veterinary medicine and dentistry. Where to apply depends on nationality:

• Applicants from EU and EEA countries apply through the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung on its portal hochschulstart.de, on the same terms as German applicants
• Applicants from other countries apply through uni-assist or directly to the university, depending on the institution

The admission page of the Universität Ulm shows how places are allocated. Up to two tenths are reserved for priority quotas, which include foreign nationals from non-EU countries. The rest is divided into 30% for the top school-leaving grades, 10% for an additional aptitude quota and 60% for the universities' own selection procedures. The Test für medizinische Studiengänge (TMS) is one of the selection criteria in Ulm.

A school-leaving certificate from an EU or EEA country or Switzerland that gives access to university there is usually accepted in Germany. Other applicants may first have to attend a Studienkolleg, a preparatory course that ends with an assessment test. According to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), most institutions require German at B2 level of the CEFR or above, proven with a test such as TestDaF, which is offered in around 100 countries, or the DSH, which is taken in Germany. Each medical faculty sets its own level, so check the faculty's requirements before applying.

Costs

DAAD states that state higher education institutions generally charge no tuition fees for undergraduate programmes. There are two exceptions for students from outside the EU: Baden-Württemberg, the state of Heidelberg, Freiburg and Ulm, charges €1,500 per semester, also for state examination programmes, and universities in Bavaria may set their own fees for non-EU students. All students pay a semester contribution of between €70 and €430; at the Universität Heidelberg, fees and contributions for Medicine are €189.80 per semester. DAAD estimates living costs at between €900 and €1,200 per month, depending on the city.

Visa

Citizens of EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland only need a valid identity card. Most other students need a national visa, applied for at the German embassy or consulate in their home country. According to DAAD, visa applicants had to prove funds of €992 per month as of 1 January 2025, and a visa can take months to be issued. Applicants who still have to pass an entrance examination or attend a Studienkolleg can apply for a prospective student visa, valid for up to nine months.

Licence to practise and careers

Passing the Ärztliche Prüfung gives the right to apply for the Approbation, the state licence to practise as a doctor, under the Bundesärzteordnung. The licence also requires the German language skills needed for the profession. Under the Approbationsordnung, the programme qualifies graduates to go on to specialist training (Weiterbildung). Medical training completed in another EU or EEA country is treated as equivalent under the same law. Doctors who trained abroad and want to work in Germany often need a medical German exam: the Institut für Internationale Kommunikation (IIK) in Düsseldorf offers German courses for doctors that prepare for the Fachsprachprüfung of the medical association (Ärztekammer).

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to study Medicine in Germany?

The standard period of study is six years and three months. It includes a practical year of 48 weeks in hospital and a state examination in three parts.

Can I study Medicine in Germany in English?

The state examination programme is taught in German. The Universität Heidelberg lists German as its language of instruction, and TUM states that Medicine is taught completely in German.

Is Medicine free at German universities?

State universities generally charge no tuition fees, but all students pay a semester contribution of €70 to €430. Students from outside the EU pay €1,500 per semester in Baden-Württemberg and may be charged fees in Bavaria.

Where do international students apply for Medicine?

Applicants from EU and EEA countries apply through hochschulstart.de. Applicants from other countries apply through uni-assist or directly to the university they choose.