Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg

The Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg is a university in Oldenburg, in north-west Germany. It was founded in 1973 and is named after the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Carl von Ossietzky. The range of subjects is broad, from teacher education to university medicine, and part-time study and continuing education are offered through the C3L – Center für lebenslanges Lernen. In October 2026, 1,945 first-year students started their studies, among them 200 medical students.

The university highlights hearing research, marine research and research on animal navigation. With the University of Bremen it forms the Northwest Alliance, which both universities are continuing even though their joint bid in the current round of Germany's Excellence Strategy was not successful. Its Programm für Exzellenz, funded by the state of Lower Saxony and the VolkswagenStiftung with €22.5 million from October 2025 to September 2030, strengthens the humanities and social sciences and includes a double doctorate, the UOL-RUG networks and an honours programme. The university describes itself as Lower Saxony's academic bridgehead to the Netherlands.

Teaching takes place on several sites, including Campus Wechloy. Since August 2026 a new online portal has helped students search for accommodation after they are admitted.