Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen

The Faculty of Medicine at RWTH Aachen has been teaching the model curriculum in medicine since 2003. Preclinical and clinical content are interleaved; teaching is organised in system blocks rather than strictly separated individual subjects, and practical skills are on the timetable from the very first semester. The University Hospital RWTH Aachen concentrates almost all specialties in a single building complex with around 1,650 beds. Short distances between lecture hall, ward, and laboratory are not accidental but a consequence of the building design. The technical orientation of RWTH creates additional points of contact with medical engineering, imaging, and biomaterials.

This location suits you if you want to work at the bedside early and if a technically oriented environment appeals to you rather than putting you off. Applicants who hold a completed vocational qualification in a healthcare profession will find an admissions process in Aachen that recognises this prior experience in a dedicated sub-quota. Those seeking a strictly subject-structured standard curriculum will be better served at other faculties.

Study places are allocated by the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung through hochschulstart.de: 30 per cent via the best-grade quota (Abiturbestenquote), 10 per cent via the Additional Aptitude Quota (Zusätzliche Eignungsquote), in which the Abitur grade plays no role, and 60 per cent via the university’s own selection process (Auswahlverfahren der Hochschule). Aachen divides its selection process into three sub-procedures and reserves a dedicated quota for applicants with a completed vocational qualification in a healthcare profession; alongside this, the Abitur grade and the TMS result count. The precise weightings are set by the faculty anew for each allocation cycle.

No tuition fees are charged. The only payment required is the semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag), the amount of which RWTH Aachen sets each semester.

A Model Curriculum Interleaving Preclinical and Clinical Content

Aachen does not separate the two classical halves of the medical programme. Since 2003 it has run a model curriculum in which scientific foundations and clinical subjects mesh from the outset. Two homogenisation semesters, designed to accommodate the very varied prior knowledge of first-year students, are followed from the third semester by interdisciplinary system blocks: an organ system is addressed simultaneously from anatomical, physiological, and clinical perspectives, with a clear emphasis on clinical content. From the seventh semester onwards, the clinical-practical phase follows with block placements.

Medical Basic Examination Instead of the Physikum

There is no traditional Physikum at Aachen. After the sixth semester you sit the Ärztliche Basisprüfung, which consists of a multi-day practical examination circuit and a written component, replacing the First Part of the Medical Licensing Examination. The Second and Third Parts of the Medical Licensing Examination then follow in the nationally standardised form. The programme concludes with the Staatsexamen and the Approbation.

Teaching in a Single Hospital Building

Teaching takes place primarily at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen in Laurensberg, a single connected building with around 1,600 beds, 36 specialist clinics, and 25 institutes. Practical skills are trained in small groups in the AIXTRA SkillsLab; dedicated year coordinators accompany each cohort throughout the programme. The technical character of RWTH is perceptible in the curriculum, for example in medical engineering, imaging, and simulation. The Praktisches Jahr is completed in three tertials at the university hospital or at affiliated teaching hospitals in the region.

A Compact City with the Hospital at the Edge

Aachen is a manageable city with a very high student-to-population ratio, something that visibly shapes the city’s character. The university hospital, however, is located in the west of the city in Laurensberg, close to the Dutch border at Vaals and therefore a fair distance from the city centre. Buses run there frequently, and many students cycle, though they must accept some gradient.

Accommodation

The housing market is tight because medicine, engineering, and computer science together bring large numbers of students to a relatively small city. Shared flat rooms remain cheaper than in Cologne or Düsseldorf, but are scarce at the start of the winter semester. The Studierendenwerk Aachen allocates dormitory places through an application portal; applying early is worthwhile. The Frankenberger Viertel and the streets around the Westbahnhof are popular areas.

Daily Life and Student Union

The medical student union organises the first-year introduction, compiles past exam questions, and is the first point of contact when something in a system block is unclear. Belgium and the Netherlands are reachable by bicycle, and Cologne is about an hour away by regional train. Carnival, the CHIO equestrian tournament, and the Öcher Bend fair are part of the annual calendar; student nightlife centres around the Pontstraße area.

Is medicine in Aachen a model curriculum?

Yes. The Aachen model curriculum has existed since 2003 and integrates preclinical and clinical content in interdisciplinary system blocks. Instead of the traditional Physikum, you sit the Ärztliche Basisprüfung after the sixth semester. The Second and Third Parts of the Medical Licensing Examination remain nationally standardised; the final qualification is the Staatsexamen, as everywhere else.

What is the NC in Aachen?

There is no fixed NC. Places are allocated via the best-grade quota, the Additional Aptitude Quota, and the university’s own selection process, and the admission cut-offs change each year with the applicant pool. The thresholds are consistently high. Current figures are only available in the cut-off tables published by hochschulstart.

Does the TMS count at RWTH Aachen?

Yes, and in multiple places. In the Additional Aptitude Quota you can accumulate points for the TMS and for a completed vocational qualification. Within the university’s own selection process there is one sub-quota where the Abitur grade dominates and another where the TMS is decisive. A strong TMS result can therefore substantially compensate for a weaker Abitur grade.

What is the quality of supervision during studies?

Each cohort has dedicated year coordinators as fixed points of contact, alongside small-group teaching in the AIXTRA SkillsLab. The model curriculum is densely scheduled and demands continuous learning throughout the semester because assessed work falls due regularly. Those looking for peer connection find it quickly, since cohorts work in fixed groups.

What does accommodation cost in Aachen?

Aachen sits in the middle range: more expensive than the Ruhr region, but noticeably cheaper than Cologne, Düsseldorf, or Munich. Studierendenwerk dormitory places are the most affordable option, though waiting times can run to several semesters. Those who start looking just before the semester begins will typically pay a premium.