Department of Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen

Giessen is a quintessential student city: relative to its population, an exceptionally large proportion of residents are students, and the Department of Medicine, with around 180 places per academic year, is small enough that you get to know your fellow students in class. Teaching follows the standard curriculum with a separate pre-clinical and clinical phase; this is supplemented by simulation centres where examination techniques, emergency procedures and ultrasound are practised before the first real patient contact.

The location has a constellation found nowhere else: the University Hospital Giessen and Marburg was privatised in 2006 and is run as a GmbH, while research and teaching remain with the universities. Academically, the Cardio-Pulmonary Institute excellence cluster shapes the profile — Giessen is therefore particularly interesting if cardiac and pulmonary medicine appeals to you and you prefer a smaller cohort to a big-city campus.

Study places are allocated nationally via hochschulstart.de — through the top-grade quota (Abiturbestenquote), the additional aptitude quota (Zusätzliche Eignungsquote) and the university's own selection procedure. In its selection procedure, Giessen combines the Abitur grade with the aptitude test score and awards additional points for a completed vocational qualification; in the aptitude quota the Abitur grade plays no role and the test score carries the weight.

No tuition fees are charged; only the semester contribution is payable. The precise weightings are set out in the university's selection statutes, which apply for each application period.

Standard curriculum with simulation and ultrasound

Giessen teaches in the standard curriculum: four pre-clinical semesters through to the First State Medical Examination, six clinical semesters with block placements, and then the Praktisches Jahr over 48 weeks in three rotations. A new study regulations came into force in the summer semester of 2026. Defining features are the Giessen Centre for Practical Medical Learning and Simulation, where you train clinical skills, a longitudinal strand on medical communication, and an early ultrasound education programme. In research, Giessen is a partner site of the German Centre for Lung Research and the German Centre for Infection Research; lung, cardiovascular and infection research are the clear priorities.

What the hospital merger with Marburg means

In 2005 the hospitals of both sites were merged into the University Hospital Giessen and Marburg; in 2006 the state of Hesse sold the majority stake to a private hospital group while retaining a small share. It is the only privatised university hospital in Germany. For you the key division is: teaching and research remain with the state Department of Medicine at Justus Liebig University, while patient care is the responsibility of the private operator. You are therefore studying at a state university, sit the same Staatsexamen as everywhere else, and receive the regular Approbation afterwards.

To be honest about it: the privatisation has been politically controversial for years; critics point to an investment backlog and its effects on staffing and teaching conditions. In compensation, a large research foundation for both sites was established from the sale proceeds. For the Praktisches Jahr, teaching hospitals in central Hesse are available alongside the Giessen hospital, including facilities in Wetzlar, Lich, Limburg, Braunfels and Bad Nauheim.

A small city on the Lahn with a very large student population

Giessen is considered the German city with the highest proportion of students in its population, because Justus Liebig University and the Technical University of Central Hesse share a modest-sized city. This shapes daily life: the atmosphere is strongly student-oriented, most things are reachable on foot or by bike, and you constantly run into people from your semester.

Medicine is located on the Seltersberg campus south-east of the city centre, where pre-clinical institutes, the teaching centre and the hospitals are grouped together. From the campus to the city centre is just a few minutes by bike.

For housing, Giessen is one of the most relaxed locations in this comparison: the market is not particularly tight and rents are well below Frankfurt or Freiburg. In exchange, the city is architecturally plain and nightlife is limited. Anyone who needs more city life can reach Frankfurt by train in about an hour. For recreation there is the Lahn riverbank, the botanical garden and the Schiffenberg.

What does the privatised hospital mean for me as a student?

Teaching, examinations and the degree remain with the state Department of Medicine at Justus Liebig University; only patient care is the responsibility of the private operator of the University Hospital Giessen and Marburg. Your Staatsexamen and Approbation are therefore entirely regular. The arrangement becomes noticeable mainly in terms of equipment, staffing levels and working conditions on the wards, and that is precisely what has drawn criticism for years.

Am I then studying in Giessen or in Marburg?

In Giessen. The hospitals of both cities belong to the same operator, but the medical departments of the universities of Giessen and Marburg are separate and have their own study regulations and admissions. You apply for one of the two locations, not for the joint hospital group.

Is Giessen a model programme or standard curriculum?

Standard curriculum with the classical division into pre-clinical and clinical phases. It is supplemented by simulation-based training in the Centre for Practical Medical Learning, a continuous communication strand and an early ultrasound education programme. New study regulations have been in force since the summer semester of 2026.

What is Giessen's research known for?

Above all for lung and infection research. Giessen is a partner site of the German Centre for Lung Research and the German Centre for Infection Research, and there is a strong cardiac and pulmonary medicine focus. If pneumology, intensive care medicine or infectious diseases interest you, that is a genuine argument for this location.

How do you get a study place in Giessen?

Via hochschulstart with the three national quotas; there is no direct application to the university. Giessen weights the Abitur grade and TMS in its selection procedure, with additional points for a relevant vocational qualification. Medschool Experts advises on NC-free pathways to medical study in Germany and abroad and does not handle applications to German state faculties.