Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg

Oldenburg is the only German location where medicine is organised across borders from the very start. The model curriculum of the European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen has been running jointly with the University of Groningen since 2012; parts of the programme take place in the Netherlands, and the curriculum is coordinated between both institutions. Since the winter semester of 2022/23, 120 students are admitted per cohort. A second distinctive feature is the hospital structure: Oldenburg has no university hospital of its own but trains students at four partner hospitals — Klinikum Oldenburg, Evangelisches Krankenhaus, Pius-Hospital, and Karl-Jaspers-Klinik.

This location suits you if you want to work internationally from an early stage without giving up the German Staatsexamen, and if healthcare services research in the rural north-west of Germany interests you. The distribution across several hospitals brings variety to clinical daily life but also requires more self-organisation than a single-campus university hospital. Those seeking an established faculty with a long tradition are better served elsewhere.

Study places are allocated nationally 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. Oldenburg combines the Abitur grade with subject-specific aptitude tests and takes into account a completed vocational qualification in a healthcare profession; the weightings are set by the university in its admissions regulations. A proportion of places is reserved for students from the Dutch side of the programme.

No tuition fees are charged. The only payment required is the semester contribution of the University of Oldenburg, which is set each semester.

European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen

Oldenburg does not train physicians alone but jointly with the University of Groningen. The European Medical School is Germany’s first cross-border medical education programme; the faculty currently offers 120 study places per year on the Oldenburg side. The core of the cooperation is a mandatory period of study in the Netherlands: unlike at every other German faculty, the international component here is not an optional add-on but part of the curriculum. Duration, timing, and language of instruction are determined by the faculty; clarify these details directly with them before applying.

Model Curriculum Instead of the Classical Division

The programme is structured as a model curriculum. Preclinical and clinical content are interleaved rather than taught strictly in sequence; work takes place in small groups with early patient contact and a high proportion of independent, case-based learning. In terms of examinations this means: the First Medical Licensing Examination (Erste Ärztliche Prüfung) is replaced by equivalent faculty examinations; the Second and Third Parts of the Medical Licensing Examination are taken in the regular way. Research is closely integrated; the faculty connects basic, clinical, and health services research.

Hospitals, Praktisches Jahr, and Degree

Oldenburg has no single university hospital; instead it has a distributed university medicine structure across several hospitals in the city, including the Klinikum Oldenburg, the Evangelisches Krankenhaus, and the Pius-Hospital. Clinical teaching and the Praktisches Jahr take place there. The programme concludes with the Staatsexamen and the Approbation through the responsible Landesbehörde, equivalent to any other German degree.

A Small Faculty in a Manageable City

Oldenburg is a medium-sized city in Lower Saxony; the university has around 16,000 students. Medicine, with its comparatively small cohorts, forms a world of its own: people know each other, lecturers know names, and the path to the faculty administration is short. Those who dread anonymity in mass lectures will find the opposite here.

Campus, Getting Around, and Accommodation

The university is split across the Haarentor and Wechloy sites; clinical training takes place at several hospitals across the city. The standard mode of transport is the bicycle: Oldenburg is flat, compact, and equipped with a dense cycle-path network, and long journeys to the clinic are the exception. Rents are considerably below Munich or Hamburg levels, though they have risen in recent years too; start looking for dormitory places or shared flats early.

Surroundings and Connections

Bremen is quickly reached by train, the North Sea coast is on the doorstep, and Groningen is in any case a regular destination through the cooperation. The leisure offering is more modest than in a major city, but daily life is quieter and more affordable.

What is the European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen?

It is the joint medical education programme of the University of Oldenburg and the University of Groningen, and Germany’s first cross-border medical training programme. Students on the Oldenburg side complete part of their studies in the Netherlands; conversely, Groningen students come to Oldenburg. The faculty currently offers 120 study places per year in Oldenburg.

Is the period in the Netherlands really compulsory?

Yes — the study period in Groningen is a mandatory component of the curriculum, not optional. This is precisely what distinguishes Oldenburg from every other German faculty, where international periods are voluntary. For details on duration, timing, and language of instruction, consult the faculty directly, as these details are updated regularly.

What does the model curriculum mean for my examinations?

In the model curriculum, preclinical and clinical content are interleaved. The classical First Medical Licensing Examination is replaced by equivalent faculty examinations. The Second and Third Parts of the Medical Licensing Examination are sat in the normal way; the final qualification is identical to that of a standard curriculum.

Where does clinical training take place?

Oldenburg has no single university hospital. University medicine is distributed across several hospitals in the city, including the Klinikum Oldenburg, the Evangelisches Krankenhaus, and the Pius-Hospital. Block placements, bedside teaching, and the Praktisches Jahr take place there, supplemented by further affiliated teaching hospitals in the region.

How does one obtain a study place?

Allocation follows the centralised hochschulstart process, as at all German public faculties, with the Abitur best-grade quota, the Additional Aptitude Quota, and the university’s own selection process. Competition is high given the small number of places; reliable cut-off values are only available after each allocation cycle. Medschool Experts does not place students at German public faculties but advises instead on Numerus clausus-free routes to medicine in Germany and abroad.