studying medicine in english in germany
Why Study Medicine in Germany?
- Germany has a long and distinguished history in medical research. German universities have a reputation for high academic standards, cutting-edge research and providing students with individual support. Students are taught to think independently and as a result graduates are in high demand worldwide.
- Germany has a large number of universities with a medical faculty: more than 80 in total, including some with international campuses overseas. This means that there is plenty of choice for international students wishing to study medicine in Germany.
Admissions Process for Medicine in Germany
Universities in Germany are divided into two tiers: public and private. To gain entry to a university at the public level, you first apply through the Hochschulreife-Abitur program, which allows you to take university entrance exams (Abiturprüfung) in your home country. Once you pass these exams, you have six months to finish high school in Germany—which can be pretty expensive (nearly $4k for an entire four-year degree).
If you don’t meet these requirements, it’s time to start looking for alternatives. Many universities will accept students from medical schools abroad who have completed their undergraduate studies elsewhere and are on track to receive a medical degree from their home country. The process will vary depending on what sort of university you want to attend—for example, some may require no German language skills while others expect that they’ll be proficient after graduation—but it’s generally easier than applying through the Hochschulreife-Abitur program.
Entry Requirements for Studying Medicine in Germany
- A-levels
- International Baccalaureate (IB)
- GCSEs
- IELTS and TOEFL English language certificates (if you are a non-native speaker)
- German language skills.
Tuition Fees for Studying Medicine (Human Medicine) in Germany
Here are some key facts and figures to keep in mind as you’re weighing your options.
- International students (outside EU) will pay €1000-20,000 per year
- Students from the EU will pay between €0 and €5000 per year
- German students will pay between €0 and €5000 per year
A Breakdown of Tuition Fees for Studying Medicine (Human Medicine) in Germany
Tuition fees for studying medicine in Germany are charged per semester. Please note that the tuition fees vary considerably, depending on different criteria, such as the university, the state and the degree type – e.g. whether you take up a Bachelor’s programme or a Master’s programme. In general, you can expect to pay between 1,500 and 8,000 EUR per semester. Please note that in most countries (except for EU students), you might also have to pay an additional fee of approximately 150-300 EUR per semester in order to obtain a residence permit.
The first time at university is usually quite exciting – but it can also be rather complicated! On your first day at university or shortly before it starts, you will often have to pay several fees which are not directly related to studying – these include orientation week fees or student union fees and sometimes also general costs for living at university (e.g. administration costs).
General Application Tips for Studying Medicine at German Universities
- You are not required to know German. Although it is important to have a good level of English, you don’t actually need to know German or any other language in order for your application to be considered.
- You need strong grades. This may seem obvious, but we wanted to emphasize the fact that your grades are likely going to be significantly more important than whether you already speak the language or not. This is especially true if you decide to apply at medical schools which only offer their medical programs in the English language.
- There are only a few universities where you can study medicine in English. Even though there are many universities that offer their medicine program in German, there are very few which offer it in English. In fact, there were only four of these medical schools when we started our research and later decided on studying medicine at one of them: Charité University Medical School Berlin, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Heidelberg University and RWTH Aachen University
It is possible to study medicine in English in Germany.
Admission to study medicine in Germany can be tough even for German students, let alone international candidates. In Germany, there are a total of 14 federal states. All but one (Hamburg) have universities that offer medical studies in English. The cost of studying medicine at public universities is very modest compared to both the U.S and the UK, usually around 300 euros per semester. And if you’re not German, you don’t have to worry about passing a tough centralized entrance exam; admission is by application with high school transcripts and a language proficiency score as selection criteria. What could be simpler? Well…
As it turns out, everything!