Medical studies

Studying medicine in Germany - Where can you study in the summer and winter semesters?

MUDr Andreas Zehetner

MUDr Andreas Zehetner

CO-Founder of futuredoctor

Reading time: 4 Minuten
Last updated: 11 April 2024
Studying medicine in Germany

☝️ The most important facts in brief

  • Medical and dental studies in Germany start in the winter and summer semesters.
  • Number of applicants: Winter semester 38,541 to 10,056 places, summer semester 15,522 to 1,863 places.
  • Application deadlines: Winter semester at the end of April, summer semester in October.
  • Fewer universities offer degree programmes in the summer semester (9 for medicine, 14 for dentistry).
  • There are more study places and universities for the winter semester (medicine: 32 universities, dentistry: 27 universities).

📖 Table of contents

You can start studying medicine and dentistry in Germany twice a year - both in the winter and summer semesters. The regular start of studies at all universities is in the winter semester, a few months after receiving the Abitur certificate. Lectures for the winter semester usually start at the beginning of October. Medical studies in the summer semester are offered at significantly fewer universities with a smaller number of study places. Lectures for the summer semester begin in April.

In this article you will find an overview of all universities that offer medicine or dentistry courses in the winter or summer semester, as well as other helpful information.

Number of applicants in the summer and winter semesters

The number of applicants and the number of study places for human medicine differ greatly between the summer and winter semesters. In the winter semester 2021, there were a total of 38,541 applications for 10,056 study places. In the summer semester 2021, on the other hand, there were 15,522 applications for 1,863 study places.

Application deadlines for the summer and winter semesters

You can find the latest information on the application deadlines on the website of University Start.

The application phase for the winter semester usually starts at the end of April (for the winter semester 23/24, the application phase ran from 24 April to 15 June 2023). The first letters of admission were made available from 31 July 2023.

The application process for dentistry and human medicine for the summer semester via Hochschulstart usually begins in October and ends in mid-January. For the 2024 summer semester, the application process started on 26 October 2023 and ended on 15 January this year. The first offers of admission could be expected from 26 January. The coordinated move-up ended on 31 March.

Where can you study medicine in Germany in the summer semester?

The medical degree programme for the summer semester is offered at nine public universities in Germany. Below you will find an overview of the universities and the number of places.

UniversityNumber of study places Medicine in the SS
Charité Berlin325
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg175
Georg-August Göttingen147
University of Cologne189
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz215
Westphalian-Wilhelms University of Münster141
Eberhard-Karls University of Tübingen163
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg157

Where can you study medicine in Germany in the winter semester?

Medical studies in the winter semester are offered at significantly more universities:

UniversityNumber of study places Medicine WS
RWTH Aachen227
University of Bochum342
University of Bonn301
University of Bonn-Siegen25
TU Dresden225
University of Duisburg-Essen225
University of Düsseldorf410
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg176
University of Frankfurt393
University of Freiburg381
University of Giessen175
University of Göttingen147
University of Greifswald196
University of Halle-Wittenberg233
University of Hanover270
Heidelberg University320
University of Heidelberg-Mannheim240
University of Jena260
Kiel University200
University of Cologne189
University of Leipzig320
University of Lübeck190
University of Magdeburg192
University of Mainz216
University of Marburg268
University of Munich841
University of Münster140
University of Oldenburg40
University of Regensburg224
University of Rostock215
Saarland University278
University of Tübingen164
University of Ulm325
University of Würzburg158

Where can I study dentistry in the summer semester?

The dentistry degree programme for the summer semester is offered at 14 public universities in Germany. A total of 613 places are available:

UniversityNumber of study places in Dentistry SS
Fribourg42
Charité Berlin48
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg56
Georg-August Göttingen40
University of Cologne35
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz48
Marburg37
Munich66
Westphalian-Wilhelms University of Münster55
Regensburg44
Eberhard-Karls University of Tübingen30
Ulm26
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg52

Where can I study dentistry in the winter semester?

German universities also have a larger number of places available for the winter semester in dentistry:

UniversityNumber of study places in Dentistry WS
RWTH Aachen63
Charité Berlin47
University of Bonn77
TU Dresden56
University of Düsseldorf52
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg57
University of Frankfurt113
University of Freiburg43
University of Giessen34
University of Göttingen41
University of Greifswald45
University of Halle-Wittenberg40
University of Hamburg62
University of Hanover79
Heidelberg University81
University of Jena57
Kiel University66
University of Cologne35
University of Leipzig320
University of Mainz45
University of Marburg36
University of Munich66
University of Münster54
University of Regensburg45
University of Rostock38
Saarland University27
University of Tübingen31
University of Ulm25
University of Würzburg52