How to Study Medicine in Germany as an International Student
TL;DR
- German medical courses normally take six years and three months and finish with a state examination. You then apply for a licence to practise.
- Public medical courses are taught in German. Check the exact language certificate required; C1 is not a universal admission rule.
- Admission is competitive. Your application route and any aptitude test depend on your applicant category and university.
- Most public courses have no general tuition fee, but exceptions apply. Private routes charge tuition, and English lectures do not remove the need for German in German hospitals.
- Check your school qualification, language requirements and selection rules before applying.
How Medicine Works
Look for Humanmedizin, meaning human medicine. The standard German route ends with the Staatsexamen, or state examination. You can enter after an accepted school-leaving qualification; a separate pre-med degree is not normally required.
The conventional course takes six years and three months:
- Four pre-clinical semesters covering the foundations of medicine, followed by the first medical examination.
- Six clinical semesters, followed by the second medical examination.
- A 48-week practical year, followed by the final oral-practical examination.
Model courses can introduce patient contact earlier and replace the separate first examination with equivalent assessments. After successfully completing the course, you apply for Approbation, the German licence to practise. It is not issued simply because you passed your exams.
Hospital training
German state-examination courses also require first-aid training, a three-month nursing placement and four months of clinical placements called Famulatur. The practical year is divided into 16 weeks each in internal medicine, surgery and an elective clinical field. Students work under medical supervision. Check placement timing and recognition rules before arranging work abroad.
Public medical courses teach in German, as do German private state-examination courses such as those at Witten/Herdecke. UMCH offers English classes through a Romanian university campus, but specifies approximately B2 German for German hospital training from year three. Its qualification follows the Romanian route, not the German state examination.
Why Admission Is Competitive
Medicine has limited places and strong demand. The Numerus Clausus, often shortened to NC, refers to an admission restriction. A previous selection cut-off is a result of that intake's competition, not a permanent grade requirement for every applicant.
Some universities use a separate quota for international applicants who are not treated as equivalent to German applicants. Charité, for example, currently assigns 5% of places to its non-EU/EEA international quota and selects by converted average grade, with a lottery within equal grades.
Check the rules for your own applicant category. A cut-off from another quota or a different semester cannot tell you whether you will be admitted.
Admission Requirements
School Qualification
Your school certificate must give you access to human medicine in Germany. The university or uni-assist checks your documents using the applicable recognition rules. Start with our Anabin guide, then confirm the result with your target university.
Your qualification may allow:
- Direct entry: you can apply without preparatory study.
- Subject-restricted entry: you can apply only within specified subject areas.
- Entry after further preparation: this may involve Studienkolleg and its final assessment, depending on your educational background.
Twelve years of schooling does not automatically establish eligibility. Check the country-specific requirements and whether your qualification covers medicine. Eligibility to apply is also separate from winning a place.
Language Requirements
German-taught medicine requires advanced German. The exact certificate and scores depend on the university. Heidelberg, for example, lists DSH-3 for medicine, while Witten/Herdecke specifies C1 for the relevant international applicants.
Check which examinations are accepted, the minimum result and when proof is due. A certificate accepted for another subject may not meet the medical faculty's rules. Our guide to proving your German proficiency explains the common certificates.
English lectures do not make German hospital placements English-only. You need to understand patients and communicate with the team. For an English-taught route, ask for the clinical-language milestone and what happens if you miss it.
TestAS
The Test for Academic Studies, or TestAS, measures general and subject-specific aptitude. Whether it helps your medical application depends on the university's admission rules.
Charité does not consider TestAS in its non-EU/EEA international quota. Hannover Medical School requires it in its published uni-assist route, specifying the mathematics, computer science and natural sciences module in German.
TestAS is offered in German and English, but your university may require a particular language, format and module. The certificate itself has no expiry date. Check the university's acceptance rules before relying on an older result.
Check each shortlisted university before paying for a test. Prepare for the version it actually uses. A strong score cannot improve your application where the test is not considered.
TMS and Other Tests
The Test für Medizinische Studiengänge, or TMS, is an aptitude test used in parts of the central medical admissions process. It is different from TestAS. Neither is a universal requirement for every applicant.
A non-EU passport does not automatically exclude you from the TMS route. Applicants with a German university entrance qualification and some other legally equivalent applicants can be eligible. For non-EU applicants with foreign qualifications in the separate international quota, the TMS organisers say the result is not used.
Ask the university which applicant category applies to you and which tests count for your intake. Test arrangements can change; nationality alone is not enough to choose the right test.
How to Apply
Central Admissions
For public medical courses, German applicants and those legally treated as equivalent normally apply through Hochschulstart. This includes citizens of the European Union and European Economic Area, applicants with a German university entrance qualification and certain other qualifying groups.
After advance quotas, the central process distributes places through the Abitur-best quota, additional suitability quota and university selection procedure. Read the current criteria for your target faculties; school grades and aptitude tests have different roles in each route.
International and Private Routes
Applicants outside the equivalent groups generally apply directly to the university or through uni-assist for public medicine. Follow the medical faculty's own instructions. Our uni-assist guide explains how document evaluation works.
Private providers run their own selection processes. “NC-free” means they use a different approach to selection; it does not guarantee a place. German private schools and foreign-university campuses also have different qualification routes. See public and private universities for the wider distinction.
Build a shortlist around verified eligibility, selection rules and cost. Apply broadly where you qualify, but do not assume a smaller location means easier admission. Use our university application guide to organise your documents.
Plan the Cost
Public medicine is often free of general tuition fees, but exceptions apply. Heidelberg generally charges €1,500 per semester to the relevant non-EU/EEA students with foreign entrance qualifications, subject to exemptions. Semester contributions and living expenses are separate.
Private routes charge tuition. Ask for the complete fee schedule and any financing obligations before signing. Plan your living costs, then check student visa requirements if you need a visa.
After Graduation
After the German state examination, apply for Approbation before working as a licensed doctor. Specialist training follows as a separate supervised pathway; graduating does not guarantee a job or a place in your preferred specialty.
With a foreign medical qualification, check the relevant German authority's recognition procedure. Qualifying European medical degrees can benefit from automatic professional recognition, but you still need to apply and meet the other licensing requirements. General German at B2 and medical-language skills at C1 are commonly required in that route.
Browse medical courses on kursa and shortlist options that fit your qualifications, German-language plan and budget.
Browse medical courses on kursaFAQ
Can I study medicine in English in Germany?
Public medical courses teach in German. UMCH offers English classes through a Romanian university campus, but German hospital training requires approximately B2 German from year three. Check the awarding qualification and licensing route before enrolling.
Do I need Studienkolleg?
It depends on your school qualification and any previous university study. Ask your target university whether you qualify for direct entry to medicine or need preparation and the final assessment. Our Studienkolleg guide explains the usual pathway.
Is the TMS the same as TestAS?
No. They are different aptitude tests with different roles in admissions. Your university and applicant category determine whether either result counts. Do not choose a test based only on your passport.
Can I use Hochschulstart as a non-EU applicant?
Possibly. Applicants with a German university entrance qualification and some other qualifying groups are treated as equivalent to German applicants. Otherwise, the public medical faculty normally directs you to its own process or uni-assist. Confirm your category before applying.
What grades do I need?
There is no single Germany-wide grade threshold for every applicant. Your grades are assessed under the relevant admission rules. Previous cut-offs can help you judge competitiveness, but a test score only helps where the university considers it.
Can I transfer from a medical school abroad?
It may be possible to apply for a higher semester after the responsible state examination office recognises your previous studies. Universities also need available places. Hannover Medical School publishes this route and explicitly warns that credit recognition does not guarantee admission.
Can I get into medicine with average grades?
Public medical places are competitive, especially where selection depends on grades alone. Some private providers assess motivation, tests and experience through their own selection process. Check eligibility and the full cost first. Neither an aptitude test nor private tuition guarantees admission.
