The Heidelberg University Medical School  is the medical school of the University of Heidelberg. Established in 1763, it is Germany’s oldest university medical school and claims to be the oldest medical school in all of Europe.
Heidelberg University is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany’s oldest university and one of the world’s oldest surviving universities. It was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire.
University of Heidelberg Medical School – Overview
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (German: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; Latin: Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany’s oldest university and one of the world’s oldest surviving universities. It was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire.
Heidelberg has been a coeducational institution since 1899. The university consists of twelve faculties and offers degree programmes at undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels in some 100 disciplines.
The university is a member of the Coimbra Group, the Europaeum and the League of European Research Universities.
Its main campus is located on a forested hillside on the right bank of the Neckar river at the foot of Königstuhl mountain
The Heidelberg University School of Medicine has been consistently ranked as the top medical school in Germany. In the national 2020 CHE University Ranking, the department is rated in the top group in 23 out of 25 criteria and Collegelearners is here to keep you updated on Heidelberg University medical school ranking and so much more.
Heidelberg has been a coeducational institution since 1899. The university consists of twelve faculties and offers degree programmes at undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels in some 100 disciplines. Heidelberg comprises three major campuses: the humanities are predominantly located in Heidelberg’s Old Town, the natural sciences and medicine in the Neuenheimer Feld quarter, and the social sciences within the inner-city suburb Bergheim. The language of instruction is usually German, while a considerable number of graduate degrees are offered in English as well as some in French.
As of 2017, 29 Nobel Prize winners have been affiliated with the university. Modern scientific psychiatry, psychopharmacology, psychiatric genetics, environmental physics, and modern sociology were introduced as scientific disciplines by Heidelberg faculty. Approximately 1,000 doctorates are completed every year, with more than one third of the doctoral students coming from abroad. International students from some 130 countries account for more than 20 percent of the entire student body.
Heidelberg is a German Excellence University, part of the U15, as well as a founding member of the League of European Research Universities and the Coimbra Group. The university’s noted alumni include eleven domestic and foreign heads of state or heads of government. In international comparison Heidelberg University occupies top positions in rankings and enjoys a high academic reputation.
The Heidelberg University School of Medicine (also known as the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg, German: Medizinische Fakultät Heidelberg) is one of twelve schools at the Heidelberg University. It was one of the four original faculties of the university in 1386. It comprises today 22 institutes and maintains a close relationship to the University Hospital Heidelberg.
Its medical degree program comprising two years of basic science, followed by the first of the two steps of the German medical licensing examination, and four years of clinical studies, has undergone a fundamental reform in 2001: From 2001 on, all medical students at Heidelberg University, University Hospital Heidelberg (as opposed to the Heidelberg University Faculty of Medicine in Mannheim) pursue a reformed six-year-long course named “HeiCuMed” (“Heidelberger Curriculum Medicinale”). This degree course is an adapted version of the Harvard Medical School curriculum. Undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programs of Heidelberg University Medical School have played a fundamental role in Heidelberg being awarded “University of Excellence” status by the German Universities Excellence Initiative.
Heidelberg University Medical School Acceptance Rate
Heidelberg University admissions is selective with an acceptance rate of 81%.
School type: Mixed-sex education; Private university
Heidelberg Medicine Application Process
To be considered for admission, please submit the following:
- Online application online or through the CommonApp.
- Copy of your passport.
- Copy of your secondary school (high school) records.
- Proof of English language proficiency.
- ACT/SAT test scores (optional)
- Personal statement and recommendation letters (optional)
Course outline
The medical course lasts at least 6 years + 3 months and leads to the State Examination and the subsequent Licence to Practise Medicine (Approbation). It divides into a pre-clinical section of two years’ duration leading to the first leg of the Examination for Physicians (Ärztliche Prüfung) followed by the clinical section of a further three years’ duration leading to the second leg of the Examination for Physicians. There follows a Practical Year and the subsequent third leg of the Examination for Physicians.
The aims, content and structure of the course are set out in the Licensing Regulations for Physicians (Approbationsordnung für ÄrzteAdobe).
Either before embarking on the course or during periods when no teaching takes place, students undergo training in First Aid and a three-month Patient Care Training stint as part of the pre-clinical section of their studies. We recommend completing as much of the Patient Care Training programme as possible before starting on the course.
heidelberg university medicine entry requirements
Prerequisites and admission
Prerequisites for success in the medical course are above all sound scientific knowledge in biology, chemistry and physics plus an intuitive grasp of medical and scientific issues, organisational skill, the ability to apply oneself exclusively to the job in hand, engagement with quantitative and formal problems, a gift for observation, a good memory and communication skills. A good command of English is indispensable, knowledge of Latin is an asset. Medical students need to be able to withstand a high degree of pressure. The relevant statutory provisions mean that the course is highly regimented. In term time, students must expect to spend at least 25 to 30 hours a week attending compulsory classes. Examinations come thick and fast, standards are high and exam topics cover a lot of ground.
The “breaks” between terms characteristic of other university courses are either non-existent or have to be used to gain practical clinical experience (without remuneration). Heidelberg University has two Medical Faculties, i.e. two different study locations with different teaching strategies (the Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale, HeiCuMed for short and the Mannheim Reformed Curriculum in Medicine, MaReCuM for short). When applying, students need to decide which study location they prefer. The differences in the curricula make it very difficult to change from one to the other at a later date and will invariably have an impact on study duration.
Course structure
The Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (“HeiCuMed”
Over 60% of Heidelberg University’s medical students study at the Heidelberg location, one of the largest and oldest medical faculties in Europe.
In the first year of the pre-clinical section of the course, students learn human anatomy in preparatory courses involving human cadavers and ultrasonic investigation of healthy individuals. Sound knowledge and skills in scientific subjects are another major focus, as is the tried and tested Heidelberg Shadowing Programme (Hospitationsprogramm) providing initial experience with patients and conveying an impression of what the medical profession involves. In the second year students are taught the foundations of medicine. The approach is cross-disciplinary and thematic, with closer discussion of individual syndromes and initial experience with innovative approaches to teaching and examinations. The clinical subjects are taught in modules grouped into interdisciplinary complexes. Practical relevance and social and communicative skills are writ large. In so-called Skills Labs the budding physicians practise on models (or on one another), professional actors are brought in to play the role of patients in mock doctor-patient exchanges.
Case-based interactive learning programmes are very much a part of the HeiCuMed style of teaching. The electronic learning platform Moodle makes life easier for medical students in Heidelberg by affording access to multi-media learning material and computer-assisted examination and evaluation features. Heidelberg has various partnerships with universities abroad and supports students wishing to do part of their course in other countries and thus acquaint themselves with different health-care systems. Study sojourns abroad are facilitated by the European Union’s ERASMUS programme. Students can also apply to study abroad during their Practical Year. The prerequisites for admission to an exchange programme are language proficiency, above-average performance/grades and social skills.
Teaching takes place throughout the year (there are no “breaks” between semesters), so it is entirely feasible for students to spend eight months on their doctorate within the minimal study-duration period. In Heidelberg 90% of all medical students do a doctorate, most of them start on their dissertations while they are still studying. As a study location, Heidelberg is an integral part of an immensely rich science landscape, with research focuses on the neurosciences, cardiovascular illnesses, oncology, infectious diseases, transplant medicine and genetics/genomics.
Formal requirements
To apply for a place as a first-term medical student, the first institution to turn to is the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung, a central council regulating admissions to universities. In addition to the national application process via hochschulstart.de, you have to complete the online registration procedure for Heidelberg University. This step facilitates the verification of the selection criteria. Moreover, the Test for Medical Study Courses (TMS) is an important selection criterion for admission to medical degree programmes in Heidelberg.
Information on the higher-education selection procedure at Heidelberg University:
- Application procedure
- Ranking system
- Bonus points system
- Other procedures
- Test for Medical Study Courses (TMS)
- Admission Regulations
- Admission Regulations (Practical Year)
- If you require personal counselling on the higher-education selection procedure (application for medical courses) and the TMS, you can contact us by phone every Tuesday of the year from 2 – 4 pm: +49 (0)6221 566807.
During the TMS registration phase (1 December to 15 January) and the application stage for the course (1 June to 15 July) we are available by phone (same number) at other times as well. The recorded announcement on the phone will give you the relevant details.
On the websites of the University you will also find more information on the various university entrance qualifications.
Admission to higher semesters
To apply for admission to higher semesters, please contact Heidelberg University’s Central Administration offices: Direct application for admission to higher semesters or Change of study location via exchange.
The Central University Administration is also the right address for applications for an exchange of study places, matriculation, exmatriculation, re-registration, vacation semesters, study fees.
- Service phone: +49 (0)6221 545454
- e-mail portal: studium@uni-heidelberg.de
In the case of a move to Heidelberg from another university or an exchange of study places, you can obtain personal counselling about potential repercussions on the course of your studies from the academic advisors of the Study Dean’s office.
International applicants
There are special regulations for international applicants. Please consult Heidelberg University’s International Relations Office (Akademisches Auslandsamt, Seminarstraße 2) for more information. International applicants are invited to participate in a preparatory course taking place in the summer semester prior to the beginning of the course proper.
heidelberg university medicine ranking
The Heidelberg University School of Medicine has been consistently ranked as the top medical school in Germany. In the national 2020 CHE University Ranking, the department is rated in the top group in 23 out of 25 criteria.
Medicine at Heidelberg University is still in top position in Germany. It has retained its first place in a ranking list by subject groups now published as part of the Times Higher Education World University Ranking for 2019/2020. At the international level, Heidelberg University is placed 34th in the field of Clinical, Pre-clinical and Health. In a Germany-wide comparison, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München ranked second and third respectively, with 44th (Charité) and 48th (LMU) place internationally. Heidelberg’s Life Sciences and Physical Sciences also receive outstanding placings.
heidelberg university ranking
Heidelberg University is ranked #54 in Best Global Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank schools.
Heidelberg University Rankings
- #54inBest Global Universities
- #15inBest Global Universities in Europe
- #2inBest Global Universities in Germany
Heidelberg University Subject Rankings
- #112inArts and Humanities
- #28inBiology and Biochemistry
- #58inBiotechnology and Applied Microbiology
- #60inCardiac and Cardiovascular Systems (tie)
- #51inCell Biology (tie)
- #176inChemistry (tie)
- #31inClinical Medicine
- #259inComputer Science (tie)
- #86inEndocrinology and Metabolism
- #72inGastroenterology and Hepatology
- #184inGeosciences (tie)
- #61inImmunology (tie)
- #44inInfectious Diseases
- #357inMaterials Science (tie)
- #135inMicrobiology (tie)
- #31inMolecular Biology and Genetics
- #27inNeuroscience and Behavior
- #17inOncology
- #166inOptics
- #98inPharmacology and Toxicology
- #242inPhysical Chemistry (tie)
- #44inPhysics
- #182inPlant and Animal Science (tie)
- #72inPsychiatry/Psychology
- #38inPublic, Environmental and Occupational Health
- #7inRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging
- #117inSocial Sciences and Public Health (tie)
- #19inSpace Science
- #32inSurgery
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