Justus Liebig University Giessen
Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
A tuition-free Hessian university, founded in 1607, whose human medicine, veterinary medicine, agriculture and nutrition sit side by side.
- Students
- 25,000
- International
- 15%
- of students
- Tuition
- Free
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1607
About JLU Giessen
Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) was founded in 1607, which makes it one of the oldest universities in the German-speaking world. It is named after the chemist Justus von Liebig, who taught there, and has about 25,000 students. JLU is organised into 11 faculties, from law and economics to medicine and veterinary medicine, plus graduate centres, interdisciplinary research centres and a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It offers more than 100 degree programmes.
What sets Giessen apart is its concentration of life sciences. Human medicine, veterinary medicine, and agricultural, environmental, nutritional and food sciences are all on one university's books, a combination the university calls unique in Germany. That makes JLU a centre for One Health research at the interface of health, environment and nutrition. JLU won three Clusters of Excellence in the 2025 round of the national Excellence Strategy, in perception, heart and lung research, and battery research. It also trains many teachers, lawyers, doctors and vets through state-examination programmes.
Undergraduate study is almost entirely in German, so most international students need a DSH or TestDaF-level certificate. From winter 2026/27, two English-taught bachelor's degrees, Environmental Sciences and Global Food Systems, widen the options. Like all Hessian public universities, JLU charges no tuition fees, only a semester contribution. It suits students who want a small, student-dominated city and a serious life-science or state-exam track at low cost.
Why students choose JLU Giessen
There are no tuition fees in Hesse: you pay only the €421.43 semester contribution, which includes a Germany-wide public transport ticket.
Human and veterinary medicine and agricultural, nutritional and environmental sciences all sit in one university, which makes Giessen a hub for One Health research.
Two new English-taught bachelor's degrees, Environmental Sciences and Global Food Systems, started in winter semester 2026/27.
JLU offers the widest range of teacher-training degrees in Hesse, covering all school types, and trains many future lawyers, doctors and vets through state-examination programmes.
Admissions
Winter semester 2027/28 entry
Selectivity
No overall admit rate is published. Many bachelor's programmes have no admission restriction; restricted (NC) programmes rank applicants by grade, and medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine are allocated nationally or, for most non-EU applicants, through a foreign-applicant quota.
Typical entry requirements
| Foreign school-leaving certificates | Must count as a university entrance qualification in Germany (check the anabin database); otherwise you first attend the Studienkolleg Mittelhessen. Applicants from China, Vietnam and India need an APS certificate. |
|---|---|
| German for German-taught degrees | To apply: DSH-1, TestDaF with at least 14 points, or a B2 certificate. To enrol: DSH-2, TestDaF with TDN 4 in all four parts, telc C1 Hochschule, Goethe C2 or DSD II. Medicine applicants via uni-assist must already hold the enrolment-level certificate by the application deadline. |
| English-taught bachelor's degrees | B.Sc. Environmental Sciences and B.Sc. Global Food Systems; English requirements are set on each programme page |
| English language | English-taught programmes set their own English requirements (see each programme page). German-taught programmes need DSH-2, TestDaF 4x4 or equivalent to enrol. |
Deadlines
- Restricted-admission bachelor's and state-exam programmes, winter semester (2026 dates, past) Non-binding Passed15 July 2026
Applications opened 1 June 2026. Business Administration and Economics also had a 15 July deadline for foreign qualifications.
- Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, winter semester (2026 dates, past) Non-binding Passed15 July 2026
For applicants who finished school after 15 January of that year; 31 May 2026 for earlier school leavers. Applications opened at the end of April.
- Open-admission bachelor's programmes, foreign qualifications (2026 dates, past) Non-binding Passed15 August 2026
Holders of a German entrance qualification had until 1 September 2026, extended to 20 September.
- English-taught B.Sc. Environmental Sciences and Global Food Systems, foreign qualifications (2026 dates, past) Non-binding Passed15 August 2026
Applications opened 1 May 2026; the original 15 June deadline was extended to 15 August.
The winter semester 2027/28 deadlines had not been published when this page was checked; the dates above are from the 2026 cycle and usually repeat (applications open around 1 June, with a standing 15 July deadline for restricted programmes). Summer semester 2027 deadlines are due to be published in autumn 2026. Apply to uni-assist early, because document checks can take several weeks.
How to apply
Most international applicants with foreign school certificates apply via uni-assist, which checks documents before passing them to JLU. EU/EEA citizens and holders of German qualifications applying for nationally restricted or DoSV programmes register on Hochschulstart. Holders of a German Abitur applying for open programmes use JLU's own GUDE portal. Medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine go through Hochschulstart, or through uni-assist for the foreign-applicant quota.
What admissions looks for
- A school-leaving certificate recognised as a German university entrance qualification, or a passed Studienkolleg exam.
- Proof of German at the level required to apply, and DSH-2, TestDaF 4x4 or equivalent to enrol in a German-taught programme.
- For restricted programmes, your grade average, which determines ranking. For the medicine foreign-applicant quota, extra documents can improve your ranking.
Tips for applying to JLU Giessen
- 1 Check anabin first: if your certificate does not give direct access, apply for the Studienkolleg Mittelhessen through uni-assist, whose deadlines are earlier.
- 2 If you still need DSH-2, JLU runs its own DSH exam, usually in March and September (fee 140 euros), guarantees results in time for enrolment and offers a free preparatory course just before each exam.
- 3 For the medicine foreign-applicant quota, submit the optional extra documents that can improve your ranking, and look at JLU's published NC values from previous semesters.
- 4 If your German isn't ready yet, consider the English-taught B.Sc. Environmental Sciences or Global Food Systems, or join JLU's German intensive courses, which accept applications at any time.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
JLU charges no tuition fees, only the semester contribution. Non-EU students must show proof of funding for a visa, usually a blocked account of €11,904 a year. JLU's International Office lists grants and other financial support, and German statutory student health insurance costs roughly €130–140 a month.
- €421.43, including a €226.80 Germany semester ticket, €118 for student services, €50 administrative fee, and theatre, cinema, pool and bike-rental flat rates
- Semester contribution, winter 2026/27
- €11,904 a year (€992 a month)
- Visa proof of funds (blocked account)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (winter and summer)
Veterinary Medicine (State Examination)
JLU has its own Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and puts it at the centre of its One Health research profile, alongside human medicine and food science.
Human Medicine (State Examination)
Clinical training at the Giessen site of the University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, with an optional Global Health track that includes a compulsory period abroad.
B.Sc. Global Food Systems (English-taught)
One of JLU's first two fully English-taught bachelor's degrees, launched in winter semester 2026/27 and built on its agricultural and nutritional sciences faculty.
B.Sc. Environmental Sciences (English-taught)
Also launched in winter 2026/27, with an earlier application window (from 1 May) for applicants with foreign qualifications.
Teacher education (Lehramt)
JLU offers the most comprehensive range of teaching degrees in Hesse, covering all school types.
Research
- Three Clusters of Excellence in the 2025 Excellence Strategy, in perception research, heart and lung research, and battery research.
- Eight DFG collaborative research centres (SFB and SFB/TRR), 15 priority programmes and 5 DFG graduate schools, according to JLU's facts and figures page.
- Physician Georg Haas performed the world's first human haemodialysis in Giessen in 1924, and Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was among the university's professors.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty 01 - Law
- Faculty 02 - Economics and Business Studies
- Faculty 03 - Social Sciences and Cultural Studies
- Faculty 04 - History and Cultural Studies
- Faculty 05 - Language, Literature, Culture
- Faculty 06 - Psychology and Sports Science
- Faculty 07 - Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Geography
- Faculty 08 - Biology and Chemistry
- Faculty 09 - Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Management
- Faculty 10 - Veterinary Medicine
- Faculty 11 - Medicine
Student life
Giessen is a university town in the literal sense: the university describes the city as having a particularly young population, and student life runs through its centre, from the main building to the historic botanical garden. The semester contribution comes with extras that make the town cheap to enjoy: a Germany-wide public transport ticket, plus flat rates for the municipal theatre, cinema, swimming pools and the bike-rental system. JLU also runs a university sports programme, a university orchestra and university collections, and about 3,800 international students keep the campus mixed.
- The semester fee includes a Germany-wide public transport ticket.
- Theatre, cinema, swimming pool and bike-rental flat rates are built into the semester contribution.
- Around 100 partnership agreements and 250 Erasmus+ partner universities for study abroad.
- JLU is a founding member of the EUPeace European University alliance.
Housing. The Studierendenwerk has about 3,500 places in 18 halls of residence and apartment buildings across Giessen, Fulda and Friedberg; degree students apply to it directly, and many others rent privately.
Location
Giessen is a mid-sized city on the River Lahn in central Hesse, in the Rhine-Main region's orbit north of Frankfurt. The university describes it as a city with a particularly young population, and student life shapes its cafés, bars and cultural scene. The semester ticket covers local and regional public transport across Germany, which makes weekend trips easy.
Nearest airport: Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
Notable alumni
- FS Frank-Walter SteinmeierPresident of Germany and former foreign minister; studied law at Giessen
- BZ Brigitte ZypriesFormer German Federal Minister of Justice and of Economic Affairs and Energy
- AK August KekuléOrganic chemist who proposed the ring structure of benzene
- GB Georg BüchnerDramatist and revolutionary, author of Woyzeck and Danton's Death
- CA Carl A. SchenckForester who founded the Biltmore Forest School, the first forestry school in the United States
- WS William SchlichForester who founded the University of Oxford's forestry programme
- GG Georg Gottfried GervinusLiterary and political historian
Frequently asked questions
Does the University of Giessen charge tuition fees?
No. There are no tuition fees in Hesse, for German or international students. You pay only the semester contribution, €421.43 in winter 2026/27, which includes a Germany-wide transport ticket.
Can I study a bachelor's in English at JLU Giessen?
Yes, but only two so far: B.Sc. Environmental Sciences and B.Sc. Global Food Systems, both starting in winter semester 2026/27. All other bachelor's degrees are taught in German.
What German level do I need for JLU Giessen?
To apply, DSH-1, TestDaF 14 points or a B2 certificate. To enrol, DSH-2, TestDaF with TDN 4 in all parts, telc C1 Hochschule or equivalent.
What is the application deadline at JLU Giessen?
For the 2026 winter semester it was 15 July for restricted programmes and 15 August for open programmes (foreign qualifications). The 2027 dates will be similar and are published on JLU's deadlines page, with applications opening around June.
How do international students apply to Giessen?
Most applicants with foreign school certificates apply via uni-assist. EU citizens applying for restricted programmes and anyone applying for medicine go through Hochschulstart.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
Explore nearby in the world top 100
Universities ranked close to JLU Giessen in the QS World University Rankings 2027.