List of Germany’s Top Medical Schools 2023

Survey of the best medical school hospital

I had previously written an article called Top 10 Universities to Study Medicine and Dentistry in Germany. The article attracted a lot of attention and I wanted to share the updated information. The list I made in the previous article is important to some extent as it reflects the perception of the faculties in the international community in general. However, I repeat what I always say, “It is meaningless to talk about bad universities or education in Germany”. Schools can of course be compared. However, the differences may not be due to the poor quality of education, but rather to the additional opportunities provided to students by the cities and the private sector that support the practical opportunities at school.

International university rating agencies focus more on the quality of the teaching staff than on the school, which is also important. However, in most programs, unless you are a PhD student at the university, you have very limited access to these legendary professors. This is why my school rankings have always focused on the real sector. I believe that surveys conducted with real sector representatives give more realistic results and I update the rankings as I receive such survey results.

Since education in medical faculties consists of a combination of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral education, these propositions gain more importance. Based on the fact that more than half of the education in medical faculties is done one-on-one with patients and expert faculty members in faculty clinics (practicum and doctorate), I think I can suggest that the schools that are ahead in the survey rankings are at a higher level thanks to better practice.

Forget all you know

The survey I would like to share with you today is a survey conducted by Statista for Newsweek magazine. In the survey, specialist physicians around the world were asked in 11 different medical specialties, “which clinic would you refer your patient to if you needed to refer your patient”, and they were asked to recommend the clinic that would provide the best results, new treatments and research for patients. In addition to all these, the criterion was that these clinics should maintain their success consistently for a long time.

The table at the end of this article shows the world rankings of universities and other clinics in Germany according to the opinions of professionals. I believe that these rankings are of interest to physicians who want to specialize in Germany as much as they provide insight into medical education.

Schools have different rankings in different fields and you can find these lists on the Newsweek magazine website. However, in order to give you an idea, I have calculated the average of these 11 specialization levels and created a ranking and I share it below. You will notice that the ranking is different from the ranking I shared before (See: Top 10 Universities to Study Medicine and Dentistry in Germany). Perhaps my previous ranking may reflect a subjective point of view. After all, I made a ranking there only according to my own experiences and my own feelings. You may think that there is a more objective approach in this ranking. The choice is yours.

The best medical schools in Germany from a doctor’s perspective

Charité ranked first

According to professionals, Charité is by far the best medical school in Germany. According to a survey, Charité is ranked among the top 10 clinics in the world in the fields of Cardiology, Neurology, Neurosurgery and Orthopedics. It is even in the top 4 in Neurosurgery and Orthopedics. You can find my article about Charité here. Honestly, I didn’t think it had such a different perception. Of course, I knew it was a good school and I shared it in 3rd place in my previous list. However, it surprised me.

When Charité is so popular, I can say that it adorns the dreams of almost every candidate. Whether it’s for medical education or specialization, you have to be the best to be accepted at Charité. Since they do not take the TestAS exam as an assessment, your NC score and past achievements are important for admission.

In second place, of course, is Heidelberg

It is only natural that Germany’s most renowned university should make this list. However, the school has two medical faculties and the one that made the list is “Heidelberg Medical School”. You can find my article about the school here. In the survey, the faculty hospital was ranked in the top 20 in the world in the fields of Oncology, Cardiology, Neurology and Neurosurgery. I was thinking that Heidelberg University should be at the top of the list as it is the first university that almost everyone thinks of when it comes to Germany, but it seems that this is not the case.

Despite all this, the school is very popular in Germany and internationally. Therefore, there is a lot of competition for admission. Since TestAS is also taken as a criterion, I can say that a high TestAS score is a must in addition to a high NC score. In addition, it is worth remembering that the state of Baden-Württemberg charges a fee of 1500 Euros per semester for foreign students.

LMU in third place

It would have been surprising if LMU was not on this list. But until I saw the results of this survey, I would have blindly argued that the other medical school in Munich, TUM, was better. It is important that professionals make the evaluation. I guess looking from the outside and being inside brings different mindsets and criteria.

According to these survey results, LMU is just ahead of MHH with a small ranking difference. The school is in the top 100 for Oncology, Cardiology, Neurology, Neurosurgery and Pediatrics. It is popular because of the city’s charm and the school’s recognition. In addition, the high quota of foreign students increases the number of applicants. A high NC score is essential to secure a place here.

Fourth place MHH

Hannover Medical University ranked fourth in the 2023 survey. Germany’s only medical university, with its medical focus and large clinic, is ranked in the top 50 in the world for Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology and Neurosurgery, and in the top 100 for Neurology and Pulmonology. To be honest, I was surprised that the school surpassed much older and more popular German university clinics. I can say that this performance of the school, where my son is also studying, supported us in making the right choice.

In order to enter the school, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, a high TestAS score is required in addition to a high NC score, although not as high as the schools above. You can find my article about the school here.

Tübingen comes in fifth place.

The University of Tübingen, one of the most well-known universities in Germany. When it comes to the medical school, I was not surprised. The school is ranked in the top 50 in the world in Endocronology and Neurology. You can find my article about the faculty here.

Sixth place surprise TUM

As I wrote above, if you had asked me, I would have thought that TUM should be in the top two. I think there must be a difference between reality and perception. Among professionals, TUM is ranked among the top two in Germany, especially in the field of Urology, but its poor performance in other branches drops it to sixth place on the list. When I say bad, don’t think that it is very bad. The school is in the top 100 in the world in Cardiology, Neurology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Orthopedics.

In addition to all this, the perception of the school is very high and it is very popular among prospective students. The school does not take TestAS as a criterion and focuses on the NC score. So a high NC score is a must for a place here.

Bonn in Seventh Place

The Bonn University Clinic is seventh in the ranking, but this is because it is ahead in some specialties but not in others. The faculty is in the top 50 in the world in Cardiac Surgery, Gastroentology, Neurology, Neurosurgery and Orthopedics, but not in other fields. As such, their average score is low.

However, the school is highly respected and is one of the most difficult schools to get admission. I can say that it is the most secretive among the schools I mentioned above. The school, which does not take TestAS into consideration, is very scrutinizing when evaluating candidates. Even just a high NC may not do the trick. In addition to academic achievements, the social side may gain importance.

And others…

The list is long, and it brings many surprises for me. In particular, it is a big surprise for me that the clinics of universities such as Hamburg, Münster, Freiburg, which I know and trust very well, have fallen behind in the ranking. Of course, I find the evaluations of the physicians realistic and I respect them. However, it is a fact that the perception of the schools by prospective students will bring the number of applications and competition in parallel. Take this into consideration in your applications. Here are the other faculties preferred by physicians:

8. Universitätsklinikum Köln

9. Universitätsmedizin Mainz

10. Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf

11. Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt

12. Universitätsklinikum Hamburg

13. Universitätsklinikum Freiburg

14. Universitätsklinikum Essen

15. Universitätsmedizin Göttingen

16. Universitätsklinikum Leipzig

17. Universitätsklinikum Erlangen

18. Universitätsklinikum Jena

19. Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes

20. Universitätsklinikum Münster

21. Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen

22. Universitätsklinikum Bochum

23. Universitätsklinikum Ulm

24. Universitätsklinikum Dresden

25. Universitätsklinikum Gießen und Marburg

26. Klinikum der Universität Augsburg

27. Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg

28. Universitätsklinikum Regensburg

29. Universitätsklinikum Würzburg

30. Klinikum Chemnitz

31. Universitätsklinikum  Kiel

32. Universitätsklinikum Lübeck

Survey Results table

Below you will see the survey results in a table. Those marked in yellow are university clinics. Others are private or foundation clinics.