Human Medicine, State Examination
State medicine program (Staatsexamen) at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany — structured across pre-clinical foundations in anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology, followed by clinical training in major medical disciplines, and concluding with a practical year. A distinctive feature is the choice of thematic orientation from the sixth semester: students select between clinic-oriented, outpatient/primary care-oriented, or research-oriented tracks, shaping the latter portion of clinical training toward hospital medicine, general practice, or biomedical research respectively.
Programme facts
| Degree | State Examination |
|---|---|
| Duration | 12 semesters |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Required German | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.07 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €333.05 per semester |
| Practical semester | Yes, mandatory |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
The programme has an admission restriction: the average grade of your certificate, converted to the German scale, decides. The cut-off changes every year — last year's value shows the order of magnitude, not a promise.
- ✓Those with a sustained interest in human biology, pathophysiology, and the science underlying clinical medicine — not just a general desire to 'help people'
- ✓Applicants who find satisfaction in combining rigorous academic study with hands-on procedural and interpersonal work
- ✓Those who can commit to a long, structured, and highly demanding course of study with little room for elective detour in the early years
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- ✓Students who appreciate the opportunity to orient their clinical studies early — whether toward hospital medicine, outpatient care, or research — rather than following a fully uniform curriculum throughout
- ✓Those interested in primary care or rural healthcare, who may be drawn by the program's dedicated rural medicine admission pathway
- ✓Applicants who value the academic and research environment of a university with a strong medical faculty embedded in a compact, historically significant university city
- —Extremely competitive admission: with 286 places and national numerus clausus restrictions, only a small fraction of applicants gain a place in any given cycle. Strong Abitur grades and a high TMS score are both important.
- —Study intensity: medicine is among the most demanding programs in the German university system. The pre-clinical years require disciplined memorisation and conceptual mastery across multiple natural science disciplines simultaneously.
- —German language throughout: the program is conducted entirely in German. Clinical rotations, patient contact, and all examinations require a high level of German proficiency — there is no English-language pathway.
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- —Long time commitment: the standard study period exceeds six years. Factor in the subsequent specialist training (Facharztausbildung) of four to six years when planning a career timeline.
- —Rural medicine quota obligation: students admitted through the rural medicine quota commit to practising in an underserved rural area in Thuringia for a defined period after obtaining their specialist qualification — this is a binding contractual condition, not an optional preference.
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →About the programme
The medical program at Friedrich Schiller University Jena leads to the Staatsexamen — the German state licensing examination that qualifies graduates to apply for full medical registration (Approbation). The standard study period spans six years and three months, divided into a pre-clinical phase and a clinical phase, culminating in a practical year (Praktisches Jahr).
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Pre-Clinical Phase
The first two years lay the scientific and theoretical foundations of medicine. Students engage with anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, and medical psychology, developing an understanding of the healthy human body and its fundamental molecular and cellular processes. This phase concludes with the First State Examination (M1 / Physikum).
Clinical Phase
From the third year onward, students move into clinical subjects, applying foundational knowledge to disease, diagnosis, and therapy. Core disciplines include internal medicine, surgery, gynaecology, paediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, and pharmacology, among others.
A distinctive structural feature of the program at Jena is the choice of a thematic orientation ('Neigungslinie') from the sixth semester. Students select from three tracks: - Clinic-Oriented Medicine (KoM): deepening of hospital-based clinical disciplines - Outpatient-Oriented Medicine (AoM): focus on primary care, general practice, and ambulatory settings - Research-Oriented Medicine (FoM): integration of scientific methodology and biomedical research alongside clinical training
This early specialisation allows students to shape the character of their clinical training years before most German programs offer comparable differentiation.
Practical Year
The final year consists of the Praktisches Jahr (PJ), a mandatory clinical rotation across three tertiary blocks: internal medicine, surgery, and a freely chosen specialist discipline. Students work in clinical environments under supervision, consolidating practical skills.
The program concludes with the Second State Examination (M2), after which graduates may apply for Approbation — the formal licence to practise medicine in Germany and, with recognition procedures, across the EU.
What you study
Phase 1: Pre-Clinical Studies (Semesters 1–4)
- Basic biomedical sciences: Human anatomy (macroscopic, microscopic, topographic), biochemistry and molecular biology, physiology including neurophysiology and cardiovascular physiology
- Medical theory foundations: Medical psychology, medical sociology, history and ethics of medicine
- Introductory clinical contact: Early patient contact modules introduced in parallel with theoretical content to contextualise learning
- Practical courses: Dissection courses, biochemistry laboratory practicals, physiology experiments
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
Graduates who obtain Approbation typically proceed to specialist training (Facharztausbildung) lasting four to six years, choosing from a wide range of disciplines including internal medicine, surgery, general practice, psychiatry, paediatrics, and many others. Career paths lead to work in hospitals (both university hospitals and regional facilities), private or panel practices, public health authorities and regulatory bodies, and biomedical or pharmaceutical research. Graduates who followed the research-oriented track during their studies are well positioned to combine clinical work with academic careers at university hospitals or research institutions.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Thuringia), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €333.05 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | Admission requires a university entrance qualification (general Abitur, or a foreign qualification recognised as equivalent and valid for the chosen program). |
|---|---|
| Language | German C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.07 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2German up to C1 and a certificateDSH or TestDaF has to be passed before you apply.
- 3Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 4Application via uni-assist until 15.07uni-assist checks documents for 4–6 weeks — send them well before the deadline.
- 5Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
Video about the programme
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 15.07.2027 (274 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.