Prerequisite for participation in the admission procedure:

• University entrance qualification (see university entrance qualification)
• Sufficient German language skills (see proof of language skills)
• Sufficient level of performance (see subject semester - classification in the model degree programme)

Prerequisite for admission:

• Free study place capacities in the desired semester (see below)
• Sufficiently good placement in the ranking list (see allocation procedure)

In degree programmes with restricted admission, places in the higher semesters can only be allocated within the scope of free capacities. This means that only if a study place becomes available can it be allocated to one of the applicants.

Whether study places have become available can be determined after the end of the respective re-registration period.

The semester to which you can apply depends on your current level of performance. Use the self-assessment checklist to determine which semester you can apply for.

Self-assessment checklist for summer semester 2026

Self-assessment checklist for winter semester 2025/2026

A change to our model degree programme generally requires that you have passed the first section of the medical examination or that the state examination office has recognised this.

The model degree programme in Human Medicine in Oldenburg differs considerably from the standard degree programme at other universities in many respects. From the first module onwards, teaching and examinations are integrated. This means that as early as the first semester, both pre-clinical and clinical courses are taught and examined. As a result, pre-clinical content is taught over the first three years of the degree programme and in Oldenburg, equivalence in the first section of the medical examination is only acquired after completion of the third year of study.

Students who apply for a higher semester in Oldenburg after passing the first section of the medical examination are generally placed in the 3rd semester (in the summer semester in the 2nd semester). In the 2nd year of study, university transfer students with the first section of the medical examination take 4 module examinations exclusively with clinical content (so-called "compensation examinations"): Module examinations reduced by the pre-clinical content). The clinical content of the first year of study is made up for in a further compensatory examination.

A passed first section of the medical examination is always recognised, i.e. it cannot/must not be taken again.

European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen

You upload your documents to our portal during the course of your application (each in a PDF file).

These documents must be uploaded by the end of the application deadline:

• University entrance qualification (HZB) - with the average grade as a decimal number
• Proof of your proposal to uni-assist e.V., if applicable
• If applicable, test report / certificate or proof of your application to uni-assist e.V.
• Proof of German language skills, if applicable, if you do not have a German HZB
• Proof(s) of the reasons for transfer, if applicable
• Proof(s) of hardship application, if applicable

It is not possible to submit these documents after the application deadline.

Proof of performance level and case group:

You can upload the following documents to our application portal. Submit your proposal in any case, even if documents are still missing. Without submission, your application cannot take part in the award procedure. If necessary, we will request missing documents at a later date.

If you are studying or have studied human medicine at a German university:

• Current and verifiable certificate from your university with detailed information about passed, failed and credited achievements as well as the number of failed attempts
• Certificate of passing the first section of the medical examination or letter of acceptance for the first section of the medical examination (M1)
• If applicable, certificate of passing the second section of the medical examination or letter of acceptance for the second section of the medical examination (M2)
• Current clearance certificate from your previous university
• Complete list of the universities at which you have studied so far (period, degree programme and subject)
• Enrolment certificate

Letters of motivation and recommendation, internships and professional experience are not taken into account.

If you are studying or have studied human medicine abroad or are planning a change of subject

• Letter(s) of recognition from the state examination office
• Complete list of the universities at which you have studied so far (period, degree programme and subject)

Transcripts of records from abroad cannot be considered.

Please check the email inbox for your application regularly, including your SPAM folder.

The time spent studying medicine abroad can be credited towards a degree programme in human medicine in Germany if it is equivalent. The same applies to lateral entrants from degree programmes related to medicine. Based on this credit transfer, it is possible to apply for a higher semester.

In order to receive a notice of credit transfer, please contact the state examination office responsible for you. The authority responsible depends on your place of birth.

• German applicants: LPA in the Federal State of birth
• International applicants: LPA Düsseldorf

Please allow up to three months for processing time.

Applicants who have already studied the desired degree programme in Germany do not need to submit a proposal for credit transfer to the LPA.

If you would like to study at a German university, you must prove that you are authorised to do so on the basis of your previous school education - i.e. that you have a higher education entrance qualification. As higher education law is a matter for the federal states, there are different requirements and regulations. For this reason, we will check your higher education entrance qualification when you change universities.

The average grade of your higher education entrance qualification is also a criterion for the selection of suitable applicants.

University entrance qualification

If you have obtained a foreign higher education entrance qualification, it must be checked whether it is equivalent to a German higher education entrance qualification. The University of Oldenburg does not check your certificates itself. You must contact the Arbeits- und Servicestelle für internationale Studienbewerbungen e.V. (uni-assist.de) independently.

At uni-assist you have these options:

Assessment of the higher education entrance qualification (HZB):

You apply to uni-assist for an "Assessment of your higher education entrance qualification (HZB)". To do this, register with uni-assist and open "My assist". Under University, select "Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg". Enter the word "HZB" as a search term and click on "search" at the bottom right. Upload the university admission document and proof of your German language skills to the application portal of the University of Oldenburg.

Application for a higher semester:

You apply to uni-assist for a study place in a higher semester at our university. We can view your application on uni-assist. An additional application via our application portal is always necessary!

Letter of recognition:

It may be possible to apply for a nationally valid letter of recognition for the purpose of university admission. You can find the responsible recognition office in the anabin database of the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). You can upload the letter of recognition and proof of your German language skills to the application portal of the University of Oldenburg.

Unfortunately, we cannot consider applications and pre-examination documentation for other universities.

Important:

In addition, an application via the application portal of the University of Oldenburg is always necessary! Proof of German language skills must be uploaded to our application portal.

German citizenship
Proof of German language skills is required from all applicants who have not obtained their higher education entrance qualification at a German school and in German. This also applies to German nationals.

Proof of German language skills is required from all applicants who have not obtained their study qualification in German at a German institution. This also applies to German nationals.

Please refer to the file Proof of language skills in Human Medicine to find out which certificates are accepted.

Proof of language skills in human medicine

It is not possible to submit documents after the application deadline.

The case groups according to § 6 NHZG are decisive for the selection within the framework of admission. Within each case group, the reasons for the choice of location, so-called reasons for transfer, are decisive. Equal-ranking applications are decided by lot according to the better average grade of the higher education entrance qualification.

The available study places are allocated in the following order:

Case groups

1. applicants for whom a rejection of admission for personal reasons would mean particular hardship (see hardship application)

2. applicants who are or were enrolled in the same degree programme at another German university, a university in another member state of the European Union or another state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area

3. applicants who are or were enrolled in the same degree programme at a foreign university with German citizenship or equal opportunities to German citizens under admission law

4. applicants who have been granted admission to the first semester of the same degree programme at the University of Oldenburg but can be placed in a higher semester

5. applicants who have other reasons
Examples:

• You are studying Biology and would like to switch to the Human Medicine degree programme.
• You are an international applicant and are studying human medicine at a university outside the EU

Reasons for transfer

1. work as a specialist in the medical field in Oldenburg
Proof:
Employment or training contract or employer's reference

2. main residence of the child in Oldenburg
Proof:

• Copy of the child's birth certificate
• Registration certificate from the residents' registration office

3. caring for relatives in Oldenburg
Evidence:

• Proof of appointment as carer
• Proof of the scope and time required for the care you provide

4. own health impairment (severe disability or chronic illness), which has generally been permanently treated by a doctor in Oldenburg for at least 18 months.
Evidence:

• Proof of your health impairment
• Statement from the treating doctor about the nature and duration of your treatment

5. family and/or residence in Lower Saxony or Bremen
Proof:

• Birth certificate, identity card or registration certificate from the residents' registration office

6. other reasons

• e.g. partial study place

Lottery procedure

It is not necessary to apply to take part in the lottery procedure - every valid application automatically takes part.

In a few exceptional cases, it is possible to claim exceptional hardship. Exceptional hardship exists if special personal reasons make an immediate change of study location absolutely necessary.

You can submit a hardship application via our application portal. You must provide sufficient and comprehensible evidence of your reasons. If you are offered a place on the programme, we will request certified copies of the evidence you have submitted.

Example: In the case of a serious illness, please submit a medical certificate from a specialist doctor which provides sufficient evidence of the reasons given. It should contain comprehensible statements about the origin, severity, course and treatment options of the impairment and a prognosis for its further course. A severe disability can supplement the specialist medical report and support the reasons for immediate admission. Proof of a severe disability alone is not sufficient for recognition as a case of hardship.

It is not possible to submit documents after the application deadline.

The average grade of the university entrance qualification counts when awarding study places.

Impairments that have made it more difficult to obtain a university entrance qualification can be taken into account as part of a proposal for Allowances for special needs. The aim is to improve the average grade.

However, only the performance in the qualification phase (upper school) and not the Abitur examination itself will be assessed.

Prerequisites

It is not sufficient to simply provide evidence of an unfavourable circumstance. It must be clearly demonstrated how this has had a concrete effect on academic performance and thus on the average grade.

Required evidence

Please submit the following documents:

• Certificates from the qualification phase (upper school)
• A report from the school management confirming the claimed effects

The report must be signed by the school management and bear the school's official seal. The school report must also be accompanied by all documents on which it is based (e.g. medical reports).

Please upload the above-mentioned documents together with your university entrance qualification to our application portal.

Note on enrolment

If you are granted admission, these documents must be submitted in officially certified form at the time of enrolment.

If the proposal is rejected

If the proposal for Allowances for special needs is rejected, your application will still take part in the allocation procedure as normal, provided there are no other reasons for exclusion.

Applications must be submitted online via the application portal of the University of Oldenburg. Documents submitted in paper form or by email will not be considered.

Please do not submit any additional documents unless you are expressly requested to do so.

A second degree applicant is someone who has already completed a degree in another degree programme at a German university. However, no distinction is made between first and second degree applicants when applying for a higher semester. The same selection criteria therefore apply to all applicants.

Completion of an undergraduate degree programme with a standard period of study of at least 6 semesters leads to the acquisition of a general higher education entrance qualification - even if the course was completed at a university of applied sciences. This includes all Bachelor's degree programmes as well as Diplom, Magister and state examination degree programmes.

You can decide which university entrance qualification you would like to use to take part in our selection procedure. If, for example, you would like to participate with the final grade of your Bachelor's degree programme rather than your Abitur grade, upload the final documents (certificate and transcript). In this case, the passing grade must be entered as a decimal number.

The completion of a consecutive degree programme (Master's, doctorate) cannot be entered.

A decision on the allocation of free study places can be made at the earliest at the times stated below:

• For the winter semester: mid to end of September
• For the summer semester: mid to end of March

The allocation procedure is cancelled four weeks after the start of the lecture period. The current semester dates can be found on the website for semester dates.

Rejection notices will be issued as soon as the available study places have been allocated and/or the allocation procedure has been cancelled.

Students from other German universities can complete an internship year at an Oldenburg university clinic or teaching hospital. This does not require enrolment at our university.

Practical year

Since the winter semester 2012/13, the University of Oldenburg has been running a model degree programme in human medicine. The model degree programme in Human Medicine in Oldenburg is designed in accordance with the Medical Licensing Regulations, but differs considerably from a standard degree programme in terms of content and chronological order.

Any free study places for higher semesters can only be allocated to applicants who are willing to switch to the model degree programme. A change usually leads to an extension of the degree programme by at least 1 to 2 semesters. Please refrain from applying if you do not wish to accept an extension of your study time.

European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen

As a student of human medicine, the same rules apply to you as to all employees in the healthcare sector. You must therefore be fully immunised against the following diseases:

• Mumps
• measles
• rubella
• influenza
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• varicella
• Pertussis

Please have your immunisation status checked and, if necessary, refreshed before the start of the study. Please bring your immunisation record with you to Oldenburg as proof. You will need this regularly during the course of your studies.

Please address any queries to:

School IV - School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Office of the Dean of Studies

+49 (0)441 798-2510

After you have been enrolled at the University of Oldenburg, coursework and examinations that you have completed at your previous university can be recognised. These will then be entered in your transcript of records.

Recognition → Special regulations in human medicine

Please note that recognition can only take place if you are enrolled at the University of Oldenburg.

Applicants who wish to transfer to us from another university do not require recognition! However, if you would like to transfer to us from a foreign university or a degree programme related to medicine, please refer to "Letter of recognition - studying abroad and degree programmes related to medicine".