The Giessen city centre from above with green trees

Studying in Gießen

Gießen offers you 14 degree programmes in English at 4 higher education institutions.

Giessen is a young town: there is no other town in Germany with a higher proportion of students in the total population. At the same time, the city’s size is manageable and you will meet fellow students everywhere and go to cafés or theatres. And if you need a break: visit nearby Frankfurt or take a trip to the picturesque castles or natural parks around Giessen.

Giessen may not be the prettiest city (it was largely destroyed during World War II and the rapidly reconstructed buildings certainly won't win any prizes for charm, beauty or even visionary architecture), but students quickly feel at home here. This may be due to the fact that Giessen is the youngest city in Hesse: around 36,000 students decisively shape the life of the city. Cafés, pubs, bars – there is something for every preference and there are often special student prices. The area around Ludwigstraße is a great place for pub-hopping. If the party scene is too small for you, Frankfurt am Main is not far away. You're sure to find a larger selection of clubs there.

But don't worry: you don't have to leave the city to go shopping. Quite the opposite. Giessen attracts many shoppers from the surrounding area and, with Seltersweg, has a busy shopping street right in the city centre, especially on weekends.

Life in Gießen

94,000 residents

High-speed train connections
In close vicinity
International airport
Frankfurt airport in 61 km distance
Coast
North Sea in 300 km distance
Mountain range
Gladenbach Uplands in 7 km distance
Other countries
Belgium in 170 km distance
Attractions within 100 km
- Marburg in 25 km distance
- Mathematikum mathematical science centre in close vicinity

Study in Gießen

4 higher education institutions in Gießen

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Subject groups of degree programmes in Gießen

There is a wide range of degree programmes in Gießen. Here you can see the main subject groups. Currently, degree programmes in Gießen are mainly offered in the subject group Teaching Degrees, followed by Language and Cultural Studies and Mathematics, Natural Sciences. Find out more information here about the subject groups and degree programmes offered in Germany.

11
Agricultural and Forest Sciences
34
Humanities and Social Sciences
48
Mathematics, Natural Sciences
14
Art, Music, Design
56
Language and Cultural Studies
10
Medicine, Health Sciences
22
Economic Sciences, Law
32
Engineering Sciences
72
Teaching Degrees

Stage and crowd at the "Stadt ohne Meer" festival

At the numerous events and festivals, you will certainly get to dance a lot!

The city’s theatre is widely known and students can get free tickets.

Giessen is conveniently located in the centre of Germany in the direct vicinity of the business powerhouse of the Rhine-Main region. The local economy benefits from the higher education institutions and the transfer of knowledge. Key industries in the city are life sciences, metal and electrical engineering, B2B services and the cultural industry. If you would like to dip your toes in a possible future career, you can find exciting internships or thesis partners.

But of course, Giessen is not just about studying, it also offers you plenty of opportunities to really switch off. You can go for a walk or a run along the Schwanenteich and look out over the water. If you want to get right out on the water, go to the Lahn River and rent a canoe or try stand-up paddling. In summer, it's worth having a picnic or barbecue on the Lahn meadows or the Wieseckaue park. If you like it quieter, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere in the Botanical Garden.

The high student ratio in Giessen is great because you will always run into your friends by chance – but it also leads to a somewhat tense housing situation. Although rents tend to be only average, you should expect it to take a little time to find housing. Whether you live in a hall of residence or in a shared flat, you will quickly make friends in both options.

Giessen is not only a small city, but it’s also largely flat. So if you get a bike, nothing is far away and everything is within easy reach. Whether it's visiting your friends or whether you want to take a trip to one of the many lakes in the area. By the way, a nice destination for a bike trip is the castle on the Gleiberg (but there's also a bus). From the top you have a great view over the entire Giessen basin, the Lahn river flows below, Dünsberg mountain can be seen in the distance and there are orchards and meadows all around.

You can find more information at study-in-germany.de

For more information on living and studying in Gießen, visit the city portraits at study-in-germany.de

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