Goethe University Frankfurt: Top international study programs (2026/2027)

Founded in 1914 as Germany's first "citizens' university" funded by private donations, Goethe University Frankfurt is a public research institution with 45,000 students distributed across four campuses in Frankfurt: Westend (humanities and social sciences), Riedberg (natural sciences), Niederrad (medicine), and the Bockenheim campus, which is being phased out. This comprehensive university offers programs across 16 faculties and has particular strengths in economics, finance, law, life sciences, and philosophy. It benefits from Frankfurt's status as Germany's financial capital and home to the European Central Bank, the German Stock Exchange, and major international banks. Since becoming an autonomous foundation university in 2008, Goethe has had greater flexibility in funding and governance while maintaining its status as a public university.