Giessen is a city of green landscapes, world-recognized universities and talents, great student life, and in addition – it is super close to Frankfurt.
Are you aware of the fact that Giessen has one of the highest concentrations of students in whole Germany? With a population of ~80 000 people – almost 50% are students! It means that almost every second person you meet on the street – came here for studies. Therefore, on the streets, you can hear not only German but tens of other languages because many internationals come here for language courses or bachelor/master degree.
The history of the town of Giessen is heavily influenced by science. This is where chemist Justus von Liebig invented a meat extract, a kind of seasoning used in soups. Justus von Liebig lent his name to the town’s university, one of the oldest, most venerable universities in Germany, and a museum in Giessen is dedicated to him, the Liebig-Museum. The town also boasts the world’s first ever mathematics museum, the mathematikum.
Read also: List of Germany Tuition Free Universities and Scholarships
HISTORY OF UNIVERSITY OF GIESSEN
The University of Giessen also known as the Justus Liebig University of Giessen is among the oldest institutions of higher educations in the German-speaking world. It was founded in 1607 as a Lutheran university in the city of Giessen in Hesse-Darmstadt because the all-Hessian Landesuniversität (the nearby University of Marburg (Philipps-Universität Marburg) in Marburg, Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)) had become Reformed (that is, Calvinist). Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, whence the university got its original name “Ludoviciana,” founded his own institution of higher education in Giessen, which as a Lutheran institution had the primary function of ensuring the education of pastors and civil servants. Endowed with a charter issued by Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, on 19 May 1607, the university was allowed to proceed with instruction in October 1607. During the Thirty Years’ War, when Hesse-Darmstadt was able to take the area around Marburg for itself, the university in Giessen ceased instruction and was moved back to its more long-standing location in Marburg (1624/25). The Peace of Westphalia led to the restoration of the old location and in 1650 to the relocation of the university to Giessen.
UNIVERSITY OF GIESSEN CONTRIBUTION TO NATURAL SCIENCE
The University of Giessen weathered the transition from the 18th to the 19th century unscathed and was still the only university of an enlarged territory, the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Alongside Jena, Giessen was the prototype for the politicized Vormärz university, and the “Giessener Schwarzen” with Karl Follen and Georg Büchner, marked the revolutionary spirit of this decade. With the appointment of the 21-year-old Justus von Liebig in 1824 through the Grand Duchy — against the will of the university on the recommendation of Alexander von Humboldt — a new era in the natural sciences began, not only in Giessen. Young, promising scientists created a new impulse in their respective areas of knowledge; among these scientists were the antiquarian Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker, the lawyer Rudolf von Jhering, the theologian Adolf von Harnack, and the physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen.
UNIVERSITY OF GIESSEN STUDENT POPULATION
In the 2014/2015 winter semester the student population exceeded the mark of more than a total of 28,000 students and 7,000 first-semester students for the first time.
Read also: Comprehensive List of Tuition Free Universities in Germany and Norway
WHAT IS THE STUDENT LIFE LIKE IN GIESSEN?
The student life at the University of Giessen is a very fun one. There are very many international students in Giessen. You can get to know other students on trips organised by the GSCS or International Office. The International pub is a good meeting place for students to interact and also a very helpful way of discovering the town!
The surrounding area boasts some impressive castles and palaces. If you fancy a trip back to the Middle Ages, visit Gleiberg-Castle, “Kloster Schiffenberg” or the medieval market in Staufenberg. Traditional festivals are regularly celebrated in the villages near Giessen. In Giessen itself, the Landmannstraßenfest and “Bruchstraßenfest” are very popular. These events give you some idea of what life was like a hundred years ago, and you can also go to concerts there with local bands.
The townscape is also influenced by the shopping streets Seltersweg and “Elefantenklo”. “Elefantenklo” is a footbridge over a crossroads that has three holes. The entire construction is disproportionately large in relation to the rest of the town. The “Drei Schwätzer” is another eye-catcher. Created in 1983, these bronze sculptures on Plockstrasse answer to the names of Mariechen, Waldemar and Justus.
During weekends and holidays, city hosts fairs, where students can eat tons of traditional street food and drinks. Students can get snacks in“Mama of Africa”,”Schwätzer & Söhne” or “Heisszeit”. Also, you can dance and chill at “Ulenspiegel” or “Monkeys” and sip craft beer at the local brewery “Gasthausbrauerei Alt Giessen“.
If you’re keen on keeping active and avoiding the sedentary life, the Campus Sports association (AHS) organizes a broad range of sporting activities every semester. There are also many regional sports associations with interesting programs that are pleased to welcome new members.
You will like it in the friendly university town of Giessen in the middle of Germany. Students here have at least one bike, and it won’t be long before you get to know fellow students. There are plenty of places where you’ll regularly run into each other during your free time and have a good time together.
UNIVERSITY OF GIESSEN CAMPUS
Hold on here,Although the university of Giessen has no defined campus, buildings and facilities are grouped together according to their subject areas and situated in various locations around Giessen. Philosophikum II, for example is an area on the outskirts of the city bordering the city forest. A number of faculty buildings and lecture theaters are located there, including Audimax, a building containing several lecture halls whose atrium is often the venue for concerts and disco nights, locally known as “Uni-Partys.”
The majority of students in Germany live in shared flats. These usually consist of two to six persons who share an apartment. Each flat-mate generally has his/her own room (which is usually unfurnished) and all flat-mates share a kitchen and bathroom. In this form of accommodation, the person you share with can be of the opposite sex. The rent ranges from 200 to 400 Euro/month depending on the size and location of flat.
Living alone in your own apartment is also an option. It is, however, rather difficult to find an affordable apartment in Giessen. The cost of renting such an apartment starts at about 350 Euro per month.
WHY UNIVERSITY OF GIESSEN?
University of Giessen is very well organised for international students. Professors are ready to help and very good at their subject. The university offers lots of subjects and free-time activities and it’s also a very nice buildings. Being a student at this University, you also have the right to apply to the nearby students dormitory, which is great for meeting new people (both international and local). Moreover, the city is lovely!!!
University of Giessen Tuition Fees
As a public university in Germany, University of Giessen does not charge tuition fees (except for the Master’s course in Global Change, taught in English)! You only pay a semester contribution covering the costs for the student body, student services, and the unlimited use of public transport in Giessen and large parts of Hessen (semester ticket).
Requirements for Admission into University of Giessen
These are the requires credentials before applying for admission to study at the noble University of Giessen.
You will need to submit the following documents when you want to apply:
- Notification of Admission
- Passport
- If you have already been a student at another German university: your academic transcript (‘Studienbuch’) with the official note of the time at which you left the last university at which you took courses
- College/University Entrance Certificate (original)
- Proof of health insurance coverage
- Proof that you have passed the DSH (German Language Examination for Foreign Student Applicants), if the Notification of Admission includes this stipulation
- Proof that you have paid the semester contribution, as stipulated in the Notification of Admission.
Courses available at University of Giessen
University of Giessen offers students various courses in the following Areas:
- Bachelor’s Degree Programmes
- Master’s Degree Programmes
- Teaching Degree Programmes
- State Examination Degree Programmes
- Doctoral Studies
Read also: What should I know about studying free in Germany?
Student living costs in Germany
Germany is a pretty accessible country where you will need around 800 EUR/month, including accommodation, which also is the largest expense you will have.
€165 (~US$180) for food
€52 (~US$56) for clothes
€82 (~US$90) for transport
€33 (~US$36) for telephone, internet and TV license
€30 (~US$33) for work/study materials
€68 (~US$73) for leisure activities
Living alone: 363 EUR/month
Living on-campus: 237 EUR/month
