University of Leipzig

On its ambitious path to becoming a European top-level university and internationally recognised seat of research and learning for young scholars, Leipzig University draws on an extensive range of subject areas. Crossing boundaries of traditional academic disciplines, international collaboration, networking with non-university research institutes and business are not just traditions of the University but are also the basis of its academic excellence.

The University consists of 14 faculties with more than 130 institutes and centres. Around 31,000 students and approximately 5,600 staff members research, teach and study at the university, while more than 8,000 people are employed at the University Hospital Leipzig. The university currently offers more than 150 degree programmes.

Leipzig’s research landscape is further strengthened by numerous non-university research institutions, including Max Planck, Fraunhofer, Helmholtz and Leibniz institutes, as well as close cooperation with other universities and research partners in the region.

As a university steeped in tradition, Leipzig University has always emerged stronger from periods of transition. The phase following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was marked by a comprehensive restructuring of the humanities and social sciences, while the life sciences and natural sciences adapted to new priorities in research and teaching. The fundamental reform of its structures and degree programmes also created opportunities to promote interdisciplinary collaboration from the outset and to benefit from emerging synergies. Today, Leipzig University continues to rank among the respected universities in Germany and remains one of the leading universities in eastern Germany. 

The city of Leipzig is a centuries-old trading, scholarly and cultural centre with a strong heritage of international relations, cosmopolitanism, tradition and tolerance. Leipzig and the University are characterised by a modern infrastructure, attractive surroundings and short distances throughout the city. The city continues to be regarded as one of Germany’s most liveable and culturally vibrant urban centres.