Medicine, Dentistry, Biomedical Research, Clinical Medicine
The Medical University of Vienna was founded in 1365 as the medical faculty of the University of Vienna by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria. It became an independent institution on 1 January 2004. It is one of the oldest medical schools in the German-speaking world and today one of the largest medical research institutions in Europe.
About 8,000 students study at the university, and it has about 6,000 administrative staff. Its clinical teaching is built around the Vienna General Hospital, the AKH, which opened in 1784 and is described as the fifth largest hospital in Europe. The university supplies all of the medical staff of the hospital. Each year the hospital performs about 48,000 operations, treats about 100,000 inpatients and sees about 605,000 outpatients.
The university has 31 clinics and institutes and 12 medical-theoretical departments. These units combine patient care, teaching and research, so that students meet clinical practice early in their studies. The medical-theoretical departments cover the basic sciences of medicine, from anatomy to physiology and immunology.
Access to medicine and dentistry is competitive. In 2019, 8,217 applicants competed for 660 places in medicine and 80 places in dentistry, and admission is based on the MedAT test. In the Times Higher Education rankings of 2014 and 2015 it was listed among the top 15 medical schools in Europe and 49th worldwide in clinical, pre-clinical and health subjects.
Seven Nobel laureates are linked to the medical faculty and fifteen to the University of Vienna as a whole. The laureates in medicine include Robert Bárány in 1914, Julius Wagner-Jauregg in 1927, Karl Landsteiner in 1930 and Otto Loewi in 1936. Sigmund Freud, Viktor Frankl, Theodor Billroth, Gerard van Swieten and Leopold Auenbrugger are among the best-known physicians and scholars associated with it. Tuition for most students from the European Union is low. Check the current tariff. Teaching is mainly in German.
The medical faculty is among the oldest in the German-speaking world, and it stayed inside the University of Vienna until the reform of 2004 made it a university of its own. Because the university supplies the hospital with all of its medical staff, teaching, research and patient care work as a single system.
Domains taught:
Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Life Sciences, Microbiology and Genetics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Vienna General Hospital (AKH), which the university supplies with all of its medical staff.
Research:
Clinical and pre-clinical medicine with 31 clinics and institutes and 12 medical-theoretical departments.
Famous Alumnis:
Karl Landsteiner, Julius Wagner-Jauregg, Sigmund Freud, Theodor Billroth, Viktor Frankl
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
6000
Current students***:
8000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Oldest medical faculty in the German-speaking world, one of the largest medical centres in Europe, close link to the Vienna General Hospital.
Cons
Very competitive entry through the MedAT test, courses mostly in German, large student cohorts.
Best For
Aspiring physicians and dentists aiming at a leading European medical university linked to the Vienna General Hospital.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Another national school that puts bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences at the centre is Medical University of Graz, and it is smaller, enrolling about 5,110 students against roughly 8,000 here, and is also a public institution.
On content, Medical University of Innsbruck and this university are close, as both teach bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences; it is smaller, enrolling about 3,800 students against roughly 8,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Think of TU Wien when vienna, wien and european is the priority: it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
University of Innsbruck offers a comparable education in statistics and life sciences: it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
On content, Karolinska Institute in Sweden and this institution are close, as both teach bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers data analytics as well.
For a study option in China with a comparable spread of microbiology and genetics, bioengineering and life sciences, Fujian Medical University is the reference point: it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Abroad, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (the United States) covers bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering in a comparable way, and it also offers certificate programmes, and is smaller, enrolling about 4,200 students against roughly 8,000 here.
In the United States, Oregon Health & Science University teaches much the same core subjects, bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering, and it is smaller, enrolling about 4,123 students against roughly 8,000 here, and is also a public institution.
For bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering outside the home country, Hannover Medical School in Germany is a natural reference; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and is smaller, enrolling about 3,997 students against roughly 8,000 here.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the Medical University of Vienna?
In Vienna, Austria, close to the Vienna General Hospital.
When was it founded?
In 1365, as the medical faculty of the University of Vienna.
When did it become independent?
On 1 January 2004.
How many students does it have?
About 8,000.
What is the AKH?
The Vienna General Hospital, opened in 1784, which the university supplies with all of its medical staff.
How many operations are performed at the AKH each year?
About 48,000.
How are students admitted?
Through the MedAT test; in 2019, 8,217 applicants competed for 660 medicine places and 80 dentistry places.
How many clinics and institutes does it have?
31, plus 12 medical-theoretical departments.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to it?
Robert Bárány, Julius Wagner-Jauregg, Karl Landsteiner and Otto Loewi, among others.
What does it cost?
Tuition for most students from the European Union is low. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Biomedical Sensors, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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