Since 1402 is the line the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg uses on its own homepage, next to the words Truth, Knowledge, Change. The university stands in the Bavarian city of Würzburg, and an encyclopaedic account records that it was re-established in 1582 after an earlier period of existence.
The Würzburg faculties reflect a broad profile: Medicine, Law, Catholic Theology, Human Sciences, Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics and Computer Science, Business Management and Economics, and a faculty of arts, ten in total according to the university. Teaching and research take place on five campuses, named Sanderring, Röntgenring, Hubland Nord, Hubland Süd and Campus Medizin.
In the winter semester 2025/26 the university enrolled about 25,000 students, of whom 3,078 were international, and it had around 5,000 employees in 2025. Fifteen Nobel laureates are associated with Würzburg. The best known is Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered X-rays here in 1895 and received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Fluid Dynamics, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of German U15, Coimbra Group. Numerous Nobel laureates.
Research:
Materials science and nanotechnology, Molecular biology and infection research, Space science and astrophysics, AI and data science, Quantum physics.
Famous Alumnis:
Wilhelm Röntgen (Nobel laureate), 13 other Nobel laureates associated.
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
5000
Current students***:
27000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Historic university with a strong research tradition (Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays here), excellence in specific science fields.
Cons
Engineering faculties are less extensive.
Best For
Historic research university renowned for physics, chemistry, and life sciences.
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is a public university with physics and astronomy, chemistry and geosciences, and molecular life sciences, closely matching Würzburg's natural science core.
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen combines neuroscience and cognitive science with machine learning and life and earth sciences, a public research university of long standing.
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, another Bavarian public university, is strong in physics, chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences, resembling Würzburg's chemistry and pharmacy side.
Philipps-Universität Marburg pairs chemistry and materials science with physics and nanoscience, a mid-sized public university comparable in its science orientation.
University of Regensburg is a Bavarian public university whose listed fields include Catholic theology, law, business and medicine, much like Würzburg's faculty mix.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Universiteit Leiden in the Netherlands is a public university with life sciences and natural sciences, a historic research university like Würzburg.
Universität Basel (Switzerland) is a public university teaching life sciences, nanoscience, physics and chemistry, close to Würzburg's science emphasis.
Uppsala University in Sweden is a public university listing life sciences, law and humanities, an old institution with a similar span.
University of Innsbruck (Austria) lists physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology among its fields, a public university in a smaller city like Würzburg.
Jagiellonian University in Poland is a public university with physics and astronomy and chemistry, a long-established institution with a comparable science core.
*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
When was the University of Würzburg founded?
The university counts its history from 1402 and presents itself with the line Since 1402. It was re-established in 1582, which is the date some encyclopaedias give as its founding.
Which discovery is linked to Würzburg?
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays at the university in 1895 and received the 1901 Nobel Prize in Physics. The Nobel Prize organisation also states that his awarded research was carried out in Würzburg.
How many students does Würzburg have?
In the winter semester 2025/26 there were about 25,000 students, among them 3,078 international students. The official facts-and-figures page gives the current numbers each semester.
What faculties are there?
There are ten: Biology; Chemistry and Pharmacy; Human Sciences; Catholic Theology; Mathematics and Computer Science; Medicine; the arts faculty; Physics and Astronomy; Law; and Business Management and Economics. Applicants choose a programme within one of them.
Where does teaching take place?
The university lists five campuses: Sanderring, Röntgenring, Hubland Nord, Hubland Süd and Campus Medizin. Visitors should check which campus hosts their department before arriving.
How many Nobel laureates are connected with Würzburg?
Fifteen laureates are listed by the university as associated with it. Röntgen, honoured in 1901, is the most widely known of them.
Where are admission rules and fees published?
Programme-specific entry requirements, deadlines and any fees are published on the official study pages at uni-wuerzburg.de. Check the language of instruction for each course there before applying.
*: 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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