On-campus program Human Medicine (Staatsexamen) – MHB

What will you study at MHB Medicine?

The Brandenburg Model Curriculum in Medicine (in German: Brandenburgischer Modellstudiengang Medizin, BMM) covers 360 ECTS in 12.5 semesters of standard study time, state-recognised since 2015. Unlike classical German medical curricula, the model curriculum eliminates the traditional separation between pre-clinical and clinical phases — theory and practice are integrated from the first semester onward. The standard pre-clinical exam (in German: Physikum) is replaced by a continuous M1-equivalent assessment.

First study phase: organ systems and early patient contact (semesters 1–5)

The first study phase organises modules around the organ systems of the human body, examining structure, function and pathology from both basic-science and clinical perspectives simultaneously. Practical days at general practitioners' offices in Brandenburg start in the second semester. The modules per semester:

• Semester 1: Introduction, Movement, Emergency Medicine I, Cardiovascular System
• Semester 2: Respiration, Practice Day, Blood, Nutrition / Digestion / Metabolism
• Semester 3: Nervous System, Inflammation and Immunity
• Semester 4: Electrolytes / Kidney, Practice Day, Skin, Experience and Behaviour
• Semester 5: Emergency Medicine II, Sensory Systems, Practice Day, Hormonal System / Reproductive Organs / Sexuality

The M1-equivalent — corresponding to the classical Physikum exam — is distributed across the first five semesters as a series of internal qualifying assessments. The first-attempt pass rate is 100 percent — every MHB student to date has passed the M1-equivalent without delay.

Second study phase: clinical depth and structured rotations (semesters 6–10)

The second study phase builds clinical knowledge through interdisciplinary modules, combined with structured clinical rotations in MHB's four university hospitals and the network of academic teaching hospitals:

• Semester 6: Healthcare Provision, Biometry, Scientific Internship
• Semester 7: Clinical Reasoning and Practice, Specialised Elective, Occupational Medicine
• Semester 8: Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Professional Practice Modules, Paediatrics, Anaesthesiology / Intensive Care / Emergency Medicine / Pain Therapy (in German: AINS)
• Semester 9: Psychiatry, Neurology, Professional Practice Modules in Psychiatry/Neurology, Scientific Research Work, Surgery
• Semester 10: Internal Medicine, Professional Practice Modules, Geriatrics

The second study phase concludes with the Second State Examination (M2). The first-attempt pass rate is 98 percent, and MHB students score on par with or above students from other German medical faculties in the central Institute for Medical and Pharmaceutical Examinations (in German: IMPP) evaluation.

Third study phase: practical year and M3 (semesters 11–12.5)

The third phase is the practical year (in German: Praktisches Jahr, PJ) with structured rotations in Surgery, Internal Medicine and an elective specialty at one of MHB's university hospitals or an academic teaching hospital. The programme concludes with the Third State Examination (M3). After successfully passing M3, you can apply for the medical licence (in German: Approbation) — and continue at MHB into a Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.) doctorate or even further into Habilitation, since MHB holds full doctoral and habilitation rights.

Longitudinal curriculum: TRIK and the Skills Lab

Running across all semesters: TRIK (in German: Teamarbeit, Reflexion, Interaktion, Kommunikation) — a longitudinal curriculum that trains medical communication skills using simulated patients. Difficult conversations like delivering bad news are rehearsed in a protected environment. The Skills Lab in Neuruppin, certified by the German Society for Medical Education, is the central training site for clinical-practical skills — from blood draws and ultrasound to emergency simulations on mannequins. Anatomy is taught using real human body donors.

Mandatory components beyond the curriculum

In addition to coursework, you complete a three-month nursing internship (in German: Krankenpflegedienst), a first-aid certification, and a four-month observership (in German: Famulatur) in a hospital or general practice setting. These components are required by Germany's medical licensure regulation and are coordinated through MHB.

How does the no-NC admission process work?

The selection process is three-stage and individual. There is no grade-based pre-selection — every applicant with a recognised secondary school qualification has the same opportunity. 84 places per semester are awarded, with admission cycles for both summer and winter terms.

Step 1: online application with complete documents

Through MHB's online application portal, you upload the following documents (each as PDF, max. 2 MB):

• Detailed motivation letter (max. two A4 pages, Times New Roman 12pt, single line spacing) — focus on the milestones and experiences that led you to apply specifically to MHB
• Detailed tabular CV without photo, with explicit mention of practical medical experience, special skills, activities and social engagement
• Higher education entrance qualification (in German: Hochschulzugangsberechtigung) — for foreign certificates, with prior recognition by the German credential evaluation office
• Additional certificates and references (optional): internship records, vocational training certificates, recommendation letters
• For international applicants: proof of German language skills at C1 level

Late submissions or incomplete applications are not accepted. The €200 application fee is paid through the online portal during submission.

Step 2: assessment and evaluation

MHB's reviewers check your documents for completeness and assess them substantively. You then receive an email confirming whether or not you are invited to a selection day.

Step 3: personal selection day in Neuruppin

At the selection day on the Neuruppin campus, you complete several stations and meet faculty members and currently enrolled students. The focus is on motivation, personality and attitude — no specific medical knowledge is tested. You also have the opportunity to ask your own questions about the programme and life in Brandenburg. The selection committee responds shortly afterwards by email.

Where will you study Medicine at MHB?

MHB has no central single campus. Instead, the programme is distributed across four interconnected locations in Brandenburg, each with its own focus:

Neuruppin — main seat and pre-clinical semesters

MHB's main campus is on the grounds of the Ruppin-Brandenburg University Hospital. The presidency, administration and dean's office are located here, alongside the central teaching infrastructure. The majority of first-phase semesters of Medicine and Bachelor Psychology are taught here, complemented by life in the small university town of Neuruppin with lake access, low housing costs and a roughly one-hour rail connection to Berlin.

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Brandenburg an der Havel — university hospital and senior semesters

In Brandenburg an der Havel, MHB operates the Brandenburg University Hospital (UKB) and a modern teaching campus at Nicolaiplatz. Senior Medicine semesters and the Dentistry programme are taught here. The Brandenburg interdisciplinary learning and training centre (in German: BLiTZ) provides simulations for emergency and examination scenarios. Teaching site and clinical workplace are immediately adjacent.

Bernau and Rüdersdorf — clinical sites

Bernau bei Berlin and Rüdersdorf complete the network with the Immanuel Klinikum Bernau and the Immanuel Klinik Rüdersdorf. These locations are particularly relevant for professional practice modules from the eighth semester onward and for the practical year. The Berlin connection allows students to maintain a Berlin-based residence while studying.

What does Medicine at MHB cost — and how can you finance it?

Tuition for the Brandenburg Model Curriculum in Medicine is €118,000 in total, distributed across ten semesters (the practical year in semesters 11 and 12 is free of tuition). Per semester, this works out to €11,800. Additional costs include the one-time €200 application fee and around €268.80 per semester for the Germany-wide student transit ticket and a social contribution.

MHB is a state-recognised university in municipal and non-profit ownership. It receives state funding for research expansion but not for its costly model-curriculum teaching, which it finances through tuition fees, contributions from its shareholders and from its university hospitals.

Clinic scholarship: the most important financing model

The most widely used financing path at MHB is the clinic scholarship (in German: Klinikstipendium): partner clinics in MHB's network grant loans of up to €80,000 that are fully forgiven if you commit to working as a physician at the clinic for several years after graduation. This effectively eliminates the largest portion of tuition costs while securing your first postgraduate position.

Reverse generation contract

Through CHANCEN eG (a German social-financing cooperative), you can enter a reverse generation contract (in German: Umgekehrter Generationenvertrag, UGV): during the programme you pay little or nothing. After graduation, you make income-dependent repayments over a defined period — you only pay if you earn enough to do so. The model shares your career-financing risk with the cooperative.

State programme for rural medical care in Brandenburg

If you commit to working at least five years in an underserved region of Brandenburg after specialty training, you can receive a stipend from the State of Brandenburg — €1,000 per month throughout your studies, up to a maximum of 75 months. This is a direct grant, not a loan.

Other scholarships and funding

• Deutschland-Stipendium — €300 per month, awarded independent of income
• MHB scholarships and topic-specific scholarships — for example for addiction or Parkinson's research
• National scholarship organisations (in German: Begabtenförderwerke) — all major German state and church-affiliated organisations accept applications from MHB students
• MHB social fund — grants or interest-free loans for students in financial hardship
• Education loans — KfW student loan, Sparkasse Ostprignitz-Ruppin (with MHB-specific terms), or commercial bank loans. MHB connects students with appropriate partners on request
• Tax deductibility — tuition fees can be claimed as work-related expenses or special expenses against taxable income, particularly relevant from your first year of medical employment

MHB's student advisory team helps actively with financing planning, typically combining several sources — for example BAföG, clinic scholarship and state programme. The explicit goal is that no qualified applicant is rejected because of finances.

Living in Neuruppin and the MHB locations: costs and life

The four MHB locations differ markedly from typical German university cities. Neuruppin and Brandenburg an der Havel are small to medium-sized towns; Bernau and Rüdersdorf are within the Berlin commuter belt. For international applicants, this is a different proposition than studying at a metropolitan university.

Cost of living range

• Accommodation: €300–€500 for a room in a shared flat (in German: Wohngemeinschaft, WG) in Neuruppin or Brandenburg an der Havel; €450–€700 for a small studio. Berlin-area locations (Bernau, Rüdersdorf) sit slightly higher
• Food and groceries: €250–€350 per month if you cook at home
• Public transport: covered by the Germany-wide semester ticket included in the semester fee
• Health insurance: mandatory; public student health insurance (in German: gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) costs around €130 per month for students under 30

Connectivity

Neuruppin is roughly one hour by regional rail from Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Brandenburg an der Havel is around 50 minutes from Berlin. Bernau and Rüdersdorf sit within Berlin's metropolitan rail network. Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) is reachable from all four locations within roughly 90 minutes. This makes commuting between studies and either Berlin life or international travel feasible.

English-friendly daily life

Neuruppin and Brandenburg an der Havel are smaller German towns where daily life happens primarily in German. Within the MHB community, English is widely spoken among younger faculty, international students, and at the university hospitals. Outside the campus context — in supermarkets, administrative offices, with patients, and in the smaller Brandenburg communities — fluent German is essential, which is why MHB requires C1-level proficiency at admission. Berlin itself is highly English-friendly and easily reachable on weekends.

Visa, residence permit and what to do before you arrive

For non-EU applicants, the path to studying at MHB looks as follows:

• Apply for a German student visa at the German embassy or consulate in your country of residence at least three months before the semester start. Required documents include the MHB admission letter, financial proof and health insurance.
• Financial proof — the blocked account (in German: Sperrkonto): currently around €11,904 per year as evidence that you can finance your stay. The amount is updated periodically by the German Federal Foreign Office.
• Health insurance: mandatory for visa issuance and enrolment. Public student health insurance is the default for students under 30.
• After arrival: register your address (in German: Anmeldung) at the local registry office within 14 days, and apply for a residence permit at the local foreigners' authority (in German: Ausländerbehörde) within 90 days.
• Key resources: the German Federal Foreign Office (auswaertiges-amt.de), the local foreigners' authority of your studying location, and the DAAD information portal for international students

EU and EEA applicants don't need a visa — registering with the local registry office within 14 days of arrival is sufficient.

Career options after MHB Medicine

After M3 and the German medical licence (in German: Approbation), you have access to all medical career paths — hospital practice, private practice, research or public health. MHB places particular emphasis on preparing students for clinical practice in Brandenburg and the wider German healthcare context, but does not exclude other paths.

• Specialty training in one of MHB's university hospitals or in the network of academic teaching hospitals — the typical next step for clinic-scholarship recipients
• Independent medical practice in Brandenburg — particularly with the state programme for rural medical care, which provides a structured incentive to set up in underserved regions
• Clinical career nationwide or internationally — the MHB degree is fully equivalent to a German state university medical degree
• Research career with a Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.) doctorate and Habilitation at MHB itself — the university holds full doctoral and habilitation rights and operates its own university hospital network
• Public health, health services research or telemedicine — MHB has its own research focus areas and a Centre for Health Services Research

Entry-level salaries for resident physicians in Germany are around €5,000 gross per month per the German physicians' collective agreement. After specialist board certification, salaries rise to €6,500–€8,000 per month; senior physicians (in German: Oberärzt:in) typically earn €8,500–€12,000 per month. Practising physicians in private practice earn substantially more, depending on specialty and practice size, with corresponding entrepreneurial responsibility.

Outstanding pass and graduation rates

An important quality indicator: at MHB, over 95 percent of students complete the Medicine programme within the standard study time. In the central IMPP Second State Examination, 98 percent pass on the first attempt. In the Charité-administered Progress Test Medicine — taken annually by around 10,000 students from 15 faculties — MHB students score consistently above average. The faculty-to-student ratio of 1 to 14 (German national average: 1 to 65) is one of the principal reasons.

If you plan to stay in Germany after graduation

Non-EU graduates of accredited German medical degrees can apply for an 18-month residence permit for job search after completing the programme. Once you secure a residency position, the Blue Card route opens (currently around €43,800 minimum gross salary for shortage occupations — physicians qualify under several shortage-occupation categories). The German healthcare system is actively recruiting international medical graduates, and the demand for physicians in Brandenburg specifically remains structurally high.

For whom is MHB Medicine the right choice — and for whom not?

MHB is a small, personally oriented private medical university with clear strengths and equally clear limits. Here's the line:

MHB Medicine is the right choice if you …

• … want to study Medicine independently of the German numerus clausus system, with admission based on motivation and personality
• … prefer the integrated model curriculum without pre-clinical/clinical separation, with patient contact from the first semester
• … value small group teaching with eight students in problem-based learning sessions and a 1-to-14 faculty-student ratio
• … have German at C1 level or higher — including German-speaking expatriate families, international school graduates with German-language education, and applicants who have invested seriously in German preparation
• … are open to practising in rural or smaller-town Brandenburg after graduation — MHB's regional mission rewards this commitment with strong financing options
• … are interested in a doctorate or habilitation alongside the medical licence — MHB holds full doctoral and habilitation rights and operates a university hospital network

The programme is less suitable if you …

• … cannot demonstrate German at C1 level (CEFR) — this is a non-negotiable threshold, not a flexibly assessed criterion. Other private medical schools in Germany offer English-taught programmes, and English-taught medical programmes in Hungary, Poland or the Czech Republic are alternative routes
• … cannot finance the €118,000 tuition through clinic scholarships, the reverse generation contract, the state rural-care programme or comparable mechanisms — German state universities remain the tuition-free standard path
• … seek a large-city university experience with a single central campus, urban student culture and dense extracurricular life — the four MHB locations are smaller and more clinically focused
• … prefer a classical curriculum with clear pre-clinical and clinical separation — the model curriculum runs on problem-based learning and integrated modules from day one
• … are aiming at a research-heavy international academic career with very high publication output and strong third-party funding — MHB is research-active but is not a flagship research university like Charité Berlin or LMU Munich

Frequently asked questions about MHB Medicine