Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main

Goethe University was founded in 1914 as a unique “citizens’ university,” financed by wealthy citizens in Frankfurt, Germany. Today the university has over 48,000 students. Goethe University Frankfurt, positioned among the top international research universities, offers a wide variety of academic programmes, a diverse group of research institutes, and a focus on interdisciplinary approaches to solving complex problems. The university is named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Frankfurt-born polymath renowned for his exceptional contributions to literature, science, and philosophy.

Founded in 1914 with private funding and inspired by the legacy of the European Enlightenment, Goethe University stands out as a pioneering “citizens’ university”—and the history of the university is one of openness and public participation. Today, Goethe University is one of the only universities in Germany that enjoys significant public funding alongside administrative autonomy and the ability to create a private endowment. As a university with an endowment, a funding model rare in Germany’s system of higher education, Goethe University enjoys considerable freedom from state control when it comes to the details of how a modern university should be run, including the appointing of professors. Students at Goethe University benefit from studying and living in Frankfurt, the largest financial and trading centre in Europe - with plenty of opportunities to learn and practice speaking German.