Paracelsus Medical University Admissions Guide
Everything you need to apply to Paracelsus Medical University: entrance requirements, application deadlines, tuition and cost of living, and the Paracelsus Admissions Test.
At a glance
Paracelsus Medical University in brief
- Entrance exam
- Paracelsus Admissions Test
- Language of instruction
- German
- Interview required
- Yes
- Tuition
- €22,300 / year
- Application deadline
- 31 March 2027: registration for the 2027 procedure runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027, with the written test on 14-15 April (Nuremberg) or, most likely, 20-22 April (Salzburg; the PMU page prints the year as 2026, so confirm when booking) and interviews on 7-18 June 2027
- Subjects tested
- Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Source: Paracelsus Medical University Admissions · Verified 28 Sep 2026
Admission test
Paracelsus Admissions Test
Paracelsus Medical University requires the Paracelsus Admissions Test for admission. Here are the essential figures.
- Total Questions (est.)
- 150
- Test Duration
- 210 min
- Main Sections
- 3
- Maximum Score
- 150
Questions, sections and maximum score count Biology, Chemistry, Physics only. Not counted, as no size is published: English, Cognitive Abilities, Work Style.
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What the exam tests
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
3 tested areas · Paracelsus Admissions Test
Application
Application requirements
- Entrance exam
- Required
- Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, Cognitive Abilities, Work Style
- Written test on PMU laptops in Salzburg or Nuremberg (about 3.5 hours), then an interview for shortlisted candidates
- Interview
- Required
- Scholarship
- Separate application required
- Application fee
- €290
Fees
PMU medicine fees: tuition in Salzburg and Nuremberg
Medicine at PMU takes five years in two stages with their own fee pages: the Bachelor (6 semesters) and the Master (4 semesters). Tuition is EUR 22,300 a year in both, and PMU's fee pages make no distinction between campuses: Salzburg and Nuremberg cost the same.
Human Medicine at PMU: costs for a 2027 start (both campuses)
| Item | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor year 1 | EUR 22,615 | tuition EUR 22,300 + application fee EUR 290 + lab coat EUR 25 |
| Bachelor year 2 | EUR 22,300 | tuition |
| Bachelor year 3 | EUR 23,564 | tuition EUR 22,300 + USMLE Step 1 fee EUR 1,264 (USD 1,330) |
| Bachelor total (6 semesters) | EUR 68,479 | as PMU's fee page gives it |
| Master (2 years) | EUR 22,300 a year, EUR 44,600 in all | leads to the Dr. med. univ. |
| On top | compulsory ÖH students' union fee | at both campuses, per semester |
Over five years that is about EUR 113,000 in fees (EUR 68,479 for the Bachelor plus EUR 44,600 for the Master), before living costs. The two campuses' fee sheets cover only extras, and there they differ: Salzburg charges EUR 370 a semester during leave and EUR 850 for the Latin course, Nuremberg an administration fee of EUR 740 per leave; a lateral entry costs EUR 3,000 at both. For funding, PMU points to state, university and private grants and loans.
Applying
Applying to PMU medicine: steps and deadlines for 2027
Applications for 2027 run from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027 on PMU's application portal, in three stages:
- Online application with documents: proof of university entrance qualification (the certificate can follow by 30 July), CV, motivation letter, proof of Latin (10 weekly hours; otherwise to be made up by the end of year 1, with a PMU course) and of at least four weeks' work experience with patient contact (or a confirmed placement). The invoice for the EUR 290 application fee arrives after you submit; it is not refunded.
- Admissions test: 14 and 15 April 2027 in Nuremberg or 20 to 22 April 2027 in Salzburg. You choose the place and date; they do not decide where you study.
- Interview: the top 405 of the ranking (80% test, 20% school grades) are invited, 240 for Salzburg and 165 for Nuremberg; interviews run from 7 to 18 June 2027 at both campuses. At the end of June the admissions committee decides on admission and the waiting list.
German and English between B2 and C1 are also required. You can apply up to three times. Applicants from Germany do not go through the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung: PMU selects its own students.
Salzburg or Nuremberg
The two campuses compared
PMU teaches the same curriculum, designed together by teachers from both campuses, in Salzburg and Nuremberg. The differences are the hospital, the size and the surroundings:
PMU Human Medicine: Salzburg and Nuremberg
| Salzburg | Nuremberg | |
|---|---|---|
| Places a year | 80 | 55 |
| Hospital | Uniklinikum Salzburg | Klinikum Nürnberg (the campus is inside it) |
| Admissions test 2027 | 20 to 22 April | 14 and 15 April |
| Tuition | EUR 22,300 a year | EUR 22,300 a year |
| Housing | PMU's own student residence | cooperation with the Wohnheim an der Maxtormauer |
| Language | German, some units in English | German, some units in English |
Both campuses share one admissions procedure and one ranking. PMU's Durchführungsverordnung says a campus preference is taken into account where capacity allows; each campus's selection committee decides on its places.
Curriculum
The programme: Bachelor, Master and Dr. med. univ. in five years
PMU switched its medicine degree from a single Diplomstudium to a Bachelor and Master in 2023/24; the first Master cohort starts in 2026/27. The curriculum is integrated and modular, revisiting topics in a spiral, with small groups, simulation and early patient contact, modelled on the Mayo Medical School, where places are open to PMU students each year.
Human Medicine at PMU, year by year
| Year | Main content |
|---|---|
| Bachelor year 1 | Chemistry & biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology & genetics, organ modules (nervous system, heart-circulation-breathing, digestion, kidney, endocrine), anatomy dissection course |
| Bachelor year 2 | Disease and therapy principles across organs, public health, clinical examination course, electives, Bachelor thesis |
| Bachelor year 3 | Oncology, blood & defence, psyche, sense organs, life stages, clinical placement (Famulatur), USMLE Step 1 preparation; BScMed degree (216 ECTS) |
| Master year 1 | Clinical Cases I–IV, anaesthesia, emergency and intensive care, imaging, clinical practice, research placement |
| Master year 2 | Laboratory diagnostics and clinical genetics, electives, clinical practical year; Dr. med. univ. (144 ECTS) |
Passing USMLE Step 1, an external US exam, is part of the Bachelor and the condition for entering the Master. The programme is accredited by AHPGS against the WFME standards, and PMU describes the degree as recognised throughout Europe.
What it's like
What the test day and the degree actually involve
We do not reproduce individual students' reviews here, but PMU's own description says a lot about the experience. The test day is about 3.5 hours on a university laptop: sciences and English, cognitive tasks under time pressure and a work-style section. Those invited then have a semi-structured interview with a panel usually of three, a psychologist, a doctor and a member of PMU staff, about motivation, expectations of the profession and previous experience.
The degree itself is intense: five years instead of the usual six, made possible, PMU says, by shorter holidays. In return the year groups are small, 80 students in Salzburg and 55 in Nuremberg, and PMU stresses personal supervision and early patient contact. USMLE Step 1 in the third year is an extra and demanding hurdle that public universities do not set.
Sources, read on 16 October 2026: Bachelorstudium Humanmedizin · Studiengebühr, Stipendien & Finanzierung (Bachelor) · Masterstudium Humanmedizin · Studiengebühr (Master) · Anmeldung & Aufnahme · Zulassungsvoraussetzungen · Aufnahmetest · Studienaufbau & Inhalt · Durchführungsverordnung 2025/26 · Gebührenblatt Salzburg · Gebührenblatt Nürnberg 2025/26
Student life
Living in Salzburg as a medical student
Paracelsus Medical University is based in Salzburg, one of Austria's best-known cities internationally. Admission interviews typically run in June, with decisions following by the end of the month.
FAQ
Paracelsus Medical University admissions FAQ
PMU doesn't say. Its application page expects C1 German and school-level English, and the written test includes an English comprehension section of its own. Don't assume the science blocks are in English; confirm the test language with PMU before you prepare.
No. The MedAT is Austria's public-university entrance test. The private universities in our catalogue each run their own separate admission test, with different subjects, timing and format from the MedAT and from each other.
Yes, at all three. The written test comes first, then an interview for candidates who pass it or, at Paracelsus, who rank among the top 405 nationally. Format varies by school: Danube's interview, for example, has an MMI part followed by a medicine and natural-sciences part.
No national licensing exam. Austria's pathway runs through registration and supervised training: a general Basisausbildung period, then either a roughly three-year general-practice track or a five-to-six-year specialist track, administered through the Austrian Medical Chamber, ending in the right to practise.
Yes, it's the 2027 edition, built from the latest admission rules Paracelsus Medical University has published. Where a 2027 date or detail isn't published yet, confirm it with the university before you rely on it.
Yes. Paracelsus Medical University-format practice sessions are available inside the simulator and align with the guide section by section.
Ready to prepare for the Paracelsus Admissions Test?
The Paracelsus Medical University Complete Admissions System — study guide, exam simulator and application help, built from Paracelsus Medical University's own syllabus.