Goethe-Universität — About the University

About the University

An excellent international university in the digital age – delivering knowledge for development, sustainability and equity in the 21st century 


Our mission:

  • Conduct high-level RESEARCH on solutions for society, business and science aimed at overcoming the challenges of the 21st century
  • Provide professional TEACHING and strengthen ACTIVE LEARNING among students from Germany and abroad to qualify future leaders
  • Deliver social development IMPULSES for society, politics and business

Our mission statement

At the heart of Europe and open to the world, Goethe University Frankfurt is a workshop for the future. Founded by and for citizens in 1914, it resumed this tradition in 2008 as an autonomous foundation university. Obligated by its eventful history, the University is guided by the concepts of European Enlightenment, democracy and rule of law, and opposes racism, nationalism and antisemitism. 

Goethe University Frankfurt is a place of argumentative debate; research and teaching have a social responsibility. The University and Johann Wolfgang Goethe, as writer, thinker and naturalist, have in common innovative thinking and interdisciplinary action.

  What sets us apart

Research at Goethe University Frankfurt 

Since its foundation, Goethe University Frankfurt has provided an open space for progressive approaches, experiments and thoughts. Learn more about our research and our research profile.

Regional & international networks

Together with its regional, national and international partners, Goethe University strives to further develop the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan region as an integrated scientific hub and competitive research location. Integral to its self-understanding is its role as a reliable partner in a worldwide network of excellent universities and non-university research institutions. Significantly contributing to its international visibility and networking power are the two Frankfurt-based Institutes for Advanced Studies.

Science prizes 

Goethe University Frankfurt's research and teaching is regularly recognized with prestigious awards and prizes, including but not limited to:

  • 20 Nobel Prize Laureates
  • 19 Leibniz Prize Winners
  • 2 University Lecturers of the Year
  • 3 Ars legendi Prize Laureates for excellent University Teaching

Nobel Prize

Institutional Honors 

Various areas of Goethe University have been recognized and certified for their quality, including but not limited to:

  • System accredited through an independent agency since 2021 [Systemakkreditierung]
  • TOTAL E-Quality Award 2021
  • Energy management system in place since 2019 (certified by DQS)

Organization & Structure

An efficient and transparent organizational structure not only constitutes the root of any dynamic, future-oriented university, it is also the backbone of a well-functioning academic institution. As the largest university in the state of Hesse, Goethe University Frankfurt comprises 16 faculties, four central technical facilities as well as numerous scientific institutions. A special feature is the University's own Museum Giersch.

All information on the university's organizational structures is available on the following pages:

Goethe University History

Founded in 1914 as a unique “citizens' university", Goethe University Frankfurt quickly became known for its progressive teaching methods and pioneering faculty structures.

Famous Nobel Prize laureates including Paul Ehrlich, Max Born and Otto Stern taught and researched here. In the post-war period, the "Frankfurt School", co-founded by Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer, had a decisive influence on the social sciences in Germany and beyond. To this day, Goethe University Frankfurt is one of Germany's largest and most diverse universities.


Goethe University in numbers 


1914

Year of establishment

16

Faculties

43.360

Students (2022/23 winter semester)

* FTEs

3.135*

Research associates

2.100*

Administrative / technical employees

Career & professional training

Lively, urban, cosmopolitan – Goethe University Frankfurt has a lot to offer as an employer, including striving to achieve equal opportunities in all areas as well as better compatibility of family, studies and career, offering training and support opportunities for employees as well as vocational training for young people in what are currently 13 different training courses. Find out more about how you can shape your career at our university.