In the future, the Free State of Bavaria will support medical students at the Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU) in Nuremberg with a new scholarship program. The aim is to alleviate the shortage of doctors in rural areas. Ten students will receive 20,000 euros annually from the 2025/2026 academic year – a sum that almost completely covers the tuition fees for the five-year course.

The Bavarian State Ministry of Health, Care and Prevention has launched the funding programme. It is aimed at students at universities in other EU countries who spend at least half of their training time with a Bavarian cooperation partner. PMU Salzburg, with its location at the Nuremberg Hospital, has been meeting this requirement since 2014. In return, the scholarship holders undertake to complete their specialist training in Bavaria and then to work as a doctor in rural Bavaria for at least five years.

PMU Rector Prof. Dr. Annemarie Weißenbacher welcomed the initiative as an important contribution to combating the shortage of doctors. The PMU’s competitive admission procedure is a central quality feature, regardless of the future location. Dr. Ines Spieler, administrative director of the PMU Nuremberg, emphasized that two thirds of graduates in the Nuremberg region and in Bavaria are already starting their careers. The new scholarship is a strong signal for the medical care of the future.

Among the first recipients are Carmina Ottmann, Julia Payr and Linus Kußberger. All three have prevailed in the demanding selection process of the PMU and have been studying in Nuremberg since September 2025. Julia Payr from the Bavarian Oberland explained that she would like to work in her home region later on. Carmina Ottmann, who had previously studied economics and worked in management consulting, emphasized her passion for medicine and her connection to rural areas in Franconian Switzerland. Linus Kußberger appreciated the greater freedom of choice compared to the rural doctor quota: One can still choose the place of assignment and the specialty flexibly.

The PMU Nuremberg offers 55 study places for human medicine every year. The program follows a modular curriculum in the bachelor’s and master’s system, is characterized by small group teaching, individual support, and strong practical relevance, and includes the first level of the U.S. state examination (USMLE). The regular tuition fee is currently 21,930 euros per year. The application period for the academic year 2026/2027 runs until 7 April 2026.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.