Overview

• The Bavarian government says it increased the quota to bolster medical care in rural areas for the coming winter semester 2025/26.
• Since the program began in 2020, 571 students have started medical studies through the rural-doctor pathway.
• Up to 8% of medical study places are set aside for candidates who pledge a decade of service in designated shortage areas.
• More than 500 applications were submitted for the 172 rural-doctor places awarded for this semester.
• A separate Public Health Service track set at 1.8% awarded 13 places this year and counts 70 students since 2021, with first entrants expected to begin work in 2029 and the first rural-doctor graduates projected for 2031.