The City of Erlangen

The Town

The city of Erlangen is located in northern Bavaria, in the southeast of Germany. The town was founded in 1367 and Erlangen’s Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU) is one of the largest universities in southern Germany. About 39,000 people study at FAU. That’s roughly one third of the inhabitants of Erlangen (about 116,000).

Besides the university, the city is dominated by the Siemens AG and other successful businesses and is part of the dynamic “three-city metropolis” Nuremberg-Erlangen-Fürth. Erlangen is a cosmopolitan, vibrant and charming student and bicycle friendly city with many faces: clear, calm and lively, traditional and modern, innovative and down to earth. Business, student life and a variety of recreational activities mix here in a pleasant way.

For this reason, Erlangen places excellently in the overall ranking of cities within the topics labor market, social, economic and welfare, placing second in 2022 (Link, only in German). Our students also profit from the economic benefits: a variety of job opportunities arise during and after the study period.

Culture and Environment

Erlangen has a wide range of cultural attractions and is located near one of the most scenic areas of Germany: the Franconian Switzerland with numerous rocks and caves. The hills are excellent for hiking or climbing. Cultural highlights in Erlangen are the Erlanger Bergkirchweih Festival and the International Comic Salon. Nearby, in Nuremberg, top events like the Blue Night, Rock im Park, and the Norisring race take place. Famous cities like Würzburg, Munich or Frankfurt can be reached easily by train.