History
In 1736, the Ludoviciana – as Giessen University was called up until 1945, in honour of its founder, Landgrave Ludwig V of Hessen-Darmstadt – took the blue, silver-framed three-armed Antoniterkreuz (Cross of St Anthony) as its university crest, which it continues to display.
Education
JLU’s strong contributions to research and teaching, its cultural program, and its status as an important wealth-creating institution make the University an influential presence in Giessen and, indeed, in the wider area of Central Hesse.
Research
JLU sees itself as a medium-sized 'differentiated' university with a clear commitment to maintaining its wide spectrum of study fields, developing its profile in individual, excellent - and application-oriented - research fields, and dynamically filling in emerging fields.
University Ranking
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2026
496 -51
2025
445 -49
2024
396
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2026
-
2025
351
2024
351
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2025
-
2024
501 100
2023
601
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2026
-
2025
-
2024
509
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
Library services
The Archaeological Library is located in Philosophikum I in rooms D12, 13, and 16.
It consists of about 15,000 monographs and about 100 journals from all subjects of Classical Archaeology.
The library is a reference library. Books cannot be borrowed.
Campus life
As Justus Liebig University Giessen is very centrally located it has excellent connections to the German Autobahn system, rail network, Frankfurt/Main International Airport, and various long-distance inter-city bus routes.
Student clubs
Students’ Union (AStA)