Munich, March 11, 2026 – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) remains a University of Excellence – as decided by an international jury within the framework of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments. LMU thus further consolidates its status as one of Europe’s leading research universities.
LMU is Germany’s most successful comprehensive university: Since the launch of the competition in 2006, it has received funding in every round and is now once again reaffirming its role as a top-tier institution. This demonstrates not only the outstanding achievements of previous funding phases, but also the strong future potential of its strategic program “LMUexcellent – A New Perspective.” “This is an important success for LMU and for Munich as a center of science and scholarship,” says University President Prof. Dr. Matthias H. Tschöp. “My special thanks go to our researchers and staff, who laid the foundation for this renewed distinction long ago.”
Bavaria’s Minister of Science, Markus Blume, congratulates: “An outstanding distinction for Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich: The fact that Bavaria’s largest university has held the title of Excellence University continuously since the beginning of the Excellence Initiative is no coincidence—it is a clear expression of exceptional academic strength. LMU sets standards both nationally and across Europe. As a true comprehensive university, it combines an impressive breadth of subjects with outstanding depth in research. It is particularly at the interfaces between disciplines that the university unfolds its full potential. From medicine to the natural and life sciences to the humanities, this is where ideas emerge that transcend boundaries, drive bold innovation, and provide answers to the major questions of our time. LMU shines with Nobel laureates as well as with outstanding newcomers. Congratulations and sincere thanks to the researchers and the university leadership for their exceptional work and this consistently outstanding achievement. LMU is a true flagship for Bavaria—for both tradition and high-tech innovation.”
“The renewed award confirms our consistent focus on globally competitive cutting-edge research and groundbreaking innovation,” Tschöp adds. “We will now further sharpen our international profile as a leading comprehensive university in the European Union, even under rapidly changing conditions. To this end, we will expand our interdisciplinary strengths and our strong collaborations with Technische Universität München and international partners, while continuing to attract the most outstanding minds worldwide to LMU,” emphasizes Tschöp. “We aim to translate our scientific discoveries even more effectively into solutions for central – including societal – challenges. The Excellence status gives us additional momentum to achieve this.”
A key foundation of the Excellence status is the seven Clusters of Excellence successfully acquired by LMU in 2025, including one in the humanities that represents a particular distinguishing feature for the university. “Our humanities have ranked among the world’s top disciplines in international rankings for years and are the highest-ranked subject group within LMU - we are extremely proud of this. The new Cluster of Excellence ‘Cross-Cultural Philology’ makes this strength visible and at the same time serves as a starting point for further reinforcing the humanities and linking them even more closely with the full range of disciplines at LMU in order to jointly address the complex challenges of our society’s future,” says Tschöp.
Within its key research areas, LMU will provide forward-looking impetus through strategic investments in data science and artificial intelligence. The early integration of an international student body into research, the provision of attractive and reliable academic career paths, the expansion of global partnerships, and the strategic development of the campus will ensure LMU’s sustainable competitiveness.
Together with Munich’s second University of Excellence, Technische Universität München (TUM), LMU will systematically leverage further synergies for collaboration and close exchange within the framework of the “One Munich Strategy.” In doing so, LMU and TUM together are making a central contribution to strengthening Munich as an internationally leading science hub.
More information: Clusters of Excellence
About the excellence funding
From 2019 to 2026, the federal and state governments have funded ten universities and one university consortium as Universities of Excellence within the funding line “Universities of Excellence.” The aim of the Excellence funding program is to support these institutions, building on their successful Clusters of Excellence, in expanding their international leadership in research. Funding decisions are made by the Excellence Commission, which consists of the Committee of Experts and the federal and state ministers responsible for science and research. As the only comprehensive university and one of only two universities in Germany, LMU has been continuously funded as a University of Excellence since the beginning of the German Excellence competitions in 2006. Most recently, it succeeded in the Excellence Strategy with a total of seven Clusters of Excellence.
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
As one of Europe's leading research universities, LMU Munich is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in research and teaching. Building on its more than 500-year-tradition of scholarship, LMU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social studies to medicine and the sciences. 22 percent of LMU‘s 53,000 students come from abroad, originating from 140 countries worldwide. The know-how and creativity of LMU's academics form the foundation of the University's outstanding research record. This is also reflected in LMU‘s designation as a "university of excellence" in the context of the nationwide Excellence Strategy to promote top-level university research. www.lmu.de/en