The overwhelming success of JLU in the excellence initiative conducted on both state and federal levels proves that the University is ready to face whatever the future may bring. The first of the final rounds of selection within the framework of the excellence initiative, in October 2006, saw JLU outstrip strong competition with two of its projects, the "Cardiopulmonary System" excellence cluster and the "“International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture". JLU is thus one of the top-ranking institutions among those competing across the country.
JLU combines a broad and interdisciplinary spectrum of research and teaching in the areas of law, economics and business studies, the natural sciences, and the humanities with a range of sub-disciplines that is unique for Germany. 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. JLU is among those German universities with the highest proportion of women students. The University sees this as both a chance and a challenge – to energetically promote an equal-opportunity policy and the lasting integration of women in the knowledge-system.