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The world will always need medical experts and health professionals. If you’ve decided to study medicine, there is no better time to make a difference in the world of healthcare!
In case you’re not sure where you want to follow your degree in medicine, you should consider Europe as your study destination. With affordable tuition, low living costs, and internationally recognized diplomas, European countries also provide a multicultural and safe environment.
Why you should study medicine in Europe?
Many international students are attracted to European universities, due to the quality of education as well as overall low costs (in terms of both tuition fees and living expenses).
Europe has a well-deserved reputation as a hub of academic excellence. The continent is home to some of the best universities, including best medical schools in the world.
Thanks to the Bologna process, the higher education system and academic frameworks of most European countries are aligned. That means competed faculty of medicine in France will be equivalent to completed faculty of medicine from Norway, Belgium or Romania.
Along with the three-stage education modelled on Bachelor/Master/Doctoral studies as well as the European Credit Transfer System, students within Europe (both EU/EEA as well as non-EU/EEA) can transfer or continue their education in a different country without any problems.
Entry requirements for medical studies in Europe
For any study degree in medicine you choose, you will have to prepare the following documents:
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High school diploma (certificate);
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Good marks in biology and chemistry and math;
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Evidence of a health insurance or a similar document that proves you are in good health mentally, physically and without any chronic disease that would be incompatible with university study;
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Proof that you have enough financial sources to sustain your medical studies in the country (either from your family, student loans, sponsors or other sources); each country establishes a different amount in accordance with local tuition fees and living costs.
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Completed university course or other academic achievements (if applicable);
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Letters of recommendation or letter of motivation;
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Copy of birth certificate;
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Copy of passport;
Some universities organize medical English test or even entry test in biology and chemistry;
*Important tip: if you have any relevant voluntary work experience in a hospital, any health care facility or even multinational organizations such as Red Cross, make sure to include proof of it in your application! This is a relevant detail that could help you stand out as a strong candidate.
However, each medical school or university sets its own requirements, so apart from the ones mentioned above, you might have to include additional documents to your application file.
Before applying, first check with your dedicated HEdu Guide consultant and you can also check the website of your chosen medical university for complete details.
Medical universities will want to see proof that you have good language skills, so that you can easily succeed in their medicine courses.
For English, most European universities accept these official English exams:
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IELTS
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TOEFL
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C1 (Cambridge) Advanced
For French:
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TFI (Test de Français International)
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TCF DAP (TCF pour la pour la Demanded’AdmissionPréalable)
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DALF (DiplômeApprofondi de Langue Française)
For German:
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DSH Certificate
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TestDaF Certificate
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GDS Certificate
Tuition fees for a medical university in Europe
Most medical studies from any university in Europe range between 1,000 and 16,000 EUR/year, depending on specialization and country.
As a general norm, public universities always have lower tuition fees compared to private institutions.
Here are a few examples of tuition fees for colleges of medicine in Europe:
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£9,250 - £40000 in the UK
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5,500-15,100 EUR/year in Hungary
Dentistry: 5 years - 14300€ per year
Pharmacy: 5 years - 6500€ per year
Physiotherapy: 4 years - 4900€ per year; -
11,200-13,200 EUR/year in Poland
General Medicine: 6 years - 11200€ for the 1st year, re: 11000€ / year for years from the 2nd to the 6th
Medicine Advanced Programme: 4 years - 13200€ for the 1st year, re: 13000€ / year for years from the 2nd to the 4th
Dentistry: 5 years - 13200€ for the1st year, re: 13000€ / year for years from the 2nd to the 5th
Nursing: 3 years - 5700€ for the1st year, re: 5500€ /year for the 2nd and 3rd year -
5,000-6,000 EUR/year in Romania
Important detail to take into consideration!
Although this is not a general rule applied everywhere within Europe, if you’re a student coming from a non-EU country, you will have to pay higher tuition fees if you choose to study medicine in a country that is part of the EU.
Costs of medical school for a foreign student in Europe
When it comes to living costs, European countries can have striking differences.
Nordic countries such as Sweden, Norway or Denmark can have high prices. For instance, rent plus food bills range between 700 and 1,500 EUR/month.
In popular countries like France, Germany, Spain or Italy prices differ depending on the size of the city. Smaller cities are of course cheaper; in the same country you can either spend 600 EUR/month or as much as 1,300 EUR/month.
East European countries (including Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia) are by far the cheapest. On average the monthly living costs range from 350 to 500 EUR/month.
The most convenient housing options for international students are university halls of residence, for which you will only pay between 200 and 450 EUR/month.
Renting or sharing an apartment can also create affordable costs, as a one-bedroom apartment is around 200-250 EUR/month.
Supermarkets have affordable prices, meaning that your monthly food bills would generally stay around 200-300 EUR.
Romania – one of the best study choices for medical studies
Since Romanian university qualifications are highly appreciated and recognized worldwide, they attract a significant number of international students.
In Romania, medical schools and universities offer 6 year programmes to foreign students. You can choose to study either in French, English, German, Hungarian or Romanian. A great advantage is the fact that in most universities the admission is based just on the application file.
That means no entrance exam required!
In addition, due to the fact that Romanian universities are highly interested in keeping a multicultural environment, they welcome a large number of international students. This would translate in a higher acceptance rate.
As you can see, studying medicine in Romania can truly be an advantageous opportunity.
Universities in Romania offer medical degrees in the following fields of study:
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General medicine
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Dentistry
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Pharmacy
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Nursing
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Midwifery
Check out the list of medical universities in Romania!
Romania is home to some of the most prestigious, top medical schools, including one in Bucharest - Carol Davila University.
Like in any medical school, students have to face a lot of theory. But as a medical student in Romania, you will get practical training from the first year of study. Practice oriented study can be complemented with valuable international experience. Romanian medicine universities have partnerships and collaborations with several international medical universities from Europe. So you can also become an exchange student.
As you can see, Europe has numerous advantages for international medicine students. Do a thorough research and choose your medical school wisely. After that, you are one step close in becoming a doctor and making the world a better place.