Medical Studies in Europe for International Students

Considering entering a medical school in Europe? With an affordable tuition fee, excellent faculty, research opportunities, and being able to practice medicine anywhere in the world, Europe is one of the best places to look at. The prime objective of international students is to identify which universities offer medical education in English, as Europe is a hub of a variety of languages and not every country has English as their first language.

Since each country has their respective entrance exams for Medical studies, there may be some external conditions/requirements or tests that students have to take once they return to their home country. For e.g. Indian students need to appear for the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test), Indian Medical entrance exam, if they wish to study abroad but want to come back and practice medicine in India. Scoring at least 50% in the NEET exam is mandatory. Universities ask for NEET score card at the time of issuing a Visa Invitation letter because of the MCI regulations given to the universities. But if you don’t wish to work in India, then you just need to sign an affidavit which states that you won’t be eligible to sit in the MCI exam after MBBS from abroad.

In this article, we are focusing on four major geographies in Europe that offer world-class medical studies and post-college opportunities in terms of practice and research work. 

1. UNITED KINGDOM

In the UK, there are plenty of excellent medical schools for students to apply to. The UK has a standardized application portal through which it accepts students’ applications, and that is the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Since students can only apply to five universities, they need to strategically choose the universities they are applying to. It is important for students to understand what the universities look for in their applications and how to best position themselves in front of their dream university.

In the UK all the top universities like Oxbridge, Imperial College London etc. require the Biomedical Admissions Tests (BMAT), to study Medicine. Applicants appear for this test before their UCAS application is submitted. The registration opens in the month of September, and the test takes place in October each year. 

Other universities in the UK like Univ. of Cardiff, accept the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), to study Medicine. Applicants appear for the test before the UCAS application is submitted. Registration typically opens in May and closes in September. Testing takes place from July until October, ahead of the final deadline for UCAS applications to medicine. The compulsory subject to have studied during high school is Chemistry, and then the student can choose any two subjects from the list of Mathematics, Biology, and Physics. The duration of the Medicine UG degree in the UK is between 5 to 6 years, depending on the university. The tuition fee of Medicine courses in the UK ranges from GBP 21K to 50K annually, depending on the university. 

Some of the top universities in the UK that offer Medical studies at an undergraduate level are:

2. IRELAND

Ireland has a number of medical schools that international students can apply to. It has a standardized application portal through which it accepts students’ applications, and that is the Central Applications Office (CAO). Since students can only apply to five universities, they need to strategically choose the universities they are applying to. It is important for students to understand what the universities look for in their applications and how to best position themselves in front of their dream university.

In Ireland all medical schools require the Health Professions Admission Test (HPAT) as a compulsory requirement. Applicants register for and sit for the HPAT exam each year in the month of February. Registration typically takes place in the months of December and January. Candidates need to secure a minimum of 60% in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and compulsory English in their grade XII board exams.

Chemistry is mandatory to have in high school and students can choose any two subjects from Physics, Mathematics, and Biology. Though in some medical schools Mathematics is a compulsory subject. The duration of the Medicine UG degree in Ireland is between 5 to 6 years, depending on the university and whether it includes the internship year or not. The tuition fee of Medicine courses in Ireland ranges from Euro 47K to 61K annually, depending on the university. 

Some of the top universities in Ireland that offer Medical studies at an undergraduate level are:

3. ITALY

Italy is quite famous for its medical studies, and has some really popular medical schools for students to apply to. Italian universities have direct admission policy, meaning, students can directly approach and apply to the respective university they wish to study at. But it is very important for students to understand what the universities look for in their applications and how to best position themselves in front of their dream university.

Students who wish to pursue medicine studies in Italy need to take the International Medical Admissions Test (IMAT). It is a compulsory entrance exam that assesses students’ aptitude to study medicine. It is a 100 minute multiple choice question test. Applicants register for and sit the IMAT before they apply to their dream university. Registration for the test opens for the first three weeks of July each year. Testing takes place in the month of September.

The compulsory subject to have studied during high school is Chemistry, and then the student can choose any two subjects from the list of Mathematics, Biology, and Physics. The duration of the Medicine UG degree in Italy is 6 years. The tuition fee of Medicine courses in Italy ranges from Euro 18.5K to 27.5K annually, depending on the university.

Some of the top universities in Italy that offer Medical studies at an undergraduate level are:

4. MALTA

There are plenty of popular medical schools for students to apply to in Malta. The universities in Malta have direct admission policy, meaning, students can directly approach and apply to the respective university they wish to study at. But it is very important for students to understand what the universities look for in their applications and how to best position themselves in front of their dream university.

In Malta, all the universities require the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) to study Medicine. It is the same exam that the UK universities require to study medicine. Applicants register for and sit the UCAT before before they apply to their dream university. Registration typically opens in May and closes in September. Testing takes place from July until October. The compulsory subject to have studied during high school is Chemistry, and then the student can choose any two subjects from the list of Mathematics, Biology, and Physics. The duration of the Medicine UG degree in Malta is 5 years. The tuition fee of Medicine courses in Malta ranges from Euro 16.3K to 26K annually, depending on the university.

Some of the top universities in Malta that offer Medical studies at an undergraduate level are: