4 cheapest universities in Europe to study medicine

Everyone deserves the opportunity to study medicine should they wish to. If you’re on a budget, consider the beautiful continent of Europe, home to many of the world’s top universities. You can even complete your degree for free in some institutions if you’re willing to learn — and become fluent — in the local language. If you wish to study medicine in English, you’ll likely need to pay tuition fees.

Whichever you choose, a medical education in Europe is set to be cheaper than in the UK or UK. And with no compromise on quality too. During semester breaks, the wonders of this famed continent are just a short bus or train ride away. Picture exploring the punk streets of Berlin, catching the Northern Lights and tasting the finest pastries during semester breaks. 

The cheapest medical schools in Europe let you experience the finest of Europe at an affordable rate:

Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Walk out with a master’s degree in medicine from the Medical University of Plovdiv and a professional qualification for physicians in six years if you choose to study at this Bulgarian institution. Here, you train in preclinical and clinical disciplines at one of the 29 departments the university has to offer — from medical biology to endocrinology. 

Annual tuition fees vary according to the medium of instruction chosen — 7,000 euros (approximately USD$6,810) if you learn in Bulgarian and 8,000 euros (approximately USD$7,780) if you learn in English. Take note: the fees do not include accommodation, health insurance, textbooks and educational handbooks. 

Join the 1,721 foreign medical students currently training at this internationally acclaimed educational and research centre by applying here.

University of Bari, Italy

In Bari — the capital of southern Italy’s Puglia region — you’ll find the University of Bari. Its renowned medical school offers an English curriculum called the Bari English Medical Curriculum (BEMC). This six-year medical degree programme is offered to both EU and non-EU students for cheap.

According to a former student of this programme, the tuition fees cost just as much as they would in other Italian medical schools. The public university charges 156 euros to 2,000 euros (around US$151 to US$1,945) per year depending on your financial circumstances — making it one of the cheapest medical schools in Europe.

Apply to study at the University of Bari’s School of Medicine here. 

Semmelweis University, Hungary

Located in Budapest, Semmelweis University offers a six-year medicine programme taught fully in English to over 4,700 students — 55% of which come from abroad — every year. 

In 12 semesters, medical students will spend time on theoretical modules, pre-clinical modules, and clinical modules before doing an internship at university clinics or accredited teaching hospitals. Tuition fees for the medicine programme are 16,300 euros (approximately US$15,855) per year.

Learn more about what Semmelweis University’s Faculty of Medicine has to offer here.

Charles University, Czech Republic

Charles University has five faculties of medicine, three of which are in Prague, one is located in Pilsen and one in Hradec Králové. Though these are all independent institutions with set tuition fees of their own, all offer degree programmes in English. Generally, all medicine courses span six years and will lead you to the master’s degree Doctor of General Medicine.

Annual tuition fee: 450,000 Czech korunas (approximately US$17,795) a year, the second faculty in Prague will cost you about CZK390,000 (approximately US$15,423), the third and fourth faculty in Prague and Pilsen respectively cost CZK350,000 (approximately US$13,855). Over in the Hradec Králové campus, fees are CZK310,000 (approximately US$12,272).