Graduate entry medicine abroad: how to join a medical school in year 2, 3 or 4

Not everyone starts medicine in year one. Can a student who changes university, a graduate of another degree or a person with a medical profession join a higher year? Sometimes: the university compares what you have already completed with its own programme and admits you to the second, the third or sometimes an even higher year. There is no single European rule because every university sets its own, so we have collected what the universities we work with publish about the higher years, and what we know from our own practice.

Key points

The university sets the year, after comparing your transcript and syllabi with its programme. Nobody can guarantee it before the university decides.
Some universities in the EU consider applications for the higher years only from medical students of another university or from people with a specified degree, not from graduates of any field.
In our experience people with a different background usually join years 2 to 4 in Ukraine and Georgia, and graduates also in Poland, the Caribbean and Cyprus.
Start with your transcript and syllabi: send them to us and we will check whether a transfer is possible.

Who can join a higher year of medicine

We distinguish three groups of people.

A medical student from another university. You transfer and the new university credits the subjects you have already completed. This is the best-documented route: many universities publish its rules (see the table below).
A graduate of another degree, for example biomedicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine or physiotherapy, who wants to become a doctor. The university checks which subjects of the degree correspond to its programme: biomedical graduate, pharmacist, veterinarian, physiotherapist.
A person with a medical profession, for example a nurse, paramedic, technician, laboratory worker or psychologist. Here the university assesses vocational or bachelor-level education: nurse, paramedic, laboratory technician, psychologist.

Dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, nursing and physiotherapy work in a similar way; we describe them separately: dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, nursing and physiotherapy.

What decides the year of entry

The universities write about it in different ways, but the same factors come back in their rules.

Match of subjects. The university compares the subjects you have completed with its own programme: content, ECTS credits and grades. The University of Latvia wants most of the subjects to be similar to its study plan and to carry the same or more credit points, Semmelweis and UPJŠ ask for syllabi, and Pavia counts the CFU credits of exams compatible with its programme.
Earlier degree or field. Semmelweis University allows an upper-year application from candidates with a bachelor’s degree in medicine, dentistry or pharmacy (or a higher degree in these or related fields), MediCampus Europeo considers only people enrolled in another faculty of medicine, and the UMCH form begins with the question whether you already study medicine.
Grades. The University of Split requires an average of at least 3.5 on the Croatian scale and not repeating a year, and in Pavia the place on the list is decided first by the number of recognised CFU credits and then, among other things, by the average of the recognised exams.
Number of places. The number of places in the higher years can be limited. Pavia states it for every year (4, 7, 5, 4 and 7 for years 2 to 6 in 2026/27, and none for non-EU citizens living abroad), and Split writes that the number of transfers is limited by the enrolment quota.
Entrance exam. Comenius University requires passing the entrance exam also from people who transfer, while candidates for the higher years in Pavia are exempt from the national test. Charles University waives the first round of the entrance exam for, among others, people with at least six completed semesters of medicine or dentistry and for graduates of accredited studies in the EU and OECD in specified fields, but everyone takes the second round.
Deadlines and tuition. Applications have fixed deadlines: 20 June in Zagreb (in the last cycle), 31 July in Split, 1 to 31 August at Collegium Medicum UMK in Bydgoszcz (for 2026/27), 15 August at UPJŠ in Košice and 12 to 19 October in Pavia (for 2026/27). Anyone who transfers to Split from a university outside Croatia pays the full tuition fee valid in the year of enrolment, and in Kaunas transfer students pay the tuition of the current year plus, if there are any, a fee for additional courses or exams. Tbilisi State Medical University admits through mobility twice a year, after the end of one academic year of study, within the deadline set by the Georgian ministry.

What the universities in our offer publish

The table collects the rules from the universities’ official pages, read in November 2026. They concern medicine unless stated otherwise. The rules change with every intake, so we confirm them with the university before you apply.

University	What it publishes about the higher years
University of Zagreb, School of Medicine	Transfer students are admitted to the second year only. Applications in this cycle were due by 20 June 2026. The assessment requires detailed course descriptions and a transcript of grades.
University of Split, medicine in English	Second or third year only. You need an average of at least 3.5 translated to the Croatian grading system and must not have repeated a year, and the application for the upcoming academic year is due by 31 July of the current academic year at the latest. The number of transfers is limited by an enrolment quota set by the school or the university. Students who transfer from universities outside Croatia pay the full tuition fee valid in the year of enrolment. The regulations have applied since 5 December 2025.
University of Pavia	A notice for years 2 to 6 in 2026/27: 4, 7, 5, 4 and 7 places for the successive years for EU citizens and non-EU residents in Italy, and no places for non-EU citizens living abroad. Applications from 12 to 19 October 2026, a competition fee of 100 EUR; candidates for the later years are exempt from the national admission test. The ranking is decided first by the number of recognised CFU credits for passed exams compatible with the programme; the committee may hold an interview or set a supplementary exam.
Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJŠ), Faculty of Medicine	An application to the dean once you meet the conditions for progressing to the next year at your current university, by 15 August of the given year at the latest. Originals signed and stamped by the university (among others the request for transfer, a letter of authorization, transcripts and the study programme curriculum) must be officially translated into Slovak or English; the dean decides within 30 days. The document does not state the years of entry, the fees or the number of places.
Comenius University in Bratislava	A student from another faculty of medicine must first pass an entrance exam, and only then does the faculty recognise the subjects completed. The faculty writes that it is not possible to place a candidate higher than the fourth year. The request for recognition is submitted after full enrolment for the current academic year (a page of 4 December 2024).
Semmelweis University in Budapest	The admission rules for the academic year 2027/28 allow an upper-year application from candidates who have completed a B.Sc. in medicine, dentistry or pharmacy (or a higher degree in these or related fields) and from people who studied abroad in an undivided one-tier programme in one of these fields. An official transcript, syllabi of the courses to be recognised and the diploma are required. The admission decision is made first, the recognition of courses is conducted after an offer of admission, and the year of entry is determined by the competent university body on the basis of the recognised courses and credits. Eligibility to apply does not guarantee a higher year, an offer of admission does not guarantee recognition of any particular course or credit, and if the recognised studies do not allow placement in a higher year, the applicant may begin in the first year.
Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine in Prague	The page does not describe transfers to the higher years. It describes a waiver of the first round of the entrance exam (general medicine and dentistry) for graduates of master’s programmes in general medicine or dentistry in the Czech Republic or an equivalent programme abroad, for graduates of accredited bachelor’s or master’s programmes in EU and OECD countries in specified fields (the page gives examples: biology, pharmacy, chemistry, veterinary medicine, hygiene, nursing, zoology) and for people with at least six completed semesters of general medicine or dentistry at a university in the EU or an OECD country. A certified copy of the diploma and the supplement, or a certified transcript, is required. Each request is assessed individually and everyone takes the second round.
MediCampus Europeo (Malta)	Transfers from the second year onwards, only from studies at another faculty of medicine; the school does not accept transfers from faculties other than medicine. An English transcript (with a translation if needed) and a syllabus with ECTS credits and hours per subject are required.
UMCH Medical Campus Hamburg	In 2026/27 a transfer is possible to years 2 to 5, provided you previously studied at a university in the EU (the university’s frequently asked questions). The form begins with the question whether you already study medicine. A transcript of records, module descriptions and proof of enrolment are submitted in the portal, and the university informs you in advance about the possible crediting of your previous studies. The one-time application fee is 595 EUR, and the motivation interview in English also serves as the admission test.
University of Latvia in Riga	The transfer page allows you to continue your studies from the second semester, and to transfer to medicine only up to the fifth semester; most subjects are to be similar to the university’s study plan and carry the same or more credit points, and the faculty and the programme director decide on credits and the semester. The medicine programme page requires that you study medicine, have at least 60 ECTS and a whole year of studies and a subject overlap of at least 70%, and speaks of a transfer up to the third year at the most. Neither page shows a current date (the deadlines on the first are labelled autumn intake 2022), so we confirm the current conditions with the university.
Riga Stradiņš University (RSU)	The university’s general page on transfers (it names no programmes and gives contacts for the faculties of medicine and dentistry) says that the university does not accept transfer students to later semesters. A transfer candidate starts from the first semester, and matching subjects of the first semester can be credited: with the same or more ECTS credits, equivalent content, an exam grade of at least 70% (a plain pass is not enough), completed in the EU or EEA and not older than 4 years.
University of Tartu	The faculty of medicine does not accept transfer students. The university advises applying for the first year, writes that it might be possible to transfer some courses and credits after admission, and considers it very unlikely that an applicant from another university could transfer all required courses from the previous years.
Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) in Kaunas	The tuition page for 2026/27 has one sentence about transfers: transfer students pay the tuition of the current year plus, if there are any, a fee for additional courses or exams. The page does not describe the procedure, the semester or the year of entry.
Tbilisi State Medical University	The “MD English Medium” programme says that admission through mobility is allowed after the end of one academic year of study, for people who study or have studied at a foreign institution recognised under the law of its country and earned credits there. Mobility is available twice a year, within the deadline set by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Youth of Georgia. The document has no clear publication date. In the list of documents the admissions page names an official transcript from the university for transfer students; all documents must be translated into Georgian and certified by a notary in two original copies. Neither source states the year of entry or the number of places for transfers.
Collegium Medicum of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Bydgoszcz	A separate intake of transfers from universities in Poland and abroad to studies in English: medicine, pharmacy and physiotherapy (nursing is not among the regulations). For 2026/27 it ran from 1 to 31 August 2026. The rules are in the regulations in PDF files on the page, and the page itself does not state the years of entry.
Near East University (Cyprus)	A transcript with subject descriptions is needed for a transfer application. The requirements file does not state the years of entry, the deadlines or the fees.
Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iași	Regulations of undergraduate studies: anyone who enters the third year of medicine or dentistry or the second year of pharmacy in the English or French programme must hold a certificate of the Romanian language on the day of enrolment, otherwise the student status ends. Transfers are not accepted during the academic year, and recognition for enrolment in a year other than the first follows a separate procedure of the university.

Rules on transfers and entry to the higher years according to the official pages of the universities in our offer (as of November 2026).

We do not describe the universities missing from the table: either they do not state transfer rules on the pages we read, or we have not yet checked this topic. In that case we ask the university about your case.

Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, the Caribbean and Cyprus: our experience

Besides the universities in the table we work with universities that admit people with a different background to the higher years. Below is what we know from practice and from the official pages. These are not guarantees: the university decides on admission and on the year.

Ukraine and Georgia. There we direct graduates of other degrees and people with a medical profession, usually to years 2 to 4 of medicine; the university decides after comparing the documents. The University of Medicine and Social Sciences (UMSS) gladly admits students from other universities and transfers grades from other fields of study.
Poland. Graduates of any higher studies can apply for a higher year at selected universities; we check every case separately.
The Caribbean. St. George’s University writes on the page of its four-year MD programme that it requires a bachelor’s degree in the requisite sciences. Its six-year track is the four-year MD programme plus two years of preclinical coursework and is meant for people who have completed secondary school. We assess every case separately.
Cyprus. We assess transfers and the higher years individually; for a transfer the university asks for a transcript with subject descriptions.

Documents you will need

The list depends on the university. The universities in our offer ask, among other things, for:

an official transcript in English or in translation;
syllabi, that is descriptions of subjects with hours and ECTS credits;
a certificate of student status or the diploma;
the curriculum and a letter requesting the transfer and recognition of subjects;
originals signed and stamped by your current university and translations if the university requires them (UPJŠ: into Slovak or English; Tbilisi State Medical University: into Georgian, certified by a notary).

People with a vocational or bachelor-level education add the diploma and a list of subjects; the details are in the articles about the individual professions.

Step by step

Send your documents Send us your transcript and syllabi and we will check whether a transfer is possible. The consultation and the assessment of documents are free.
Choosing a university We point out the universities that admit people in your situation to the higher years and tell you which year and which costs are realistic.
Application We prepare the application for the transfer and the recognition of subjects, the translations and the deadlines, and where needed also the entrance exam.
The university’s decision The university recognises subjects and names the year of entry. It may also set additional subjects to catch up on.
Departure We help with tuition, the visa where one is needed, accommodation and travel.
Studies from a higher year Your adviser stays with you until graduation. This care is free for students because it is sponsored by the universities we have agreements with.

Pros and cons of a shortened route

Pros

You have fewer years to complete: after joining the third year of a six-year medical programme you have four years left, not six, so you also pay tuition for fewer years.
Subjects that the university recognises count as completed, so you do not repeat that material.

Cons

You have no guarantee of the year or of admission: the university may recognise fewer subjects than you expect. Semmelweis writes plainly that if the recognised studies do not allow placement in a higher year, you may begin in the first year.
You may have to catch up on subjects. Semmelweis writes that applicants may be required to complete outstanding courses from earlier years, the University of Latvia writes about additional subjects of up to 30 ECTS after enrolment, and LSMU in Kaunas charges a fee for additional subjects and exams.
There can be few places in the higher years and the deadlines are fixed: for example 31 July in Split or 12 to 19 October in Pavia.
Some universities do not consider applications from people from other fields, only medical students from another university.

After graduation: the right to practise

Where you can work as a doctor depends on the country where you graduate and the country where you want to work. In Poland, after medical studies you take the Final Medical Examination (LEK), which can be taken in English, and complete a postgraduate internship; a diploma from outside the EU first requires nostrification or the Doctors’ Verification Examination (LEW), and the right to practise is granted by the regional chamber of physicians. You can find LEK questions in Polish and in English on Medmigrant, our learning platform. We describe the rules for other countries in our guides to working as a doctor, for example in the UK and in Germany.

Frequently asked questions

Can I join medicine straight away in a higher year?

Yes, if the university recognises your earlier credits or your degree. The university sets the year, and in our experience it is usually years 2 to 4. There is no guarantee, so we start by checking your documents.

Can a graduate in biology or biotechnology start in the second year?

It depends on the university. Semmelweis names in its rules a bachelor’s degree in medicine, dentistry or pharmacy and related fields, and whether it would count your degree as related has to be agreed with it. Other universities assess the subjects of the degree. Send us your transcript and we will tell you where you have a chance.

Do I have to take an entrance exam when I transfer?

It depends on the university. Comenius University requires passing the entrance exam, in Pavia candidates for the higher years are exempt from the national test, and Charles University waives the first round for some applicants, but everyone takes the second round.

How many years of study will I have left?

As many as remain until the end of the programme. After joining the third year of a six-year medical programme you have four years ahead of you, but the university may add subjects to catch up on.

How much does your help with entering a higher year cost?

The consultation and the assessment of documents are free. We set the price of a transfer and of admission to a higher year individually because it depends on the case. Care during the studies is free for our students because it is sponsored by the universities we have agreements with.

Send your transcript and check whether a transfer is possible

Read also: medical studies in Ukraine, medical studies in Georgia and medical studies in Poland. You can find all the universities in the list of universities.

Official sources

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