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

Who can join a higher year of dentistry

We distinguish three groups of people.

• A dental student from another university. You transfer and the new university credits the subjects you have already completed. This is the best-documented route, although fewer universities publish its rules for dentistry than for medicine (see the table below).
• A dental technician. The university assesses vocational education and checks which subjects correspond to its programme: from dental technician to dentist.
• A graduate or student of another medical degree, for example medicine or pharmacy. Semmelweis University allows an upper-year application from exactly such candidates: those with a bachelor’s degree in medicine, dentistry or pharmacy or a higher degree in these or related fields.

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. RSU in Riga, for example, credits, but only from the first semester, subjects with the same or a higher number of ECTS credits and equivalent content, graded at least 70% in an exam, completed in the EU or EEA and not older than 4 years. Semmelweis and UPJŠ ask for syllabi.
• 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), and in the TNMU programme in Ukraine a junior specialist diploma shortens the programme from 300 to 240 ECTS credits.
• Entrance exam. Charles University waives the first round of the exam for, among others, people with at least six completed semesters of dentistry or medicine, but all candidates take the second round.
• Language. The university in Iași requires people who enter the third year of dentistry in the English or French programme to hold a certificate of the Romanian language already on the day of enrolment; without it the student status ends. Tbilisi State Medical University requires English at B1 level of those enrolled through mobility (a certificate or a transfer from an English-medium programme, and otherwise a test or interview).
• Fees. LSMU in Kaunas states on its tuition page that transfer students pay the tuition of the current year plus, if there are any, a fee for additional courses or exams.
• Deadlines. Applications have fixed deadlines: at UPJŠ in Košice the application to the dean is due by 15 August at the latest, and the university in Iași does not accept transfers during the academic year.

What the universities in our offer publish

The table collects the rules from the official pages of universities that teach dentistry in English and have written something about the higher years. 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 Dental Medicine	The pages of the School of Dental Medicine that we read do not describe transfers or admission to the higher years. Transfers are described by the School of Medicine, and only to the second year.
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. The document comes from the Faculty of Medicine and names no programme (the word “dentistry” does not appear in it), so we confirm the rules for dentistry with the university.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tbilisi State Medical University, dentistry in English	The English dentistry programme (Doctor of Dental Medicine, 300 ECTS credits, five years) says that enrolment in the programme is also permitted via mobility, under the rules of external and intra-university mobility and recognition of educational credits set by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and by the university. English at B1 level is required of those enrolled through mobility: a certificate or a transfer from an English-medium programme, and otherwise an English language test or interview under the university’s admission rules. The document does not say after how long or how many times a year one can enrol, and it does not describe a separate procedure for recognising prior learning.
Ternopil National Medical University (TNMU, Ukraine)	The dentistry programme has 300 ECTS credits on the basis of complete secondary education and 240 on the basis of a junior specialist or junior bachelor diploma (Ukrainian: молодший спеціаліст, молодший бакалавр), that is 60 credits fewer. With such a diploma admission is by the results of entrance exams.

We do not describe the universities missing from the table. Some of them do not state transfer rules on the pages we read: this is the case, for example, in Brno, Vilnius, Oradea, Bucharest, Varna, Plovdiv, Pécs, Katowice and Madrid. In that case we ask the university about your case.

Ukraine, Georgia, Poland 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. These are not guarantees: the university decides on admission and on the year.

• Ukraine and Georgia. Dental technicians usually join years 2 to 3 of dentistry there, sometimes another medical programme, and graduates of other degrees and people with a medical profession join years 2 to 4. 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.
• Cyprus. We assess transfers and the higher years individually.

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).

A dental technician adds the diploma of the school completed and a list of subjects; the details are in the article about dental technicians.

Step by step

1. 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.
2. Choosing a university We point out the universities that admit people in your situation to the higher years of dentistry and tell you which year and which costs are realistic.
3. 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.
4. The university’s decision The university recognises subjects and names the year of entry. It may also set additional subjects to catch up on.
5. Departure We help with tuition, the visa where one is needed, accommodation and travel.
6. 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 five-year dental programme you have three years left, not five, 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.
• Not every university describes the rules for dentistry, and some do not admit to later semesters at all, like RSU in Riga.
• Deadlines are fixed, for example 15 August at UPJŠ in Košice, and in Iași transfers are not accepted during the academic year.
• Some universities set additional conditions, such as the certificate of the Romanian language when joining the third year in Iași.

After graduation: the right to practise

Where you can work as a dentist depends on the country where you graduate and the country where you want to work. In Poland a dentist takes the Final Dental Examination (LDEK). You can find LDEK questions on Medmigrant, our learning platform. We describe the rules for the United Kingdom in the guide to working as a dentist in the UK.

Frequently asked questions

Can I join dentistry 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 dental technician start dentistry in the second year?

In our experience dental technicians from Ukraine and Georgia usually join years 2 to 3 of dentistry, sometimes another medical programme. In the programme of Ternopil National Medical University dentistry on the basis of a junior specialist diploma has 240 ECTS credits instead of 300.

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

It depends on the university. Charles University waives the first round of the exam for, among others, people with six completed semesters of dentistry or medicine, but everyone takes the second round. In the TNMU programme in Ukraine, with a junior specialist diploma, admission is by the results of entrance exams.

How many years of study will I have left?

As many as remain until the end of the programme. Dentistry usually lasts five years, so after joining the third year you have three 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.

Read also: dentistry studies in Ukraine. You can find all the universities in the list of universities.

Official sources

• University of Zagreb, School of Dental Medicine: enrolment
• University of Zagreb, School of Medicine: admission requirements
• UPJŠ in Košice: conditions of transfer
• Semmelweis University: admission rules 2027/28 (upper-year section)
• Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine: admission 2026/27
• Iași University of Medicine and Pharmacy: regulations of undergraduate studies
• RSU: transfers
• LSMU: tuition fees
• Near East University: admission requirements (PDF)
• Tbilisi State Medical University: dentistry programme in English (PDF)
• TNMU: educational programme “Stomatology” (in Ukrainian)