From physiotherapist to doctor: studying medicine abroad from a higher year

What the university assesses in a physiotherapy diploma

The university does not assess the profession, only the documents. Physiotherapy is taught in different ways: in Poland the studies last five years, and in Ukraine and Georgia it is a four-year bachelor’s degree (240 ECTS credits in Tbilisi; we write about physiotherapy from a higher year separately). Medicine in Poland and in Georgia is 360 ECTS credits and six years, and in Poland at least 5,700 hours, and Directive 2005/36/EC requires at least six years of study or 5,500 hours for a doctor. The programmes therefore differ and the university checks for itself which subjects overlap. The universities in our offer ask, among other things, for:

• a transcript of grades, and at UPJŠ in Košice also with the dates of completion;
• syllabi of the subjects with hours and ECTS credits;
• the diploma and the diploma supplement, and where the university asks for it, as a certified copy (Charles University);
• translations: UPJŠ accepts documents officially translated into Slovak or English, and Tbilisi State Medical University wants translations into Georgian certified by a notary in two original copies.

University rules and a physiotherapy diploma

None of the four universities below names physiotherapy in its rules. We show what each of them says about candidates from outside medical studies.

University	What it publishes
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. Physiotherapy is not among the fields named in that sentence; whether the university would count it as related has to be agreed with it.
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.
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. The page does not give physiotherapy among its examples.

We do not repeat the rules of the other universities from the table in the article on medicine because we do not know whether they cover people from outside medical studies. 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. These are not guarantees: the university decides on admission and on the year.

• Ukraine and Georgia. There we usually direct physiotherapists 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.

The entrance exam

Comenius University requires passing the entrance exam also from people who transfer. Charles University waives the first round for graduates of accredited studies in the EU and OECD countries in specified fields, and everyone takes the second round. As examples of fields the page gives: biology, pharmacy, chemistry, veterinary medicine, hygiene, nursing and zoology. Physiotherapy is not among them, but the examples end with “etc.”, and the faculty writes that it assesses each request individually.

Step by step

1. Send your documents Send us your diploma, the supplement, the list of subjects with hours and the curriculum. The consultation and the assessment of documents are free.
2. Choosing a university From the universities we work with we choose those that can consider your diploma and tell you which year and which costs are realistic.
3. Application We prepare the request for 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

• If the university recognises the subjects of physiotherapy you do not start from the first year: after joining the second year of a six-year medical programme you have five years left, not six.
• 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.
• The rules of most universities describe transfers of medical students, and no university in the table names physiotherapy, so we ask the university about your case separately.
• Studies from a higher year still last several years, so you need to plan living costs and tuition for that time.

After graduation: the right to practise as a doctor

Where you can work as a doctor depends on the country where you graduate and the country where you want to work. In Poland the right to practise is granted by the regional medical chamber, and after the studies you take the Final Medical Examination (LEK); the next steps depend on where and when your studies began. You can find LEK questions on Medmigrant, our learning platform. We describe the rules for the United Kingdom in the guide to working as a doctor in the UK.

Frequently asked questions

Can a physiotherapist start medicine in the second year?

Yes, if the university recognises the subjects of your studies and is willing to admit you to a higher year. In our experience physiotherapists usually join years 2 to 4 of medicine. There is no guarantee: the university decides on admission and on the year.

Is it better to stay with physiotherapy and join a higher year, or to change to medicine?

It depends on who you want to become. In our experience physiotherapy is entered at the third year at the highest, and medicine usually at years 2 to 4. We assess both routes on the basis of the same documents, so you can compare them.

Will Semmelweis admit a physiotherapist to a higher year of medicine?

The rules of Semmelweis University allow 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. The document does not name physiotherapy, so whether the university would count it as related has to be agreed with it. An offer of admission does not guarantee a higher year.

How many years of study will be left after joining a higher year?

As many as remain until the end of the programme. Medicine lasts six years, so after joining the third year 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.

Read also: graduate entry physiotherapy abroad, from paramedic to doctor and from nurse to doctor. You can find all the universities in the list of universities.

Official sources

• Directive 2005/36/EC: training requirements for doctors (Article 24)
• Semmelweis University: admission rules 2027/28 (upper-year section)
• MediCampus Europeo: information for transfer students
• UMCH Hamburg: transfer request
• UMCH Hamburg: frequently asked questions
• Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine: admission 2026/27
• UPJŠ in Košice: conditions of transfer
• Tbilisi State Medical University: admissions process
• Tbilisi State Medical University: medicine programme in English (PDF)
• Comenius University: transfers
• St. George’s University: the four-year MD
• St. George’s University: the six-year track