Transfer From UMF Cluj to UPJŠ Medicine: Why & How

First, an honest word. UMF Iuliu Hațieganu is one of Romania's most respected medical universities, teaching medicine since 1919, and its English programme attracts students from all over the world. When students think about transferring from Cluj, it is almost never because the university is bad. It is because something about the fit is wrong, and as a doctor I can tell you that where you thrive matters as much as where you enrol.

Why students leave a medical school mid-degree

• Teaching fit — every faculty has its own rhythm of lectures, labs and oral exams, and some students simply learn better in a different system.
• Life fit — distance from home, flight connections, a partner in another country, or a city that never started feeling like yours.
• Momentum — a failed year or a hard semester can make a fresh environment the difference between finishing and giving up.
• Community — some students want a bigger group from their home country around them, which changes everything in exam season.

None of these mean you were wrong to start in Cluj, and none of them mean you should quit medicine. Moving university mid-degree is normal in Europe, and there is an official process for it.

What actually changes if you move to Košice

UPJŠ in Košice runs a 6-year English General Medicine programme (MUDr.) recognised across the EU/EEA, the same degree level you are working toward now. Tuition at UPJŠ is €13,000 a year for medicine, compared with €10,000 at UMF Cluj, so this is not about saving money. What changes is the environment: a compact city with a large international and Norwegian student community, small-group teaching, and several of our own Medently team members who took exactly this path and study there today. You can read about the university on our UPJŠ page.

The two official routes into UPJŠ

• Route 1: Transfer request (deadline 15 August) — for students in good standing who have met the conditions to continue into the next academic year. You submit a signed Request for Transfer to UPJŠ. This route is not available for interrupted or terminated studies, and you cannot combine it with sitting the entrance exam for the same programme in the same year.
• Route 2: Entrance exam + recognition of subjects (deadline 15 September) — open to anyone who passes the UPJŠ entrance exam. You then apply for recognition of the subjects you completed in Cluj, and the faculty decides which ones count and which year you enter. Sittings run through the summer and we register you for free.

What your Cluj credits are worth

• The 5-year rule — subjects count if you completed them within the last five years, at another faculty of medicine at the same level.
• Curriculum match — the subject must be compulsory or compulsory-elective in the UPJŠ curriculum.
• Grades matter — a graded UPJŠ subject is only recognised if it was graded (not pass/fail) at your previous university, and a subject you only passed comes across as "passed – E – sufficient".
• The cost — recognition costs €2 per subject, capped at €15 in total.
• The entry year — decided case by case by the faculty based on what is recognised, so be wary of anyone promising you an exact year in advance.

Documents you will need

Officially translated into Slovak or English: your application for recognition, original transcripts with completion dates, course syllabi, and proof of payment. For the transfer route, add the signed Request for Transfer, a Letter of Authorization and proof that you are currently a student. Incomplete files are rejected, which is exactly the kind of paperwork we double-check for you. Everything above comes from the official UPJŠ transfer and recognition rules, and we keep our process aligned with them.

We have written similar guides on transferring from Sofia and from Carol Davila in Bucharest, if you want to compare processes.

One practical note on timing: the transfer-request route closes on 15 August, which is only a couple of weeks away. If that route fits you, talk to us this week so your documents are ready in time. And if it passes, nothing is lost, the entrance exam plus recognition route stays open until 15 September.

FAQ

Can I transfer to UPJŠ if I failed a year in Cluj?

The formal transfer route requires good standing. But if you pass the UPJŠ entrance exam, you can still apply for recognition of the subjects you did complete, so a rough year does not lock you out.

What are the deadlines?

The transfer request is due 15 August, and recognition of subjects is due 15 September of the year you start. Entrance exam sittings run through the summer, with registration open until about a week before.

Will all my subjects be recognised?

Not automatically. The faculty reviews each subject against the UPJŠ curriculum, the 5-year rule and the grading rules, then decides your entry year.

What does this cost?

UPJŠ charges €2 per subject for recognition, at most €15. Medently's help is completely free, we earn our keep from university partnerships, never from students. Ask us anything.