Transfer From Plovdiv to UPJŠ Dentistry: 2026 Guide

I study dentistry, so let me say this first: Plovdiv is a genuinely lovely place to be a student. The old town is beautiful, the Kapana district is full of cafés, and the Medical University of Plovdiv teaches dental medicine in English to students from all over the world. If you are searching for how to transfer from Plovdiv to UPJŠ, it is usually not about escaping Bulgaria. It is about finding the place where the rest of your degree, and your daily life, fits better.

Plovdiv vs Košice: student life compared

• The cities — both are their country's second city with a walkable historic centre. Plovdiv has Roman theatres and Kapana; Košice has the huge St Elisabeth Cathedral and a café-lined Main Street that fills with students in term time.
• Cost of living — Plovdiv is one of Europe's cheapest student cities, around €450 to 600 a month. Košice is close, around €500 to 800 a month including rent, still far below Western Europe.
• Getting around — Košice sits in central Europe, with Budapest, Kraków and Vienna within reach by road or rail, which matters more than you think when you fly home a few times a year.
• Community — Košice has a large Norwegian and international student community, including several of us on the Medently team who study there.

The programme difference: 5 years vs 5 and a half

Here is a real structural difference. Dental medicine in Plovdiv runs five and a half years, including a six-month pre-graduation internship, with tuition around €9,000 a year. At UPJŠ in Košice, the English Dental Medicine programme is a 5-year MDDr., €13,500 a year, recognised across the EU/EEA. Plovdiv is the cheaper option on paper, so if budget is your only concern, staying put may genuinely be the right call. Students who move usually do it for the shorter programme, the location and the community, not the price. We are honest about that, it is your call to make.

How the transfer to UPJŠ works

• Route 1: Transfer request (by 15 August) — for students in good standing who can continue into the next academic year. You submit a signed Request for Transfer. Not available for interrupted or terminated studies, and you cannot combine it with sitting the entrance exam for the same programme that year.
• Route 2: Entrance exam + recognition (by 15 September) — pass the UPJŠ entrance exam in biology and chemistry, then apply for recognition of the subjects you completed in Plovdiv. Sittings run through the summer, and you can register until about a week before, which we do for you free.

What your Plovdiv subjects are worth

• Recognition rules — subjects completed within the last five years at another faculty at the same level count, if they are compulsory or compulsory-elective in the UPJŠ curriculum.
• Grading — graded subjects transfer with grades; a subject you only passed is recognised as "passed – E – sufficient".
• The fee — €2 per subject, €15 maximum, paid to the university.
• Your entry year — the faculty decides case by case after reviewing your file, so treat any promise of a specific year with caution.

You will need officially translated transcripts, course syllabi and the application forms, plus a Letter of Authorization and proof of student status for the transfer route. It is exactly the kind of paperwork that goes wrong when you do it alone from another country, and exactly what we check line by line with you.

If you are comparing options, we have also covered transfers from Wrocław and from Debrecen for dental students.

A quick note on timing: the transfer-request route closes on 15 August, so if that is your path, get in touch this week and we will prepare your documents together. Miss it and you are still fine, the entrance exam plus recognition route runs until 15 September.

FAQ

Is UPJŠ dentistry really only 5 years?

Yes. The English Dental Medicine programme at UPJŠ is a 5-year MDDr. from the 2025/26 intake onward, and the degree is recognised across the EU/EEA.

Is Košice more expensive than Plovdiv?

Somewhat. Living costs are similar, but UPJŠ tuition (€13,500) is higher than Plovdiv's (around €9,000). Students who transfer usually do it for programme length, location and community rather than cost.

When do I need to decide?

The transfer request is due 15 August and subject recognition by 15 September. If you go the entrance exam route, sittings run through the summer and registration stays open until about a week before each one.

Does Medently charge for transfer help?

No, our help is completely free for students. The only official cost is UPJŠ's recognition fee of €2 per subject, capped at €15. Talk to us and we will map your subjects together.