Study medicine in Slovakia in English
The complete guide to studying medicine in Slovakia in English — universities, 2026/27 tuition fees, the entrance exam, living costs and exactly how to get in. With free, personal help from Medently, official partner of UPJŠ in Košice.
Updated July 2026 · you can still start in September 2026
Why thousands of students choose Slovakia for medicine
Slovakia has quietly become one of Europe's most popular destinations for studying medicine and dentistry in English — and once you see the numbers, it's easy to understand why.
An EU degree, recognised everywhere
Slovak medical degrees fall under EU Directive 2005/36/EC, so they're automatically recognised across the EU and EEA — and graduates go on to practise in the UK, Norway, Germany and beyond.
A fraction of Western prices
Tuition runs €10,000–13,500 per year — compared with €25,000+ at private Western European schools, or far more in the UK and US. Living costs are among the lowest in the EU.
Taught 100% in English
Slovak universities have taught medicine in English for over 30 years. Lectures, textbooks and exams are all in English — no Slovak needed to start.
One clear entrance exam
Admission comes down to a written test in biology and chemistry. No UCAT, no BMAT, no personal-statement lottery — if you know your sciences, the place is yours.
Hands-on clinical training
Teaching is integrated with large university hospitals, so you move from lecture halls to real wards — the classic European medical education.
Safe, affordable student cities
Slovakia is one of Europe's safest countries, and cities like Košice are compact, walkable and genuinely affordable on a student budget.
Slovakia: EU, Schengen and the euro — in the heart of Europe
Slovakia is a member of the European Union, the Schengen area and the eurozone, sitting right in the centre of Europe between Austria, Czechia, Poland, Hungary and Ukraine. Vienna is an hour from Bratislava; Budapest and Kraków are a short trip from Košice.
Its universities have trained international doctors and dentists in English since the early 1990s, and thousands of graduates now work across Europe. For students from the UK, Ireland, Norway, Germany and beyond, Slovakia offers a rare combination: a fully recognised EU medical degree, taught in English, at a price that doesn't require a lifetime of debt.
- EU + Schengen + euro — one currency, easy travel, full EU student rights.
- 30+ years of English-taught medicine — mature programmes, not experiments.
- International student community — classmates from Norway, the UK, Germany, Israel and 40+ countries.
Where you'd study: Košice
Slovakia's second-largest city — around 240,000 people, more than 20,000 students, a beautiful historic centre and a European Capital of Culture (2013). Big enough to never be bored, small enough that everything is 15 minutes away.
Medical universities in Slovakia that teach in English
Four Slovak universities teach medicine in English. Here are the published 2026/27 tuition fees, side by side — and why we recommend UPJŠ in Košice.
Fees shown per year for English-taught General Medicine / Dental Medicine, as published for the 2026/27 intake; universities review fees annually. We always confirm the current numbers for you — free.
Why we recommend UPJŠ in Košice
All four schools award the same EU-recognised degrees — but as UPJŠ's official partner, and with our founders studying there right now, we know exactly why it stands out for international students.
- The simplest admission in Slovakia — one written exam in biology and chemistry. No physics, no maths, no interview.
- An exam sitting in Oslo — Norwegian and UK students can sit the entrance exam on 20 July 2026 without flying to Slovakia.
- Both medicine and dentistry — a 6-year MD and a 5-year Doctor of Dental Medicine, both fully in English.
- Košice beats Bratislava on cost — same degree quality, noticeably cheaper rent and living.
- We're the official partner — direct line to admissions, plus free Medently Flashcards and a full UPJŠ mock exam tuned to this exact test.
How to get into medicine in Slovakia
Admission at UPJŠ is refreshingly clear: meet the basic requirements, pass one written exam, and the place is yours. There is no numerus clausus and no interview — the exam decides.
- A completed secondary education — high-school diploma, A-Levels, IB or your country's equivalent. UK students need three A-levels, in any subjects.
- No minimum grades — your entrance-exam performance is what counts, not your GPA.
- The written entrance exam — biology and chemistry, multiple choice, at A-level / IB standard.
- Documents, translated and on time — Slovakia still loves paper: a printed, signed application must physically reach the faculty, and the postmark date decides. We prepare, translate and track all of it for you.
- No interview, no UCAT, no BMAT, no personal statement — seriously.
Exam sittings run right through the summer — pass in July or August and you start in September 2026. Registration typically closes about a week before each sitting, so there's still time.
Want to be a dentist instead? Slovakia does that too
UPJŠ also teaches a 5-year Dental Medicine (MDDr.) programme fully in English — the same biology-and-chemistry entrance exam, one year shorter than medicine, and one of the most affordable English-taught dentistry routes in the EU at €13,500 per year.
Dentistry deserves its own deep dive, so we've written a complete separate guide — the fees, the higher pass bar, chairside training and UK/Norway registration routes.
- 5 years — MDDr. (Doctor of Dental Medicine), EU-recognised.
- Same entrance exam — biology + chemistry, with a higher pass bar (≈ 620/800).
- €13,500 per year — at UPJŠ in Košice.
The full dentistry guide
Everything about studying dentistry in Slovakia in English: the 5-year MDDr. at UPJŠ, 2026/27 fees, the entrance exam and pass marks, living in Košice, and how graduates register in the UK and Norway.
What studying medicine in Slovakia really costs
No guesswork — here's the full picture for a UPJŠ student, and it's a fraction of what the same career costs in Western Europe.
Over the full six years, tuition plus living typically adds up to roughly €120,000–130,000 all-in — less than many UK or US students pay in tuition alone, and Košice's rent, groceries and nightlife are famously kind to student budgets. Compare that with private English-taught medicine in Germany (≈ €25,000/year tuition) or check the Czech Republic (from ≈ €12,500/year) — Slovakia consistently lands among the best value in the EU.
From first message to medical student in 5 steps
This is the exact path our students follow — and we walk every step with you, free.
Talk to us — free
Tell us your background and goals on a free call or WhatsApp. We confirm your eligibility for medicine or dentistry and map your fastest route in.
We prepare your application
We collect, check and translate your documents and handle UPJŠ's paper application correctly and on time — the postmark deadline is our problem, not yours.
Prepare with free Medently tools
You get Medently Flashcards (active recall + spaced repetition, tuned to the UPJŠ exam) and our full 200-question timed mock exam — so the real thing feels familiar.
Sit the entrance exam
Biology and chemistry, 2 h 30 min — in Oslo on 20 July or Košice on 12 August 2026. Most prepared students pass; results come fast.
Enrol and move to Košice
Offer in hand, we help with enrolment, visa paperwork (if you need one), accommodation and arrival — right up to your first day in September.
One degree. A career anywhere in Europe — and beyond.
UPJŠ is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS), so graduates are eligible to sit the USMLE and pursue licensure in the US and Canada — on top of automatic recognition across the EU and EEA under Directive 2005/36/EC. UK graduates register with the GMC (medicine) or GDC (dentistry), where UPJŠ already has a long track record, and Norwegian graduates apply through Helsedirektoratet.
Living in Košice as a medical student
Košice is the kind of city international students end up loving more than they expected. The pastel old town centres on Hlavná ulica and Europe's easternmost Gothic cathedral; cafés, gyms and the medical faculty are all within a 15-minute walk; and the High Tatras mountains are a weekend trip away.
With 20,000+ students in a city of 240,000, student life is everywhere — Erasmus events, sports clubs, cheap gig venues and a genuinely international medical faculty. And because it's Košice rather than a capital city, your rent doesn't eat your budget: most students live well on €500–800 a month, everything included.
Medently gets you in — and it costs you nothing
We're not a call centre. Medently was built by students and doctors who sat these exact exams — and we're official university partners, not middlemen. Everything below is free, always.
100% free, no commission
Other agencies charge €1,500–6,000. We charge nothing and never take a cut — our partner universities cover our work. See the full comparison →
Medently Flashcards & mock exams
Our own flashcard system — active recall and spaced repetition, the science behind apps like Anki — plus full timed mock exams, tuned to your entrance exam.
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Study medicine in Slovakia in English — FAQ
Can I study medicine in Slovakia in English?
How much does it cost to study medicine in Slovakia?
Is a Slovak medical degree recognised in the UK and the rest of Europe?
What is the entrance exam for medicine in Slovakia like?
Can I still apply for September 2026?
Do I need to speak Slovak?
Can I study dentistry in Slovakia in English?
What grades do I need to apply?
Is Slovakia safe and affordable for international students?
How does Medently help — and is it really free?
Start medicine in Slovakia this September
Free guidance, free exam prep, and an official university partner in your corner. The next exam sittings are 20 July (Oslo) and 12 August (Košice).
