Studying Medicine in Poland

An overview of medical education in Poland

Poland is one of the countries most often considered by students looking for English-taught medical education within the European Union. Most state medical universities work in integration with their own university hospitals and run separate English-taught programmes for international students. On this page we have compiled data from our partner sources on the medical universities in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Poznan, Lublin and Lodz. Fees are the amounts stated in the source; current figures may change from term to term, and the euro equivalent of amounts announced in PLN depends on the exchange rate.

Programme structure and duration

The medicine programme is a 6-year single-cycle degree; basic sciences dominate the early years, while clinical rotations and hospital practice take on greater weight in later years. Dentistry lasts 5 years. Pharmacy is shown in the sources with varying durations of between 5 and 5.5 years. Health sciences programmes such as nursing, physiotherapy and public health are also offered at these universities.

University-by-university data

Medical University of Warsaw

Founded in 1809, the university is described in the source as having more than 10,000 students and over six university hospitals. The department table lists 15,100 Euro for the 1st year and 14,900 Euro for subsequent years of General Medicine; 17,500 Euro per year for Dentistry; and 5,700 Euro for the 1st year, 8,200 Euro for the 2nd year and 10,500 Euro for subsequent years of Pharmacy. The same page also gives a more general range of 12,000 – 15,000 EUR per year for medicine. The medical preparatory programme (Premedical College) costs 7500 Euro. When applying to the English-taught medicine and dentistry programmes, IELTS 6.5+ or equivalent, strong grades in biology and chemistry, and an entrance exam or assessment process are expected.

Wroclaw Medical University

At this state university, founded in 1950, the table in the source lists 62,400 PLN (14800 Euro) for the first year of Medicine and 72,400 PLN (16800 Euro) for Dentistry; another section of the page mentions approximately 65,500 PLN/year for medicine. For admission, biology is compulsory, and one of chemistry, physics or mathematics counts towards the score; the source states that assessment is based on grade point average without an exam or interview. The language requirement is IELTS of at least 6.0 or TOEFL 87.

Poznan University of Medical Sciences

With a history of medical education going back to 1919, the institution became independent in 1950, gained university status in 2007, and is presented in the source as one of the first Polish institutions to offer medical education in English. The table lists 66,500 PLN / 14,850 Euro per year for the FinMD (Doctor of Medicine) programme and 67,720 PLN / 14,440 Euro for the D.D.S. (dentistry); the general information section also mentions approximately 69 000 PLN/year for medicine. The admission process may include an entrance exam in biology, physics and chemistry and an English interview.

Medical University of Lublin

A state university founded in 1950, with more than 7,000 students and international students from over 50 countries. The table in the source shows 11,000 Euro for the first year of General Medicine and 12,500 Euro for Dentistry; as a general range, 11,000 – 13,000 € is given for medicine and 12,000 – 14,000 € for dentistry. As a language requirement, a score of around IELTS 6.0 is mostly expected, and in some years an entrance exam or online assessment may be held. The city also stands out for its relatively affordable cost of living.

Medical University of Lodz

Stated in the source to have been formed in 2002 by the merger of two academies and to have approximately 9,300 students as of 2023, the university provides clinical training at 7 teaching hospitals. The table lists 14,400 Euro for the first year of General Medicine and 14,600 Euro for Dentistry. There is a discrepancy between sources regarding the medical preparatory programme: the university page gives 6500 Euro, while the preparatory programmes list gives 5900 Euro. In addition to the diploma, transcript, language certificate and passport, a medical report is also required for the application.

Application timeline and documents

Medicine programmes start in October, and applications are collected in spring and summer. According to the sources, applications are mostly open in May – July in Warsaw and Lublin, in April – June in Wroclaw and predominantly in July – August in Poznan. As places are limited, applying early is recommended.

• Apostilled high school diploma and transcript, with notarised translations
• Passport valid for at least 2 years
• English proficiency certificate (between IELTS 6.0 and 6.5+ depending on the university)
• At some universities, a medical report, motivation letter and references

Cost of living

Our sources show monthly living costs across Poland in the range of €400 – €800. In Warsaw, general expenses rise to 500 – 900 EUR, while a range of 450 – 800 EUR is given for Wroclaw and Poznan. Most medical universities offer their own dormitories; private flats are a more independent but generally more expensive option.

Points to note regarding recognition

The recognition of a medical diploma in Turkey is assessed under YÖK's (Council of Higher Education) current legislation. As summarised in the source, the 2024 regulation provides for direct recognition for graduates of universities in the top 400 of the accepted rankings, and individual review without the YKS requirement for universities in the top 1000. Medical graduates of universities outside the top 1000 are expected to have a YKS ranking within at least the top 50,000. For this reason, we strongly recommend checking the current ranking status when choosing a university.

If you would like to clarify which university suits your profile for your goal of studying medicine, we can plan the application timeline together with you.