Transfer from the Estonian University of Life Sciences: Where to Continue Veterinary Medicine in 2026

What is the Estonian University of Life Sciences, and what does it teach in English?

The Estonian University of Life Sciences (Eesti Maaülikool) is a public university in Tartu, Estonia, founded in 1951. Its Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences runs an English-taught Veterinary Medicine programme lasting six years full time, with 38 study places a year and tuition of €9,800 for the 2026/27 academic year.

Veterinary teaching in Tartu is older than the university itself. A Faculty of Veterinary Science was founded at Tartu in 1919 on the basis of the earlier Tartu Veterinary Institute, and that faculty was one of the two from which the present university was created in 1951. Studies begin on 1 September. The degree awarded is a DVM, and in the sixth year students choose one of four tracks: production animal medicine, equine medicine, small animal medicine or food safety.

Can you transfer from the Estonian University of Life Sciences to another veterinary faculty?

Yes. A student enrolled in veterinary medicine at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia, can continue the same degree at another recognised veterinary faculty, and Medschool Experts organises the move. We are the leading specialist for study transfers in veterinary medicine and hold the world’s largest choice of official partner universities.

Two practical points. Destinations for a veterinary student are veterinary faculties only, never a general medical school, so the shortlist is drawn from our own veterinary network and checked against the subjects you have passed. And you stay enrolled in Tartu until a new place is confirmed in writing. We do not ask anyone to give up a study place on a hope.

We do not publish document lists or deadlines here, because they differ by faculty and by year. Send us your record. We check your profile against the partner network and tell you what is realistic.

Why do students transfer from the Estonian University of Life Sciences?

Students leave the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia, for five recurring reasons: total cost, the fit of specific exams, personal or organisational circumstances, a career goal in the United States, and a career goal elsewhere in the European Union. None of these is a judgement on the teaching in Tartu.

• Cost. Tuition in Tartu is €9,800 a year. A student month in Tartu typically costs €300–500, with dormitory rooms at €150–350 and private flats at €350–750. Veterinary Medicine at our European partner universities starts from €3,000 tuition per semester, which lowers the yearly total noticeably.
• Exam fit. Some students pass almost everything and then stall on one or two subjects. A faculty with a different exam format, a different pace or a different resit rhythm can suit them far better. This is the case we handle most often.
• Circumstances and people. Difficulties with an individual professor, a family situation at home, health, or a partner moving country. Any of these can make continuing in one place impractical while the degree itself is going fine.
• A career in the United States. Graduates of European veterinary faculties normally complete a certification route, ECFVG or PAVE, before licensure in the United States. Current requirements should be confirmed with the US licensing authorities before any plan is built on them.
• A career in the wider European Union. Veterinary qualifications that meet Directive 2005/36/EC are recognised across the member states. Some faculties are simply easier for a German-speaking student to reach, and language of daily life in the clinical years differs from place to place.

Where can Estonian University of Life Sciences students transfer to?

Students leaving the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia, can transfer to another veterinary faculty, and Medschool Experts offers exactly this. We have 25+ partner universities in Europe specifically for this situation, check every profile individually and free of charge, and do not publish lists of accepting universities. The right shortlist depends on your credits and your goal: a lower fee, a different exam culture, proximity to family, or a planned career in a particular country.

A study transfer is a complex undertaking. Our experts have almost 10 years of experience in study transfers worldwide, which is why they plan and carry it out confidently. The consultation is free.

One point is fixed. General medical schools, however good, are not veterinary options: a veterinary student transfers to a veterinary faculty. More about the locations we work with is on our university overview, and what we do at each stage is described under services.

How much can an Estonian University of Life Sciences student save by transferring?

A student who has completed two years at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia, has four years of tuition left, which is €39,200 at the Tartu fee of €9,800 a year. English-taught Veterinary Medicine at our European partner universities starts from €3,000 tuition per semester, so the same four years can cost from €24,000. The difference can reach €15,200.

Living costs move the total too, though less sharply. Tartu is not an expensive city by northern European standards, and many cities in our partner network sit at a similar level or below. Ask us for the current figure for a specific faculty rather than relying on a generic country average, because student rents change faster than tuition does.

One caution on arithmetic. A saving only counts if the entry year is high, so the fee comparison and the credit review belong together.

Which study year can you enter after leaving the Estonian University of Life Sciences?

There is no fixed ceiling on the entry year for a student transferring from the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia. We frequently achieve high placements, often year four or year five. Every case is reviewed individually against the completed curriculum, and the aim is the highest possible entry with no loss of time, or as little as possible.

The rule of thumb we use is simple: usually no more than two exams may be outstanding, and the credits attached to them have to stay below a maximum. Beyond that, what decides the outcome is the match between subjects you have passed in Estonia and the curriculum of the receiving faculty. Six-year programmes tend to map onto each other well, which is one reason the Tartu curriculum travels.

Send the transcript. That is the fastest way to a concrete answer, and reading transcripts is the part of the work we do every week. You can also read how other students describe the process under student stories.

How does a transfer from the Estonian University of Life Sciences work with Medschool Experts?

A transfer away from the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia, runs in four steps with Medschool Experts: a free consultation, a review of your academic record, a placement offer at a specific veterinary faculty, and the switch itself with a written plan. You remain enrolled in Tartu until the new place is confirmed.

1. Free consultation. We ask what you want from the next faculty: a lower fee, a different exam culture, a country, a career target. No cost, no obligation.
2. Record review. You send the transcript and the syllabus details. We compare them with the curricula of the veterinary faculties in the network and work out where the highest entry year is available.
3. Placement offer. You receive concrete options, each with the study year, the language of instruction, the annual fee and the likely start date. You choose.
4. Switch with a plan. Only when a place is confirmed do you leave Tartu. We coordinate the timing so the academic gap stays as small as it can be.

Is a veterinary degree from the Estonian University of Life Sciences recognised, and what does that mean for a transfer?

Yes. The veterinary programme of the Estonian University of Life Sciences is state-accredited, and Estonia is a European Union member state, so the qualification falls under Directive 2005/36/EC.

For a transfer this matters in both directions. Credits earned at a state-accredited EU veterinary faculty are read seriously by other European veterinary faculties, which is part of why entry into year four or five is often possible. And a receiving faculty’s own status is something we check before we propose it, because the status of the place you graduate from is what follows you into professional registration.

For practice outside the European Union, confirm the rules with the relevant national authority — in the United States, the ECFVG and PAVE certification routes apply. We will tell you what we know and where to verify the rest.

When should Estonian University of Life Sciences students start planning a transfer?

The best moment for a student at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia, is roughly one semester before the intended move, and immediately after a set of exam results that changes the picture. Earlier contact costs nothing and keeps more entry years open, because places at individual veterinary faculties are limited.

Two situations deserve a same-week message: an exam that has become a real obstacle, and a change in your financial position. Both are easier to solve with a semester of runway than with three weeks. A consultation is free and commits you to nothing.

If the timing is not right yet, that is a legitimate answer too, and we will say so. Talk to us early. Then decide slowly. You can reach us through the contact page, and the university you are currently at is described on our Tartu veterinary location page.