University of Osijek in cooperation with AMEOS Klinikum Halberstadt

The study location of Halberstadt does not represent a German medical program. The provider is the Faculty of Medicine at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek in Croatia, which offers a German-language medical program there and conducts the clinical phase in cooperation with the AMEOS group in Saxony-Anhalt. You are enrolled in Osijek throughout, and the degree is awarded by Croatia. You do not sit a German Staatsexamen, even though you complete the larger part of your clinical training in German clinics and in German.

Five Semesters in Croatia, Six Semesters in Germany

The program lasts six years, i.e. twelve semesters with 360 ECTS credits. The division is unusually clearly regulated. You spend the first five semesters at the Faculty of Medicine in Osijek, where the preclinical phase covers subjects such as anatomy, physics, biology, and embryology. From the sixth to the eleventh semester you move to the faculty's German teaching base. The central location is Halberstadt, supplemented by further AMEOS hospitals in the region, including Aschersleben, Bernburg, Haldensleben, and Schönebeck. In the twelfth and final semester you return to Osijek. This return at the end tends to disappear from many descriptions but is a genuine part of the planning.

German-Language and Small Groups

The entire program is taught in German, including the phase in Croatia. This distinguishes Halberstadt from most study-abroad models, which run in English, and it is the main reason why this route is interesting for many German-speaking applicants. The faculty works in small groups of six to ten students; thirty places are advertised per academic year. In the clinical phase, bedside teaching takes center stage: patient history, physical examination, and case discussions with real patients in standard-care hospitals. This is a different kind of learning from a lecture hall with three hundred people, but it also requires you to engage continuously in clinical routines from an early stage.

What This Means for the Degree

The degree conferred is the Croatian title dr. med. — Doctor of Medicine — from the University of Osijek. The certificate is not a German one but an EU qualification recognized under Directive 2005/36/EC. This is followed by the German Approbation process. Honestly, this is simultaneously the most attractive and the most easily misunderstood aspect of this model. You study effectively in Germany, in German, and without a Numerus clausus, yet your path into the profession still runs through the recognition of a foreign degree rather than through the Staatsexamen.

Selection Process Instead of School Grade

No Numerus clausus applies here. A general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) is required; applicants with a Fachhochschulreife (university of applied sciences entrance qualification) are, according to the program, not considered. The process runs in two stages. In the pre-assessment, documents are reviewed first, with school grades counting for 20 percent and relevant prior experience for 30 percent. Prior experience includes a completed degree, vocational training in a medical or social field, internships, volunteer service, or an extended first-aid course. School internships do not count. In the subsequent assessment center, a knowledge test counts for 18 percent, a cognitive test for 12 percent, and an interview for 20 percent. The results produce a ranking, and you then receive an offer, a waiting-list place, or a rejection.

Fees and Living Costs

According to the faculty's published figures for the 2026/2027 academic year, tuition is €16,000 per academic year, or €8,000 per semester. Additionally, there is a €200 processing fee for the application and a one-time €220 enrollment fee in the first year of study. Over six years of study, fees total €96,000. Thirty places per academic year are advertised.

Living costs come entirely on top of this, across two successive locations: first Osijek, then Halberstadt. Both are affordable compared with large university cities, which provides some financial relief. The fees remain a substantial sum that must be secured across six years.

Structure and Location Changes

Semesters one to five in Osijek, semesters six to eleven at the German teaching base centered on Halberstadt, semester twelve back in Osijek. The move to Germany falls in the middle of the clinical build-up and is not a short international block but the longer portion of the program. Plan for at least two moves and bear in mind that you remain enrolled in Croatia throughout while studying in Saxony-Anhalt.

Language of Instruction and Clinical Phase

The language of instruction throughout is German, in Osijek as in Halberstadt. At the AMEOS hospitals you work in small groups directly with patients. In Halberstadt, the K6 seminar hotel serves as the campus, hosting classes and introductions at the start of each semester. The practical advantage is obvious: you learn the clinical terminology and the working processes of the exact healthcare system in which you will later practice.

Degree and Recognition in Germany

The degree is awarded by the University of Osijek, not by AMEOS and not by a German faculty. You receive the title dr. med. under Croatian law. This is a professionally qualifying EU degree falling under Directive 2005/36/EC. In practical terms: no German Staatsexamen, but recognition of the Croatian degree followed by an Approbation process at the licensing authority of the federal state in which you intend to practice. Contact that authority in good time and in writing regarding the procedure, required documents, and processing times, rather than relying on verbal information.

This creates no disadvantage for specialist training. Once the Approbation is issued, you are a licensed physician in Germany, apply for the same junior doctor posts, and complete the same specialist training under your regional medical chamber (Landesärztekammer) as graduates of German faculties. The fact that you completed your clinical phase in German clinics and in German is a concrete argument in job interviews. The recognition process does not replace it legally, however.

Osijek

Osijek is located in Slavonia in eastern Croatia on the River Drava, a compact university town with affordable living costs. With a student card you can eat at discounted rates in canteens and partner restaurants, and public transport is also reduced. The city has around forty kilometers of cycle paths and is well suited to getting around by bicycle. For travel there is an airport about twenty kilometers outside the city, as well as long-distance bus services directly from Germany.

Halberstadt

Halberstadt has around 40,000 inhabitants and lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains. It is not a student hub like Leipzig or Hamburg but a quiet small town, with the corresponding advantage for rents and the corresponding disadvantage for nightlife. Housing is considerably cheaper than at western German university locations. Those who hike, climb, or cycle will find the Harz excellent. Those who need a city to live in should think honestly about that before applying. Magdeburg and Braunschweig are reachable by train.

Is the University of Osijek degree recognized in Germany?

Yes. The Croatian title dr. med. is a professional qualification from an EU member state and is recognized under Directive 2005/36/EC. You do not, however, sit a German Staatsexamen. After graduating, you apply for Approbation at the relevant state authority, which recognizes the degree. Only once that is issued may you practice medicine in Germany.

What does the program cost in total?

According to the faculty's published figures for 2026/2027, tuition is €16,000 per academic year, i.e. €8,000 per semester. Over six years this amounts to €96,000 in tuition alone. On top of that come a €200 processing fee, a one-time €220 enrollment fee, and all living costs at both study locations.

When do I move to Halberstadt?

From the sixth semester onward. Semesters one to five take place in Osijek; semesters six to eleven are at the German teaching base with Halberstadt as the central location and further AMEOS hospitals in the region. In the twelfth semester you return to Osijek.

Do I have to learn Croatian?

Not for the program, since it is taught entirely in German. For everyday life in Osijek during the first five semesters, some basic knowledge still helps — for dealing with authorities, landlords, and daily life outside the faculty.

Is there a Numerus clausus?

No. A general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) is required; selection runs via a two-stage process of document review and an assessment center with knowledge test, cognitive test, and interview. School grades account for 20 percent, so prior experience and interview performance also carry weight. Medschool Experts advises on studying medicine without a Numerus clausus in Germany and abroad.