Failing Medical School as a Student from Liechtenstein? What to Do After a Final Exclusion Abroad (2026)
02.10.2026
Short answer
Failing medical school as a student from Liechtenstein? Exam rules in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, final exclusion and the way back home as a doctor.
No faculty at home
In short: Liechtenstein has no medical faculty. Students from Liechtenstein study Medicine abroad, mostly in Switzerland and Austria and some in Germany, on the basis of agreements that give them access to those universities. The examination law of the host university decides what happens after a failed exam.
That has one consequence most students notice late: there is no home university to fall back on. If the place abroad is lost, the next option is another country.
| Host country | Attempts | After the last fail |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Set by each faculty, one or two repeats per exam | Final exclusion from Medicine |
| Austria | At least 4 per exam | Admission lapses at that university |
| Germany | 3 per exam | Medicine closed at every German university |
Switzerland
In short: Swiss medical faculties examine in large year exams, and the study regulations of each university limit how often an exam may be repeated, to one or two repeats. A failed last repeat leads to a final exclusion from Medicine, which the other Swiss universities generally respect.
The first-year exams decide the most. They are sat after an aptitude test has already limited the places, and at some faculties a failed first year may be repeated only once. The federal licensing examination at the end of the degree may be repeated twice.
Against an exam decision you can lodge an objection or appeal within the deadline stated on the decision, usually 30 days. Illness must be reported before or during the exam with a medical certificate.
Austria and Germany
In short: In Austria the Universities Act grants at least four attempts per exam, and a failed last repeat ends your admission at that university. In Germany each part of the state examination and most course exams allow three attempts, and a final fail closes Medicine at every German university.
The details for both countries are in our articles on failing medical school in Austria and failing medical school in Germany.
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Last repeat ahead? Check your options before you sit it
We transfer you to medical schools in EU countries whose degree is recognised in Liechtenstein. In a free consultation we check which of them accept your passed courses and plan your route back home.
Book a free transfer consultationWhy students get stuck
In short: Students from Liechtenstein who fail rarely lack ability. They passed an aptitude test or an entrance exam abroad. The usual reasons are burnout, depression or anxiety, a family crisis, the daily commute across the border, exam anxiety and an undiagnosed learning difference.
A year exam in Switzerland covers twelve months of material in a few days. One weak week in summer can cost a year, and the second one can cost the place.
None of this means you chose the wrong profession. I started dental medicine in Sofia in 2015, at 24, and graduated in 2021. A slower start says nothing about the doctor you will become.
Switch early
In short: The best moment to transfer is before the last permitted repeat, while you are still enrolled and in good standing. After a final exclusion in Switzerland, Austria or Germany a transfer to another country is still possible.
- You have failed a year exam and its repeat is the last one allowed.
- You are repeating the first year in Switzerland.
- A commission exam is ahead in Austria.
- You already hold a decision on a final exclusion.
If one of these applies to you, book a free transfer consultation now rather than after the next exam.
Next four weeks
- Week 1: read the study regulations of your faculty and count the attempts you have left.
- Week 1 to 2: note the appeal deadline on the decision and ask to inspect your exam.
- Week 2 to 3: if anxiety, low mood or reading speed play a part, contact the psychological counselling service of your university and ask about adjusted exam conditions.
- Week 3 to 4: order your transcript and collect the course descriptions of all passed courses.
- Before the last repeat: book a free transfer consultation and compare the exam with a transfer and a planned return to Liechtenstein.
Transfer to the EU
In short: A transfer from a Swiss, Austrian or German medical faculty to a medical school in an EU country is possible, and Medschool Experts organises it. The receiving university assesses your transcript and course descriptions. Which universities fit you, and which year you can enter, depends on your profile.
A study transfer is a complicated undertaking. Every university checks hours, content and syllabi in its own way, and the documents have to arrive in exactly the right form. Our experts have almost ten years of experience with study transfers, and we regularly achieve placements into higher years, at times Year 4 or Year 5.
State study grants and loans from Liechtenstein are designed for studies abroad, because almost every degree of a Liechtenstein student is earned in another country.
Free transfer consultation
Transfer abroad, return to Liechtenstein: check your options
Send us your transcript. We tell you which EU universities accept your courses, which year you can enter and how your route back looks, step by step. Free and without obligation.
Check my transfer optionsReturning to Liechtenstein
In short: Yes, you can come back. Directive 2005/36/EC applies in the whole European Economic Area, so a medical degree from an EU country is recognised in Liechtenstein. The Office of Public Health grants the licence to practise.
Specialist training takes place in hospitals abroad in any case, most often in Switzerland or Austria, where an EU degree is recognised as well. What matters is that your degree gives full access to the profession in the country where you graduate, and we choose your university with exactly that in mind.
Free transfer consultation
Plan your way back to Liechtenstein from day one
Your licence depends on where and how you graduate. We choose your university with exactly that in mind and show you the timeline in a free consultation.
Book a free transfer consultationCosts
In short: Tuition at Swiss universities is roughly €1,000 to €1,800 a year, and a room in Zurich, Bern or Basel costs well over €10,000 a year. Tuition at European medical schools starts at about €3,500 a year, and living costs in many Central and Eastern European cities are €5,000 to €8,000.
How we help
Medschool Experts reviews your transcript and course descriptions in a free transfer consultation, finds EU medical schools that fit your profile, prepares the application and the documents, and plans your route back to Liechtenstein. More than 500 students have been placed so far. The first step is always a free transfer consultation.
The author's view
I have lived in Switzerland since December 2023, in Bern, and Liechtenstein is a short train ride from here. Students from there grow up knowing that their degree will come from another country. To me that is an advantage in this situation: going abroad is already the normal case.
I started dental medicine in Sofia in 2015 at 24 and graduated in 2021. If Zurich or Innsbruck does not work out, the question for a student from Liechtenstein is only which country comes next. Answer it before the last repeat.
Summary
Liechtenstein trains no doctors itself, so failing medical school as a student from Liechtenstein follows the law of the host country: limited repeats and a final exclusion in Switzerland, four attempts in Austria, three in Germany.
A transfer to a medical school in an EU country is possible, the degree is recognised in Liechtenstein, and the Office of Public Health grants your licence. We plan that route home with you from the first day.
Conclusion
Do not sit a last attempt abroad without knowing your alternative. The transfer consultation is free, and it shows you which EU universities accept the courses you have already passed and how you come back to Liechtenstein as a doctor. Book your free transfer consultation.
Failing medical school as a student from Liechtenstein: 6 questions and answers
Can I study Medicine in Liechtenstein?
No. Liechtenstein has no medical faculty. Students from Liechtenstein study Medicine abroad, mostly in Switzerland and Austria, some in Germany.
Which exam rules apply to me?
The rules of the country and the university where you are enrolled. In Switzerland the study regulations of your faculty limit the repeats, in Austria the Universities Act grants at least four attempts, and in Germany each exam can be sat three times.
What does a final exclusion in Switzerland mean?
You can no longer continue Medicine at that university, and the other Swiss faculties generally do not admit students who were finally excluded from the same programme elsewhere.
Can I transfer to a medical school in an EU country?
Yes. Medschool Experts organises transfers to medical schools in EU countries. The receiving university assesses your transcript and course descriptions, and the year of entry depends on your profile.
Is a medical degree from an EU country recognised in Liechtenstein?
Yes. Directive 2005/36/EC applies in the whole European Economic Area, and the Office of Public Health grants the licence to practise.
Does the consultation with Medschool Experts cost anything?
No. The transfer consultation is free and without obligation.
What students say about Medschool Experts
Over 500 placements at 25+ partner universities across 10+ countries. See how our students experienced their path into medical school abroad in our student stories.
About the author
Marcel Kloos
Founder and owner of Medschool Experts, federally recognised dentist
Marcel Kloos is the founder and owner of Medschool Experts, a placement agency for medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy degrees abroad. Since 2021 the team has secured more than 500 study places at 25+ partner universities in Europe and worldwide.
Study medicine abroad: Marcel's own path
Born in Stuttgart, Marcel started his degree late: at 24 he enrolled at the Medical University of Sofia, Faculty of Dental Medicine, and graduated in 2021 from the English-language programme. He went through the same steps his clients face today — nostrification of school certificates, entrance interviews, finding a flat in Sofia and later the recognition of a foreign degree. He is a federally recognised dentist.
What Marcel does at Medschool Experts
Today Marcel lives in Bern and runs Medschool Experts full-time. He visits every partner university in person, negotiates placement agreements directly with faculties and deans, and leads the free consultations in which applicants learn at which university they can start next semester. His YouTube channel on studying medicine abroad has helped thousands of applicants compare universities, costs and recognition.
Topics Marcel writes about
- Study medicine abroad independent of your high school diploma grades: universities, costs and admission
- Study dentistry, veterinary medicine or pharmacy in Europe in English
- Tuition fees and living costs at medical schools in Europe and worldwide
- Recognition of foreign medical degrees in the EU, Switzerland, the UK and the US
- Transferring between medical schools and returning home into a higher semester
All articles by Marcel Kloos are based on first-hand visits to the universities and conversations with current students. Book a free consultation to discuss your own path.
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