Transfer from USAMV Cluj-Napoca: Where to Continue Veterinary Medicine in 2026

Is a transfer from USAMV Cluj-Napoca possible in 2026?

Yes. Students of the English-taught Veterinary Medicine programme at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of USAMV Cluj-Napoca can transfer to another university in 2026, whether they are on track, behind on credits or facing exmatriculation. Medschool Experts plans and carries out the transfer to a European partner university, and the first consultation is free.

The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca is one of the best-known veterinary schools in Eastern Europe. Veterinary Medicine is taught there in Romanian, English and French, and the international streams draw students from across Europe and beyond. A large, international faculty is a strength. It also means competition for hands-on time, and a rulebook that does not bend for individual cases.

What do the USAMV Cluj-Napoca exam regulations say about resits and failing a year?

At USAMV Cluj-Napoca, exams and progression follow the university's study rules for 2026–2027. The key rules: a discipline not passed after four examinations must be retaken in full and paid, and a student needs at least 31 credits per academic year to move up.

The academic year has three exam windows. The 2026–2027 structure sets the winter session from 25 January to 21 February 2027, the summer session from 14 June to 11 July 2027, and a two-week autumn resit session from 30 August to 12 September 2027. Exams missed or failed in winter and summer can be repeated within these sessions and in the autumn resit window.

The number that matters most is four. Disciplines that are still not passed after four examinations have to be repeated completely, with mandatory re-enrolment in the subject on a fee-paying basis. Put plainly: four sittings per discipline, then the whole course again, at your own cost.

Attendance is the second filter. To be admitted to an exam, you need at least 50 % attendance at lectures and at least 80 % at practicals and seminars. Up to 20 % of practicals may be missed, but only if they are made up before the exam. In a veterinary programme with many lab and clinic hours, illness in one month can close the door to an exam months later.

Then progression. The rules set 31 credits per academic year as the minimum to pass the year. At the same time, students who carry more than 29 outstanding credits are exmatriculated. This double line is typical of Cluj: you can move up with debts, but not with too many of them. The degree requires 360 ECTS in total.

One more practical point. Tuition at USAMV is paid in three instalments per year, in October, January and May for continuing students. A failed discipline that has to be retaken comes on top of that. For students in years one and two, who already pay the highest rate of €8,500, this adds up quickly.

What happens if you are dismissed from USAMV Cluj-Napoca?

At USAMV Cluj-Napoca, a student who does not reach 31 credits in an academic year, or who carries more than 29 outstanding credits, is exmatriculated. Students can request re-enrolment on a fee-paying basis, into a year that depends on the credits already earned. A transfer to another veterinary faculty remains possible, because passed exams stay on your transcript.

The decision usually falls after the autumn resit session in early September. That is the moment when the credit count is final. If the 31 credits are not there, or if the list of outstanding subjects has grown above 29 credits, the exmatriculation follows. Students who also miss a tuition instalment can lose their place for financial reasons, which the university handles separately from the academic rules.

Re-enrolment in Cluj is a real option, but it is not cheap. You pay the yearly fee again, you retake failed disciplines in full, and you return to a cohort that has moved on. For some students it is the right path. For others, especially those who failed the same subject four times, a fresh start at a faculty with a different exam structure makes more sense.

What matters for a transfer is this: exmatriculation does not cancel passed exams. Your transcript of records lists every passed discipline with grade and ECTS credits, and that is the document a receiving faculty reads. Veterinary curricula across the EU follow the same directive, so subjects like anatomy, physiology or microbiology are usually recognised by content.

The timeline in Cluj is tight. The autumn resits end in mid-September, the new academic year starts on 1 October, and the first tuition instalment is due on 15 October. That leaves two to four weeks to decide between re-enrolment, a repeated subject or a move. Students who decide in that window under pressure often choose the most expensive route by default.

Which subjects do students fail most at USAMV Cluj-Napoca?

In Veterinary Medicine at USAMV Cluj-Napoca, the classic bottleneck subjects are Anatomy of domestic animals in years one and two, Histology and Embryology, Biochemistry and Physiology in the pre-clinical years, and later Pathological Anatomy, Pharmacology and Parasitology. Anatomy is the subject that decides most first years.

Veterinary anatomy is comparative anatomy. You do not learn one body, you learn the dog, the cat, the horse, the cow, the pig and often poultry side by side, with the differences that matter for every species. Exams in Romanian veterinary faculties usually combine a practical part on bones, specimens or preparations with a written or oral theory part. Students describe the volume, not the difficulty of a single topic, as the problem.

Biochemistry and Physiology catch students who came for the animals and underestimated the chemistry. In year three, Pathological Anatomy with necropsy work and Pharmacology with long drug lists across species add a new kind of pressure. Parasitology, with life cycles of dozens of parasites, is another subject that students often name as a memory test.

The format adds to it. Practical exams in anatomy and pathology are often done as identification exams, while theory is examined orally or in writing. A student who is strong in written tests can struggle when asked to explain a structure in front of an examiner, in a foreign language, under time pressure. That is not a lack of talent. It is a format problem.

The clinical years bring a different kind of hurdle. From year four, students rotate through medical diseases, surgery, reproduction and obstetrics and farm-animal work, partly on the university's own farms and with mobile clinics. Alongside the exams, every student fills in a practical skills logbook of Day One Competences that tutors sign off, and the final examination at the end of year six combines a practical case, such as a clinical, necropsy or food-inspection case, with the defence of a thesis. Students who postpone logbook entries until the last months often find that missing signatures, not missing knowledge, delay their graduation. For a transfer, this matters too: a well-kept logbook and a clear list of completed rotations make it much easier for a receiving faculty to place you into a clinical year rather than one year lower.

What do students criticise about USAMV Cluj-Napoca?

Students of the English-taught programme at USAMV Cluj-Napoca raise four recurring points: Romanian-speaking animal owners in the clinics, limited hands-on time in large groups and busy facilities, fees that rise for new cohorts, and strict, fee-based rules for failed subjects. These do not make Cluj a poor choice. Each can be a reason why a transfer makes sense for a specific student.

Romanian in the clinics. A recurring complaint among English- and French-stream students is client communication. Teaching is in English, but many animal owners in the teaching hospital speak only Romanian, so students depend on their own Romanian, on clients who happen to speak English, or on staff translating. For students who never plan to work in Romania, that can feel like a barrier in exactly the years that should build clinical confidence. Our partner universities teach Veterinary Medicine in English with clinical training organised for international students, and we look at this point in every consultation.

Hands-on time. Practicals and clinical rotations take place in groups. The faculty is large, with three language streams, and its facilities run at full capacity. If your goal is to touch as many animals as possible before graduation, this matters.

Rising fees. For 2026/27, years one and two cost €8,500, years three and four €7,500 and years five and six €6,000, and first-year entrants pay a €2,500 guarantee that is not refunded if they withdraw. Living costs in Cluj, one of the most expensive student cities in Romania, have risen as well. Families who planned with older figures often find the total much higher than expected.

Strict rules for failed subjects. The four-examination limit and the fee-paying retake of whole disciplines leave little room for a bad semester. A recurring theme in student discussions is that one difficult year can trigger a chain of paid retakes that is hard to escape.

To be fair: USAMV Cluj-Napoca has real strengths. It is one of the most established veterinary schools in the region, with its own farms, mobile clinics and a teaching hospital that is being modernised, and Cluj is a lively student city. Many international students graduate there and work across Europe.

Failed exams at USAMV Cluj-Napoca: what now?

If you failed exams at USAMV Cluj-Napoca, first count your credits against the 31-credit minimum and the 29-credit limit for outstanding subjects, then use the remaining sittings in the summer and autumn sessions carefully. If the numbers will not work, a transfer to one of our European partner universities lets you continue Veterinary Medicine without starting from zero.

A checklist we use with vet students in this situation:

• Add up the credits you passed this academic year and compare them with 31.
• Add up the credits of all subjects you still owe, including earlier years, and compare them with 29.
• Count the sittings you have used per discipline. After four, the subject has to be retaken in full and paid.
• Check attendance: below 50 % in lectures or 80 % in practicals, you cannot sit the exam.
• Request your transcript of records and syllabi while you are enrolled.
• Talk to us before the autumn resit session, not after it.

Timing matters in Cluj because the autumn resits end only two weeks before the new year starts. Students who contact us after the summer session usually have far more choice than those who call in October. A failed anatomy exam is not the end of a veterinary career. Waiting too long can make it one.

Why do students consider a transfer from USAMV Cluj-Napoca?

Students consider leaving USAMV Cluj-Napoca for five main reasons: the risk of exmatriculation after failed subjects, an exam format that does not suit them, the total cost of study and living in Cluj, Romanian-speaking clients in the clinics, and career plans in a specific country. Most cases combine two of these.

A typical case: a second-year student failed Anatomy twice and Biochemistry once, has 26 credits this year and owes 24 credits from year one. Two more failed sittings and both limits are broken. Another student is doing well but sees that years one and two at €8,500 plus rent in Cluj take more than the family can pay. A third wants more clinical hands-on time and a curriculum fully run in English.

Each of these cases needs its own solution. 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 them out confidently. The consultation is free.

How are credits from USAMV Cluj-Napoca recognised (ECTS)?

USAMV Cluj-Napoca awards credits under the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, 60 ECTS per year and 360 for the six-year Veterinary Medicine degree. When you transfer, the receiving faculty compares each passed subject with its own curriculum by content, hours and credits and recognises what matches. Passed exams stay valid; failed ones do not carry over.

Veterinary training in the EU is coordinated by Directive 2005/36/EC, which sets a minimum of five years of full-time study and a list of required subjects, from anatomy and physiology to food hygiene and clinical practice. That common core makes it easier to match subjects between faculties than in many other degrees. The syllabus of each subject, with hours and topics, matters as much as the grade.

A short international comparison shows why an EU transcript travels well. Within the European Union, ECTS and the shared directive make study periods comparable, and transfer between veterinary faculties is a matter of matching content. In the United Kingdom, veterinary schools rarely accept transfers into later years, and credits are judged by each school individually rather than through a shared credit system. In the USA, veterinary medicine is a four-year graduate degree after a bachelor's, and US veterinary schools almost never accept transfer students from abroad; European graduates reach the US through a recognised certification route instead. For a student who wants to move mid-degree, the EU system is the most open, and a Cluj transcript fits straight into it.

The rule of thumb for eligibility: usually no more than two exams may be open, and their credits must stay below a maximum. Every case is checked individually, and faculties often place transfer students into high years.

Which universities accept transfer students from USAMV Cluj-Napoca?

Several European universities accept veterinary transfer students from USAMV Cluj-Napoca, including students with open exams or after exmatriculation. Medschool Experts has partner universities in Europe specifically for this situation, with English-taught Veterinary Medicine and curricula that match the Cluj structure well.

We do not publish a list of names, for a simple reason. The right faculty depends on your year, your passed subjects, your open exams and where you want to work later. A school that fits a third-year student with one open exam may be the wrong place for a first-year student who failed anatomy twice. The match comes from your transcript, not from a ranking.

What we can say: our partners know transfer students, they often place them into high years, and they teach in English. The rest is a conversation.

What does studying at our European partner universities cost compared with USAMV Cluj-Napoca?

English-taught Veterinary Medicine at USAMV Cluj-Napoca costs €8,500 per year in years one and two, €7,500 in years three and four and €6,000 in years five and six for 2026/27, or €4,250, €3,750 and €3,000 per semester. At our European partner universities, English-taught Veterinary Medicine starts from €3,000 tuition per semester. We help with the application without loss of time and rescue the career.

The bigger saving is often not in the tuition line but in what you avoid: a repeated year, a fee-paying retake of whole disciplines, another year of rent in Cluj. For many families, that is what decides whether the degree gets finished. For comparison across subjects, English-taught studies at our partners start from €1,750 per semester for Medicine and Dentistry and from €1,500 for Pharmacy.

Can I transfer from USAMV Cluj-Napoca without losing a year?

Often yes. Veterinary students from USAMV Cluj-Napoca with no more than two open exams usually enter the same or the next year at a partner university, and faculties often place transfer students into high years. Whether you lose time depends on your credits, your timing and how closely the curricula match.

Three things help. Timing: a transfer for the winter semester should start in spring or early summer, not after the autumn resits. Documents: an official transcript and syllabi in English speed up recognition considerably. And a full picture of your open exams, including how many sittings you have used. Placements built on a complete record hold.

The Cluj rules make the calculation sharper. A student who owes 30 credits cannot continue in Cluj, but may continue elsewhere if part of those subjects is structured differently there. We check exactly this.

Can I work as a vet in the EU, UK or USA later?

Yes. A transfer from USAMV Cluj-Napoca to an EU partner university keeps the door open to practise in the EU, the UK and the USA. A veterinary degree from an EU member state is recognised automatically across the EU under Directive 2005/36/EC, and graduates use established routes for the UK and the USA.

EU. Veterinary surgeons are one of the professions with automatic recognition under Directive 2005/36/EC. A qualification from an EU veterinary school that meets the directive lets you register in another member state without retaking exams, although each country may ask for language skills.

UK. In the United Kingdom, veterinary surgeons register with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Graduates of EU veterinary schools apply to the RCVS for registration; depending on the school and the date of graduation, either direct registration or the RCVS statutory membership examination applies.

USA. Graduates of foreign veterinary schools reach US licensure through the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) programme, which includes an English test, a clinical skills assessment and the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination. Planning this early makes it much easier.

How does a transfer from USAMV Cluj-Napoca work with Medschool Experts, step by step?

A transfer from USAMV Cluj-Napoca with Medschool Experts runs in six steps and usually takes four to seven months, from the free consultation to your first day at the new veterinary faculty. You stay enrolled in Cluj until the new place is confirmed, unless an exmatriculation has already taken effect.

1. Free consultation. We talk about your situation, your credits and your goals.
2. Record check. You send your transcript of records; we compare it with the veterinary curricula of our partner universities.
3. Placement proposal. We suggest a university and a realistic year of entry.
4. Documents. We tell you which documents and translations are needed and help to prepare them.
5. Application and recognition. We submit the application and follow the credit recognition with the faculty.
6. Start. You receive the confirmation, organise housing with our help and begin the semester.

The most common mistake is to start at step five. Students write to faculties directly, receive a general answer and lose two months. Starting with the record check saves that time. Book the free consultation on our contact page.