Studying Medicine in Pécs: Hungary’s Oldest University

The University of Pécs at a Glance

Why Pécs stands out among the Hungarian locations

Pécs lies in south-western Hungary, around 200 kilometres from Budapest, has some 145,000 inhabitants and was European Capital of Culture in 2010. The university shapes the city: one in seven inhabitants studies here.

With 3,500 students from 67 countries, the medical faculty is among the most international in Hungary. The English-language programme has run since 1984 and is one of the oldest in the country; the German-language programme was added in 2004. Anyone who often reads that Pécs has the oldest German-language medical programme in Hungary should correct that: Budapest holds that title, having started in the early 1980s. Pécs is instead the oldest university in the country – a different, but equally genuine superlative.

One feature that distinguishes Pécs from many locations: in the German-language programme there is no entrance examination. The faculty states this unambiguously on its own pages and, because of the high number of applicants, also holds no interviews. Selection is based on the application file. Preference is given to applicants with science subjects at advanced level, prior scientific study or experience in healthcare. A numerus clausus in the German sense does not exist. What that means specifically for your documents is something we review together in a free consultation.

Which programmes are available in Pécs – and in which language?

In German, therefore, only human medicine and dentistry are available. Pharmacy, psychology and biotechnology run in English. Pécs does not offer veterinary medicine – in Hungary that is the remit of the independent University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, which runs a German-language programme with EAEVE accreditation.

What does studying in Pécs cost?

Important to know: the German-language programme is priced in euros, the English-language programme in US dollars. These two price lists are frequently confused.

Over six years, German-language human medicine comes to around 90,000 euros in tuition fees alone – considerably less than in Budapest, where twelve semesters add up to some 112,000 euros. The faculty also notes that from the third semester a fee reduction based on academic performance is possible.

The price of pharmacy is remarkable: 8,400 euros per year is roughly half what human medicine costs. Those who want to become pharmacists and can live with English as the language of instruction will find in Pécs one of the more affordable routes in the EU. Our overview of tuition fees in Europe provides the full picture.

How the programme in Pécs is structured

The faculty works with the same three-module structure in both language programmes.

The faculty puts the workload at 25 to 30 hours per week, or 350 to 420 hours per semester – identical for human medicine and dentistry.

One point that makes Pécs especially attractive for many German students: the Physikum certificate after four successful semesters is fully recognised at German universities. That is the most important building block if you want to keep open the option of a later transfer to Germany. Whether a place in a higher semester is actually free at the end is decided by the German faculty – we have a dedicated article on returning to Germany and the recognition of semesters.

Clinical training takes place at 28 clinics and ten academic teaching hospitals, among them in Szekszárd, Kaposvár, Zalaegerszeg, Szombathely, Győr, Veszprém and Székesfehérvár as well as at two Budapest hospitals. Placements may also be completed outside the faculty's own places at EU-accredited institutions; the faculty names around 700 accredited partner institutions abroad.

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Where can you work as a doctor with a degree from Pécs?

Hungary has been an EU member since 1 May 2004. The Hungarian medical and dental diplomas are listed by name in Annex V of the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC, which means automatic recognition throughout the EU and the EEA – without any knowledge test.

The WFME accreditation is the best-documented advantage for Pécs: since November 2024 Intealth has reported exactly such an accreditation, without affecting individual eligibility for ECFMG certification, and the medical training in Pécs demonstrably meets it until 2030. Those who want to keep the USA open should nonetheless have the individual entry in the World Directory of Medical Schools checked before deciding.

Dentist, pharmacist, psychologist, veterinarian: five professions, five legal routes

Dentist. The Hungarian dental degree appears in Annex V point 5.3.2 and is automatically recognised throughout the EU. In Germany, the licence runs through the Dental Practitioners Act and the licensing regulations for dentists; in Switzerland through MEBEKO. With 40 places in the German-language programme, dentistry in Pécs is considerably smaller than human medicine – which in practice means small groups at the treatment chair. All dentistry locations in comparison can be found in our article on studying dentistry without NC abroad.

Pharmacist. The pharmacy degree likewise falls under automatic recognition, Annex V point 5.6.2. The directive requires at least five years of training including at least six months of placement in a pharmacy or hospital – the PharmD in Pécs meets that with its six-month placement in the tenth semester and the subsequent state examinations. Because the programme runs in English, proof of German at specialist level C1 is relevant for the German licence; those who had ten years of German-language schooling are generally exempt.

Psychologist and psychotherapist. Automatic EU recognition does not apply here. Psychology is not a profession with an EU-wide harmonised minimum training under Annex V. A bachelor or master from Pécs is assessed in Germany as a higher education qualification, not automatically recognised. Anyone wanting to become a psychotherapist needs, since the reform of the Psychotherapists Act, the study route provided for that purpose with a subsequent licence. The English-language psychology programme in Pécs is therefore of interest above all for careers in research, business or counselling – not as a shortcut to the psychotherapist's licence.

Veterinarian. The veterinary profession is regulated EU-wide and listed in Annex V point 5.4.2; in Germany the procedure is governed by the regulation on the licensing of veterinarians. Pécs does not offer veterinary medicine. Those who want to take this route will find it in Hungary at the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest – or considerably more cheaply in Bulgaria, as we show in the article on studying veterinary medicine in Bulgaria.

Living in Pécs

Pécs is a Mediterranean-feeling university city with early Christian World Heritage sites, a large pedestrian centre and mild winters. Distances are short and the price level is clearly below the German one.

The university's two official cost breakdowns – one in euros, one in forint – arrive independently at the same range. That is a good sign for the robustness of the figures. A detailed breakdown for all locations can be found in our monthly budget for studying medicine abroad.

Who Pécs is the right choice for

Pécs is a particularly good fit if you want to study in German but Budapest prices are beyond your budget: 15,000 instead of around 18,700 euros per year makes a difference of a good 22,000 euros over six years. It also fits if you prefer a manageable city to a metropolis of millions, and if you want to keep open the option of a later transfer with the Physikum recognised in Germany after four semesters.

And it fits if pharmacy is your goal: 8,400 euros per year is, by European standards, a very fair price for a pharmacy degree that is automatically recognised across the EU.