Studying Medicine in Târgu Mureș: Costs and Recognition

Târgu Mureș at a glance

Târgu Mureș lies in the centre of Transylvania, around 320 kilometres north of Bucharest, and has around 130,000 inhabitants. The city has a bilingual Romanian-Hungarian character and is nicknamed the City of Roses for its generous parks. If you want a first overview, the key facts are summarised in this table.

University and teaching hospital

The university is named after the cell biologist George Emil Palade, a Romanian who received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1974. It is the only university in the country that trains healthcare professionals in Romanian, Hungarian and English, and it absorbed the former Petru Maior University in 2018. That explains its broad profile, with seven faculties ranging from medicine and pharmacy to engineering and economics. Facilities include a simulation centre and a medical library.

The English-taught Human Medicine programme was accredited by the Romanian agency ARACIS in 2022 and received an additional international accreditation from the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating in 2023. That is more than a formality, because access to the US market depends on it – more on that below.

The clinical centrepiece is the Târgu Mureș County Emergency Clinical Hospital. According to its own figures, it has 1,089 inpatient beds, including 967 acute-care beds and 82 intensive-care beds, and has held the highest level of care classification since 2013. Twenty-four specialties are represented in the outpatient department. The university signs annual cooperation agreements with the hospital for practical training. What stands out about this setup is that a hospital of this size, in a city of only 130,000 people, gives students an unusually favourable ratio of patients to students.

In practice, that means you see a spectrum in the clinic that ranges from standard care to complex cases at the highest level of specialisation, and you see it early. Clinical placements begin in the third year of study and run alongside clinical subjects rather than being bundled into a block at the end. Anyone moving on to specialist training after graduation notices the benefit clearly.

Which programmes are offered, and in which language?

Two programmes are relevant for international applicants. Both are taught entirely in English and lead to a diploma valid throughout the European Union. Pharmacy and the natural sciences are also taught at Târgu Mureș, though not as part of the English-language offering.

Capacity is manageable: around 100 places per year in Human Medicine and around 30 in Dentistry. This is one of the reasons why applying early pays off.

How does admission work?

George Emil Palade University selects applicants in two steps. First, it reviews the content of your application, paying particular attention to the science subjects from your final years of school. This is followed by an online interview focused on your motivation and your basic understanding of the profession. There is no written science entrance exam, and the Romanian system does not use a numerus clausus at all. What is required is a general university entrance qualification and good English skills.

The process usually runs entirely online. You do not need to travel to Romania for the interview – it takes place by video call. Registration, application logistics and scheduling are handled for you at Medschool Experts, so you can focus on what really matters.

And that is the preparation. We prepare you specifically for the subject-based part in biology and chemistry, and for the motivational interview with practice sessions. My observation from many conversations: applicants who can talk concretely about why it has to be medicine, and what they have already done to pursue it, come across far more convincingly than those reciting memorised lines. We take care of the paperwork, and your individual case is reviewed during a free consultation.

In terms of timing, plan roughly as follows: the university runs an early application round in spring and a regular round in summer. The earlier you get in touch, the more relaxed the rest of the process will be – not because it would otherwise be too late, but because it leaves you more time to prepare properly. Studies always begin in the winter semester; there is no second intake during the year.

What does the programme cost?

The fee structure in Târgu Mureș is pleasantly simple: one amount, two programmes, no variation by year of study.

Let's work this out for the full duration of the programme. The following estimate is our own calculation and not a guarantee from the university. Twelve semesters at €5,000 add up to €60,000 in fees alone. On top of that come around €4,200 for books, materials and insurance over six years, and around €3,600 for trips home if you budget for four flights a year. Living costs add €28,800 at €400 a month, or €43,200 at €600 a month. All told, you end up at around €97,000 to €111,000 for the whole programme, with a mid-range figure of about €104,000. This amount can be planned for, and that is exactly what you should do: once, for six years, not semester by semester.

Within Romania, Târgu Mureș sits in the upper middle range; by European standards, it is clearly below average. The following comparison is drawn from our own location data.

For an overview of all Romanian locations and their fees, see our roundup article Studying Medicine in Romania.

On financing: Romania is an EU member, so German foreign study grants (Auslands-BAföG) can generally apply to Târgu Mureș for eligible applicants. Whether and how much support you receive depends on your parents' income. Many students combine such funding with an education fund or a study loan, covering the fees primarily while living costs are paid out of pocket. We work through which combination suits your situation during a free consultation.

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How is the programme structured?

Six years, twelve semesters, 360 ECTS credits: the structure follows the European system and compares well with the German curriculum. It breaks down as follows.

The preclinical stage can optionally be completed at the university's Hamburg campus. This brings us to a feature of this location worth knowing about: George Emil Palade University runs its own campus in Hamburg, where a six-year medical programme has been offered since 2019, with its first cohort graduating in 2025. In both cases, the diploma comes from Târgu Mureș. If the Hamburg route interests you, we have a dedicated page with all the details. This article focuses on studying in Romania itself.

A word on language in day-to-day clinical life. Teaching takes place in English, but patients at the county emergency hospital speak Romanian or Hungarian. That is why the Romanian courses in the first years are mandatory rather than optional extras. They take up additional time alongside an already packed subject schedule – planning for that from the start makes it manageable.

Where can you work as a doctor with this degree?

Romania has been an EU member since 2007. The university's medical diploma is listed in Annex V, point 5.1.1, of Directive 2005/36/EC, as amended by Delegated Decision (EU) 2023/2383 of 23 May 2023, applicable since 9 October 2023. This means automatic recognition within the EU.

One clarification on the last point, since it's often misrepresented: Romania's national agency, ARACIS, is not on the WFME list. The Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating is the one listed for Romania, recognised until January 2028 – and it is exactly this agency that gave the English-taught medical programme in Târgu Mureș its international accreditation in 2023. Anyone seriously pursuing the US route should check the entry in the World Directory of Medical Schools themselves before applying, since accreditations run in cycles.

Dentist, pharmacist, psychologist, veterinarian: the legal situation by profession

Dentist. Dentistry at Târgu Mureș also takes six years and is taught in English. The Romanian dental diploma is listed in Annex V, point 5.3.2, of Directive 2005/36/EC, and is therefore automatically recognised in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The path runs through the licensing authority of the relevant German state, followed by the local dental chamber.

Pharmacist. The pharmacy degree is harmonised under Annex V, point 5.6.2, and would in principle be automatically recognised. Târgu Mureș does have a Faculty of Pharmacy, but it does not teach in the English-language programme. Anyone looking to study pharmacy abroad is better served by another location in our network.

Psychologist. Psychology and psychotherapy are not harmonised at European level. There is no automatic recognition for these professions under the directive; each country regulates access on its own. In Germany, licensure as a psychotherapist is governed by separate federal law, and a foreign psychology degree is assessed individually.

Veterinarian. Veterinary medicine is harmonised under Annex V, point 5.4.2, and automatically recognised EU-wide. However, George Emil Palade University does not have a veterinary faculty. Anyone wanting to study veterinary medicine will need a different location – which one fits best is something we can clarify during a free consultation.

Career paths after graduation

With a diploma from Târgu Mureș, you start out in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on the same footing as graduates of local faculties. After licensure, specialist training is open to you at any clinic or practice authorised to provide it. The content and duration are set by the training regulations of the regional medical chambers, not by the country where you studied.

Anyone wanting to stay abroad has a very wide choice with an EU diploma. Registration in France, Sweden or Ireland runs under the same directive; language is usually the bigger hurdle rather than the diploma itself. For research and academic careers, a university with seven faculties and a county emergency hospital as its teaching hospital offers more connections than the size of the city might suggest. We've covered in detail which paths a European medical degree opens up worldwide in our overview article Career Paths with an EU Medical Degree.

You can also complete clinical electives at German hospitals during semester breaks, and many students use this to build contacts early on for later applications. Whether and how these are credited is decided by the relevant authority in Germany. We remain your point of contact after enrolment too, for electives as well as for the practical year and starting your career.

Switching, transferring, and returning to Germany

Transferring to a German faculty at an advanced stage is possible, but not something you can count on. You need an available place, and the receiving faculty alone decides which credits from Târgu Mureș it will recognise. The number of such places is small.

One point needs to be stated clearly: since 2023, the Romanian intermediate examination has no longer been recognised in Germany as equivalent to the Physikum. So if you're considering switching back after the preclinical stage, don't treat that as a built-in step. In my experience, the students who are happiest are those who commit to the full path abroad from the start – a later switch then becomes a bonus rather than a condition. We've described how the credit-transfer process works in detail in the article Switching Back to Germany. The ECTS system and your Transcript of Records help with this; keep it safe after every academic year.

Life in Târgu Mureș: the city, getting around, costs

Târgu Mureș is a city of short distances. There are rarely more than a few kilometres between the university, the hospital, student halls and the city centre, and much of it can be covered on foot or by bike. The old town, with its Culture Palace and fortress, is worth seeing, and the bilingual character gives the city its own identity.

Housing is a clear advantage of this location. An apartment in the centre costs around €260 a month, and a place in a student hall costs €50 to €60. Overall, budget for €400 to €600 a month. As of 13 August 2026, Numbeo lists a monthly public transport pass at 120 lei, roughly €24, and a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at 40 lei, around €8. Shortly before the semester starts, though, the private rental market does get tight, so it pays to search early.

For trips home, there's Transilvania International Airport, 14 kilometres southwest of the city, served among others by Wizz Air, with routes to Budapest and Bergamo, for example. Alternatively, you can connect via Cluj-Napoca or Bucharest. The journey isn't a quick hop, and it's worth factoring that honestly into your travel budget.

Settling in comes easily in Târgu Mureș. The international student community is large enough that you're not on your own, and small enough that people know each other. Groceries, transport and leisure activities cost noticeably less than in Germany, which takes some pressure off daily life. Winter sports in the Carpathians and trips to Sighișoara or Brașov are all easily reachable from here.

Who this location suits

Târgu Mureș suits you well if you want to study in English, prefer a manageable setting over a big-city campus, and value having a large teaching hospital right on your doorstep. The low cost of living is a real argument too: it noticeably softens the impact of the fees. If you're looking for nightlife, big-city amenities and direct flights in every direction, you'll be less happy here.

My assessment: Târgu Mureș is one of the most solid locations in Romania, because the combination of a long-established faculty, a large teaching hospital and low living costs rarely comes together this well. Whether this location or another suits your situation is best worked out together – we have a suitable partner university for almost every case. Get in touch for a free consultation.