Study Transfer from Albania: Switch to Foča, Niš or Malta

Which medical faculties exist in Albania?

State institutions

Universiteti i Mjekësisë, Tiranë (UMT) — the country’s medical university with three faculties: Human Medicine, Dentistry, and Technical Medical Sciences. Teaching language is Albanian; an English-language programme cannot be verified. The fee for domestic students is around 45,000 Lekë, approximately €440. What international students pay is not officially disclosed.

Private institutions

Universiteti Katolik “Zoja e Këshillit të Mirë” (UKZKM) in Tirana and Elbasan — the most interesting address in the country. The university runs two parallel Medicine and Surgery programmes: one in Italian at €4,765 for applicants from the region and €8,339 for other international students, and one in English at €5,000 per academic year. Both last six years with 360 ECTS, of which 78 are in practical-clinical sections, and lead to a joint double degree with the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”.

Western Balkans University (WBU), Tirana — six-year integrated Medicine programme, institutionally accredited by the national agency ASCAL for the maximum duration of six years (2024). Fees: around 750,000 Lekë for domestic students, €12,000 for international students. The university states that it offers programmes in Albanian and English; that the Medicine programme itself is conducted in English is not explicitly confirmed on any official page — this should be clarified in writing before any application.

The special case of the double degree

Because UKZKM awards the degree jointly with “Tor Vergata”, it is often assumed that the result is an Italian and thus EU-wide automatically recognized qualification. This is plausible, but not verified. Whether a German licensing authority treats the degree as a qualification under Annex V of the EU Directive must be clarified on a case-by-case basis with the competent regional authority. Do not rely on a blanket assurance — from anyone.

Why do students transfer from Albania?

The overall cost calculation. At €12,000 at WBU or €8,339 at UKZKM, you are in a price bracket where Foča at around €3,500 or the EU option in Malta genuinely enter the comparison.

The teaching language does not suit every programme. At UMT everything is in Albanian; at UKZKM the larger programme is in Italian — those who are not prepared for this often transfer to an English-language programme.

The degree status of the double degree. Those at UKZKM who do not have written confirmation that the Italian variant counts as an EU qualification under Annex V sometimes prefer a location with an unambiguous EU degree, such as Malta.

Recognition itself is not an obstacle. Albania remains formally a third country, but since the reform of March 2026 this is no longer a disadvantage: from 1 November 2026, the oral knowledge examination under Paragraph 3 of the Federal Medical Licensing Act applies as the standard pathway for physicians from third countries — a case presentation and a clinical discussion of approximately 60 to 90 minutes, submitted digitally. After that, nationwide medical licensure follows. We accompany you through both steps: choosing the right study location and then obtaining recognition in Germany.

How the study transfer works in five steps

1. Gather documents. Transcript of records with ECTS and grades, study plan, enrolment certificate, school leaving certificate. For the double degree, additionally everything that documents the Italian involvement.

2. Free initial assessment. We tell you which academic year is realistic.

3. Formal review by the target university. The faculty makes the binding decision.

4. Application and acceptance. Certifications, apostille, translations, deadlines.

5. Enrolment and arrival.

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Where you can transfer to

Faculty of Medicine Foča (Bosnia and Herzegovina) — one of our core locations, around €3,500 per academic year, English-language programme. Foča generally grants very high year placements. Compared to WBU you save over €8,000 per year here.

University of Niš (Serbia) — around €6,000 per academic year, English-language, six years, well-equipped clinical operations.

MediCampus Europeo Malta — around €14,500 per academic year, EU member state. The degree is automatically recognized under the EU Professional Qualifications Directive. Anyone already paying €12,000 at an Albanian private university should run this comparison: the premium is modest, and the legal certainty is considerably greater.

How high the year placement turns out depends on the individual case

All three locations enable the highest possible placement with no or minimal loss of time through us. Each case is assessed individually. General rule of thumb: usually no more than two examinations may be outstanding, and the ECTS credits of those examinations must not exceed a maximum. UKZKM transcripts are issued in CFU or ECTS — this is a clear advantage for credit recognition.

What the transfer costs

Depending on where you are, the calculation looks very different:

From UMT, the transfer becomes more expensive — you pay around €440 there as a domestic student. Set against this is the fact that you continue studying in English at Foča or Niš, with transcripts cleanly documented in ECTS.

From UKZKM, Foča at €3,500 is cheaper than either Albanian option, Niš at €6,000 falls in between.

From WBU at €12,000, every location except Malta is significantly cheaper — and Malta costs only around €2,500 more, while bringing automatic EU recognition.

On top of this come one-off costs for certifications, apostille, and translations, which we factor into the initial consultation.

Why early advice pays off

With Albania, the initial consultation often focuses not on the transfer itself, but on clarity: What language is your programme actually taught in? What will appear on the degree you receive at the end? Those who have answered these two questions early then make a good decision — even if that decision is to stay.

The initial consultation is free of charge and non-binding.