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

What medical faculties are there in Ukraine?

Around 35 universities hold a license for the medicine program. The best known with English-language programs are Bogomolets University Kyiv, Pyrohov University Vinnytsia, Danylo Halytsky University Lviv, National Medical University Kharkiv, University of Dnipro, University of Odesa, Horbachevsky University Ternopil, University of Ivano-Frankivsk, Bukovyna University Chernivtsi, University of Zaporizhzhia, University of Poltava, and the Medical Institute of Sumy University.

Several universities have been relocated and continue under their old name: the National Medical University of Donetsk now operates in Kropyvnytskyi, the State Medical University of Luhansk in Rivne. Anyone reviewing an offer with one of these names should ask where instruction actually takes place.

Two points that should be clarified before any conversation

First: the Ukrainian degree is a Master's in specialty 222 Medicine. "MBBS" is not a Ukrainian degree designation — the term comes from international recruitment marketing.

Second: state Ukrainian universities almost exclusively use addresses ending in edu.ua. Sites like knmu.net or zsmu.com.ua belong to intermediaries, not the universities.

Why do students transfer from Ukraine?

The reasons we encounter most often have little to do with academic quality.

The proportion of online teaching. Some universities explicitly teach entirely online, others in person, many hybrid. For the later equivalency assessment in Germany, what matters is that the practical components are verifiable. A clinical year completed predominantly online is not a formal exclusion criterion, but a risk that is difficult to calculate.

The post-diploma practical phase. Under Ukrainian law, medical training is only complete with the one- to three-year internship. German authorities require proof of complete training. Non-Ukrainians are generally unable to complete the standard internship for residency permit reasons — the Bremen Administrative Court explicitly confirmed this in 2023. Those who discover this point only at the end of their studies face a problem that is virtually impossible to resolve after the fact.

Safety and planning certainty. There is a travel warning for Ukraine from the German Foreign Office. Many families make the decision not because of the university, but because of the situation.

The language in clinical operations. Instruction runs in English; at the bedside, Ukrainian is required.

Study transfer in five steps

1. Gather documents. Transcript of Records with ECTS points and grades, curriculum with contact hours, enrollment certificate, school diploma. The more complete the course descriptions, the higher the credit recognition will be.

2. Free initial assessment. We review the documents and tell you which year of study an entry is realistic for and which locations are suitable.

3. Formal review by the target university. The faculty makes a binding decision on credit recognition. We prepare the documents as the respective faculty expects them.

4. Application and admission. Certifications, apostilles, translations, deadlines. We accompany this completely.

5. Enrollment and settling in. Housing, residence permit, insurance, local contacts.

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Where you can transfer to

Medical Faculty Foča (Bosnia and Herzegovina) — one of our core locations, around 3,500 euros per academic year. Foča typically grants very high credit recognition, so entry is frequently into a higher year of study. For transfers with solid ECTS documentation, this is the location with the least time loss.

University of Niš (Serbia) — around 6,000 euros per academic year, six-year program, English-language curriculum, well-developed clinical operations.

MediCampus Europeo Malta — around 14,500 euros per academic year, English-language, EU member state. The degree is automatically recognized under the EU Professional Qualifications Directive. This is the most expensive but formally clearest pathway.

How high the credit recognition turns out depends on the individual case

All three locations enable the highest possible credit recognition with no or minimal time loss through us. However, every case is assessed individually. As a general rule: typically no more than two exams may be outstanding, and their ECTS points must not exceed a maximum. Those in the middle of a semester with several exams still ahead should finish first and then transfer — which is why the consultation pays off early.

What the transfer costs

Ukrainian tuition fees for English-language programs range from approximately 3,500 to 5,000 US dollars per academic year depending on the university. Ternopil lists 3,500 in the first year and 4,100 US dollars in subsequent years, Ivano-Frankivsk 4,000, Zaporizhzhia 4,500 to 5,000, Odesa 3,500 to 5,000 on a sliding scale.

Foča at 3,500 euros is in the same range, Niš at 6,000 euros slightly above, Malta at 14,500 euros considerably above. When calculating for Malta, weigh what you save on the knowledge examination and waiting time — with an EU degree, the procedure under Section 3 of the Federal Medical Licensing Code is waived entirely.

There are also one-time costs for certifications, apostilles, and translations. We factor these in during the initial consultation so you have no surprises.

Why early consultation pays off

The most common mistake is waiting. Those who ask after the fourth year of study have less room for maneuver than someone who asks after the second — not because a transfer would be impossible then, but because credit recognition is tied to completed semesters and the deadlines of target universities are fixed.

The initial consultation is free and non-binding. Often the result is also that remaining in Ukraine is the better decision. We tell you that too.

If your studies are running entirely or predominantly online, also read our article on online studies in Ukraine — it deals specifically with the recognition of digital semesters.