Study Medicine in Szczecin (Stettin)

Pomeranian Medical University (PUM) in Szczecin was founded in 1948 and is one of Poland's established state medical universities. Its English-taught programme is among the oldest in the country — PUM has been training international students in Medicine since the mid-1990s, alongside a five-year English-taught Dentistry programme. Practical training takes place at the university's two affiliated teaching hospitals.

For students based in northwestern Europe, this location offers outstanding connectivity: Szczecin is about 15 kilometres from the German border and just two hours by train from Berlin, with excellent onward connections to the rest of Europe.

Dean and professors

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin (PUM) is led by Prof. Dr. hab. med. Edyta Paczkowska as Dean. The specialist in haematology and internal medicine works at the Department of Haematology with Bone Marrow Transplantation at PUM's University Hospital No. 1.

• Prof. Dr. hab. med. Bogusław Machaliński — stem-cell researcher and specialist in haematology and transplant medicine, currently serves as Rector of PUM; he was himself Dean of the Faculty of Medicine from 2005 to 2012 and has authored more than 220 scientific publications.
• Prof. Dr. hab. med. Jerzy Samochowiec — psychiatrist specialising in addiction genetics and pharmacogenetics, Vice-Rector for Science at PUM; he served as President of the Polish Psychiatric Association from 2019 to 2022 and is editor-in-chief of the journal "Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy," with more than 300 publications.
• Prof. Dr. hab. med. Aneta Cymbaluk-Płoska — specialist in gynaecology and gynaecological oncology, Vice-Rector for Teaching at PUM since 2024 and head of the Department of Reconstructive Gynaecology and Oncology since 2022; she is a member of Poland's National Bioethics Committee.

• Medicine: The Medicine programme leads to a medical degree. The pre-clinical phase establishes the scientific foundations; the clinical phase adds patient-facing work.

Medicine takes six years. The first two years focus on the pre-clinical foundations: anatomy with dissection course, physiology, biochemistry and histology. Alongside this, you learn Polish for later patient contact — a compulsory subject at all Polish medical faculties. From the third year, clinical subjects take centre stage, each with placements at PUM's university hospitals. The final year of study is largely practical, comparable to the German Praktisches Jahr (practical year). Dentistry follows the same pattern over five years.

The basic requirement for placement at this location is a general higher-education entrance qualification. When placed through Medschool Experts, there is no separate entrance test. Get in touch to find out whether we can place you at this university, and book a free study consultation.

Tuition fees are available on request — contact us for a current fee schedule.

Additional one-off costs include the application fee, visa, health insurance, travel, and usually a deposit for accommodation. Contact us for current living cost estimates.

Poland has been a member of the European Union since 2004, so Pomeranian Medical University degrees fall under the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC. Within the EU and EEA, both Medicine and Dentistry degrees are automatically recognised; neither an equivalence assessment nor a knowledge test is required.

Outside the EU, recognition requirements vary by country. For example, in Switzerland MEBEKO is the responsible authority; other countries have their own procedures. Medschool Experts supports you through the recognition process in your target country.

Szczecin sits at the heart of northwestern Europe, about 130 kilometres from Berlin and 15 kilometres from the German border — with direct train connections to the German capital in under two hours, and excellent onward links to the rest of Europe. Szczecin-Goleniów Airport (SZZ) lies about 40 kilometres north of the city, and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) serves as a nearby hub for longer-haul flights.

The climate is mild: the Baltic Sea moderates temperatures, with a July average around 19 degrees and softer winters than further inland. The Baltic coast — including beaches near Międzyzdroje and Świnoujście — is reachable in under two hours.

Rents in Szczecin are low by central European standards, and the city is compact and safe. A growing international student community has made settling in straightforward, and the city offers a lively café and cultural scene to match its manageable size.