Study Medicine or Dentistry in Famagusta (Gazimağusa)

Eastern Mediterranean University at a glance

Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU, Doğu Akdeniz Üniversitesi in Turkish) opened in 1979 as the Institute of Higher Technology with 105 students and became a state university in 1986. According to the university, its campus lies about 3 km from the centre of Famagusta (Gazimağusa), a port city on the east coast of Northern Cyprus.

Times Higher Education (THE) data for 2026 put EMU at around 14,700 students, 72% of them international, and the university reports students from 108 countries. EMU sits in the 601–800 band of the THE World University Rankings 2026 and at 691 in the QS World University Rankings 2026. It states that all its programmes are recognised by YÖDAK, the higher education authority of Northern Cyprus, and by YÖK, the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye.

The Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Medicine took its first students in 2012–13 and is accredited by TEPDAD, the Turkish association for medical education accreditation. Medicine is a joint programme with Marmara University in Istanbul: years 1 to 3 take place in Famagusta, clinical years 4 to 6 at Marmara University, and both faculties sign the diploma. Dentistry runs jointly with the University of Health Sciences in Türkiye, while pharmacy is taught entirely in Famagusta.

Important for 2026: recognition

EMU is an established university, and its teaching is not the issue. What matters is the political status of Northern Cyprus: several countries do not recognise degrees from there, including North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Morocco. If you plan to work outside Turkey and Northern Cyprus, clarify this early in your studies.

• Medicine: 6 years in English, run jointly with Marmara University. Years 1 to 3 in Famagusta, clinical years 4 to 6 in Istanbul; both faculties sign the diploma.
• Dentistry: 5 years, run jointly with the University of Health Sciences in Türkiye. Years 1 and 2 in Famagusta in English, years 3 to 5 in Türkiye in Turkish.
• Pharmacy: Master of Pharmacy (5 years) or Pharm.D. (6 years), taught entirely in English in Famagusta; the Pharm.D. holds provisional international accreditation from ACPE.

How the programmes at EMU are structured

Medicine (6 years): a one-year English preparatory year may come first. Years 1 to 3 take place at EMU in Famagusta, years 4 to 6 at Marmara University in Istanbul. Teaching is in English, and international students also take Turkish courses for patient contact. In June 2023, EMU reported that 34 joint-programme graduates received their diplomas in Istanbul after clinical training at Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital.

Dentistry (5 years): years 1 and 2 are at EMU, years 3 to 5 at the University of Health Sciences in Türkiye. The programme starts in English, but the clinical years are taught in Turkish; the programme page gives an overall split of 30% English and 70% Turkish.

Pharmacy (5 or 6 years): the five-year Master of Pharmacy and the six-year Pharm.D. are taught entirely in English in Famagusta. ACPE, the US pharmacy accreditation council, lists the Pharm.D. with provisional international accreditation until January 2027.

A transfer is easiest to plan in the early years, because preclinical credits compare well with European curricula. For medicine, that means mainly the years in Famagusta, before the clinical phase in Istanbul begins.

Medschool Experts does not place students at Eastern Mediterranean University. The reason is recognition, not teaching: a degree from Northern Cyprus is not recognised in many countries, and we do not want anyone starting medical school to carry that risk.

Still looking for a place to study? Explore the alternatives at our partner universities.

Already studying at EMU? A transfer to a recognised university in Europe may be the right move, especially if you plan to work outside Turkey and Northern Cyprus. In a free consultation, we look at the options open to you.

Tuition fees and living costs

For new international students in 2026–27, EMU lists an annual medicine fee of about €12,577 to €15,723, depending on the scholarship level. Dentistry costs about €8,668 to €10,748 and pharmacy about €4,754 to €6,613 a year. The fees include the Student Services Fund, VAT and registration. EMU publishes its fees in US dollars; we converted them at the ECB rate of 16 September 2026 (€1 = USD 1.1537).

For day-to-day life, EMU quotes about USD 300 to 500 a month excluding rent and textbooks, plus USD 1,200 to 3,000 a year for housing. Together that comes to approx. €350 to €650 per month.

Worked example: what the remaining years cost

EMU lists the medicine fee in its 30% scholarship column as USD 18,140, about €15,723 a year. A student who has finished year 2 has four years left: roughly €62,900 in tuition, before rent and travel. After year 1 it would be about €78,600, after year 3 about €47,200. The fee table does not say whether a different amount applies during the Marmara years, so confirm this with EMU. Either way, tuition paid for a degree your target country does not recognise is money at risk.

Degree recognition: the political problem

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is recognised as a state only by Turkey. In 1983, UN Security Council Resolution 541 declared its proclamation legally invalid. Universities in the north fall under YÖDAK, the TRNC higher education authority, and many also under YÖK in Türkiye – EMU says this applies to all its programmes. For many other countries, that changes nothing:

• North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia: from our placement work in 2026, we know that these countries do not recognise degrees from Northern Cyprus and that transferring from there to their universities is not possible.
• Morocco: equivalence for Northern Cyprus degrees has been frozen since May 2024 on the instructions of the Foreign Ministry. Morocco World News (March 2026) and Yabiladi (April and July 2026) report about 3,000 to 3,500 affected Moroccan students and graduates, and there were protests in Rabat in 2026.
• Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and the UAE: reported by Cyprus Today in December 2020 as no longer recognising TRNC institutions.
• EU countries: automatic recognition under EU Directive 2005/36/EC applies only to degrees from EU member states. Northern Cyprus lies in practice outside the EU legal framework, because the EU acquis is suspended in the north, so authorities review its degrees individually.

Do not confuse this with the Republic of Cyprus in the south, which is an EU member state.

The joint diploma with Marmara University does not settle the question automatically either. EMU states that its medicine graduates can practise in Turkey and Northern Cyprus without further equivalency exams. How other countries assess the diploma is up to their own authorities.

The problem is not the quality of teaching, but the political status of Northern Cyprus.

Famagusta (Gazimağusa) is a port city on the east coast of Cyprus and, according to EMU, the second-largest city in Northern Cyprus. The campus is about 3 km from the centre, and the walled old town with its Venetian fortifications is close by. Beaches such as Glapsides and Palm Beach are near the city.

The climate is Mediterranean, with long, dry summers and short, rainy winters. EMU gives an average annual temperature of about 19°C for Northern Cyprus and a swimming season from April to October.

The only international airport in the north is Ercan (ECN) near Nicosia, which EMU describes as about a 40-minute drive from Famagusta. Flights to Ercan operate via Türkiye, usually with a connection in Istanbul.

Daily life is quieter and cheaper than in Western Europe, and there are student residences on and around campus. Keep in mind that medicine students live in Istanbul from year 4 and dentistry students in Türkiye from year 3, where living costs differ.