Study Medicine at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was founded in 1926 and, with more than 74,000 students, is one of the largest public universities in Greece. Its Faculty of Medicine includes seven university hospitals and 82 medical departments. The English-taught Medicine programme lasts six years, with cohorts capped at 60 students. Admission is based on the university's own selection procedure, not on your school-leaving grade.

Dean and professors

Since 2025, Prof. Dr. Stefanos Triaridis has led the School of Medicine (Τμήμα Ιατρικής) as its elected chair. The ENT specialist earned his doctorate at the faculty in 2005 and completed a fellowship in head and neck cancer surgery at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London; in June 2025 he was re-elected for a further three-year term with 302 of 363 votes cast.

• Prof. Dr. Kyriakos Anastasiadis – cardiac surgeon and director of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at AHEPA University Hospital; formerly chair of the School of Medicine and, since June 2025, Rector of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
• Prof. Dr. Georgios Tsoulfas – surgeon specialising in transplant surgery, vice-chair of the School of Medicine and World President of the International College of Surgeons; in 2025 he was one of 103 surgeons worldwide inducted into the American College of Surgeons' Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.
• Prof. Dr. Apostolos Tsapas – internist specialising in diabetology, head of the Division of Internal Medicine and director of the 2nd Propaedeutic Department of Internal Medicine; completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism and at the Mayo Clinic.

Accreditations of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece

Is Aristotle University of Thessaloniki a state-accredited university? Yes. It is one of the largest public universities in Greece and is accredited by the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE), the national authority responsible for the quality assurance and accreditation of Greek higher education.

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’s School of Medicine is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, the internationally recognised directory of medical schools maintained by WFME and FAIMER.

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

The programme lasts six years. In years one and two you complete the pre-clinical phase with anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology and embryology. From the third year, the clinical phase follows with internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, gynaecology, neurology and psychiatry; the Faculty of Medicine includes seven university hospitals and 82 departments. The final year is practical and works like a full clinical internship year. English-taught cohorts are capped at 60 students.

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.

The tuition fee is 6,000 EUR per semester. Before making any decision, ask the International Office to confirm the amount in writing, specifying whether accommodation, insurance, and registration fees are included.

Additional one-off costs include the application fee, visa, health insurance, travel, and usually a deposit for accommodation. Budget approx. 600 EUR per month for living costs.

Greece is a member of the European Union, so a degree from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki falls under the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC and is recognised automatically throughout the EU/EEA and in Switzerland. No equivalence assessment or knowledge test is required — even though you studied in English.

You apply for your licence to practise with the competent authority of the country where you want to work. Most countries ask for proof of medical-level proficiency in their national language, and processing times vary.

After that, specialist training is open to you on the same terms as graduates of domestic medical schools. With seven university hospitals and 82 departments, and an English-taught cohort capped at 60 students, Thessaloniki gives you both clinical breadth and personal supervision — an asset in Greece and in every other EU member state.

27 °C in July, a mild 4 °C in January and an annual average of just over 15 °C: Thessaloniki has exactly the climate you would expect from Greece — Mediterranean and sunny, with dry summers and winters that rarely get truly cold. The city lies directly on the Thermaic Gulf, and the Nea Paralia seafront promenade stretches for kilometres along the bay — in the evening, half of Thessaloniki goes for a stroll there.

For swimming, most people head a little further out. Agia Triada, one of the best-known city beaches, is about 22 kilometres south of the centre and reachable by bus every half hour; with more time, the Chalkidiki peninsula is a good hour's drive away. Thessaloniki Makedonia Airport (SKG) is only about 13 kilometres south-east of the city centre.

From there, direct flights connect you with many major European cities, operated by Aegean, Ryanair and other airlines — so getting home for the semester break is usually just one flight.