Study Medicine in Valletta – MediCampus Europeo (MCE)

MediCampus Europeo is a private medical campus in the historic centre of Valletta, organisationally linked to the public Trakia University in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. The English-taught programme comprises twelve semesters and 360 ECTS and leads to the Doctor of Medicine degree awarded by Trakia University. There are 50 places per cohort, and teaching takes place in groups of about ten students. Simulation training starts in the first year, and clinical training from the third year can be completed at hospitals in several European countries. The campus is licensed by Malta's Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA, licence 2024-020).

Dean and professors

Prof. Peter Labas, MD, PhD, leads MediCampus Europeo as Dean. The surgeon and academic previously served for eight years as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Comenius University Bratislava and worked as a surgeon in Malta at Mater Dei Hospital and Gozo General Hospital.

• Prof. Miroslav Karabaliev, PhD – physicist and physics lecturer at MCE; since 2025 Rector of the partner institution Trakia University Stara Zagora, previously Vice-Rector for Science, International Relations and Information, with more than 25 years of academic experience.
• Prof. Dr. Julian Ananiev, MD, PhD – pathologist and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Trakia University Stara Zagora, and in this role part of the academic leadership of the MCE programme.
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lyuba Dineva Miteva, PhD – biologist, lecturer at MCE and Vice-Dean for Research at the Faculty of Medicine of Trakia University.

Accreditations of Trakia University, Faculty of Medicine in Bulgaria

Is the university behind MediCampus Europeo a state-accredited university? Yes. The Doctor of Medicine degree is awarded by Trakia University in Stara Zagora, a public university of Bulgaria, and the university holds institutional accreditation from the National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (NEAA), Bulgaria’s state accreditation authority for higher education (accreditation valid until September 2030). The NEAA is registered with the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) and is a full member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).

Trakia University’s Faculty of Medicine is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, the internationally recognised directory of medical schools maintained by WFME and FAIMER. The Valletta campus itself, MediCampus Europeo, additionally holds a direct licence from Malta’s Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA, licence 2024-020), so the programme is confirmed at both the awarding-university level in Bulgaria and the teaching-campus level in Malta.

• Medicine: twelve semesters, 360 ECTS, taught in English, leading to the Doctor of Medicine awarded by Trakia University in Stara Zagora. The pre-clinical phase establishes the scientific foundations; the clinical phase from the third year adds patient-facing work at European partner hospitals.

The programme comprises twelve semesters and 360 ECTS and is taught entirely in English. Simulation training starts in the very first year, with teaching in groups of about ten students. Clinical training begins in the third year and can be completed at hospitals in several European countries. The final year is practical and works like a full clinical internship year.

The basic requirement is a general higher-education entrance qualification: A-levels, a high-school diploma or an equivalent certificate. There is no grade cap. Admission is decided by a 90-minute subject test in biology and chemistry, and you need a sufficient command of English — B2 is the lower limit — plus a student visa if you come from outside the EU.

There are 50 places per cohort, and they are gone once they are taken, so timing matters more here than at larger faculties. We prepare you specifically for the subject test and submit your application on time.

Whether we can place you at this faculty is something we check individually. In a free consultation we look at your profile, your budget and your personal preferences and tell you concretely where we can place you.

The tuition fee is 7,250 EUR per semester, so 14,500 EUR per year and 87,000 EUR over the full twelve semesters. That covers teaching and examinations on campus. 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, the subject test, the visa, health insurance, travel and usually a deposit for accommodation. Study materials run through all twelve semesters.

Budget 800 to 900 EUR per month for living costs. That is higher than at most locations in south-eastern Europe, mainly because of rents: most students share a flat in Sliema, Gzira or another neighbouring town rather than in the old town of Valletta, which has around 6,000 inhabitants and is under UNESCO protection throughout.

MediCampus Europeo is located in Valletta, Malta, but the degree is awarded by Trakia University in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. You therefore earn a Bulgarian Doctor of Medicine — and Bulgaria is a member of the European Union. Bulgarian medical degrees are listed in Annex V of the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC, so the degree is recognised automatically throughout the EU/EEA and in Switzerland, without an equivalence assessment and without a knowledge test.

What remains is the language requirement. If you want to practise in a country whose language is not your native language and in which you have not previously lived, two proofs are usually required: a general language examination at level B2 in the national language, and a specialist medical language examination in that same language. The knowledge test that graduates from outside the EU have to sit does not apply to this degree.

You apply for your licence to practise with the competent authority of the country where you want to work; processing times vary. After that, you can begin specialist training on the same terms as graduates of domestic medical schools. Clinical training at hospitals in several European countries from the third year fits a degree that counts across the whole Union — and with English as an official language in Malta alongside Maltese, the English-speaking job market is within easy reach too.

Valletta sits on a narrow peninsula between two natural harbours, and the sea is visible from almost every street. The beach is never far: the Sliema waterfront is about 10 minutes away by ferry across the Grand Harbour, and the sandy Golden Bay is around 13 kilometres or 25 minutes by car.

Malta has one of the mildest climates in Europe. The annual average is around 19 °C; in winter (December to February) temperatures rarely drop below 13 °C, and in summer they reach 25–26 °C. Short, mild winters and long, dry summers shape island life all year round.

Malta International Airport (MLA) is about 8 kilometres, or 15–20 minutes by car, from Valletta, with direct flights to many European cities.