Studying to become a doctor or dentist in Slovakia: how an international applicant gets in

Who medical education in Slovakia suits

Medical faculties in Slovakia are public, full-time study in Slovak is free of charge, and a degree in medicine, dentistry or pharmacy is recognised across the EU under the common European rules. The price you pay is of a different kind: a demanding entrance test and Slovak at B2 by the first of September.

It does not suit those who want to "try medicine" without biology and chemistry, or who count on studying free of charge in English — that option does not exist. General requirements for international applicants are on the admission after high school page.

Where to study: faculties and programmes

Medicine is taught by four faculties in three cities and pharmacy by two universities; all of them are public.

Comenius University brings together three of the faculties in the table — LF, JLF and FaF — so start with the Comenius University profile. The other universities, their dormitories and admission conditions are in the university catalogue.

Is studying medicine in Slovakia free?

Yes — on programmes taught in Slovak in full-time form there is no tuition fee, for Slovaks and internationals alike, within the standard length of study (6 years for medicine and dentistry, 5 for pharmacy). For years beyond that the university may charge.

Programmes in English (General Medicine, Dentistry) are offered by LF UK, JLF UK, LF UPJŠ and SZU — these are fee-paying, roughly 9,000–12,000 euros a year; the amounts differ and are revised, so check on the university website. Selection there also runs through the biology and chemistry test.

• the application fee — a few dozen euros, the exact figure is on the faculty website;
• the dormitory or rent, insurance, transport and food — see the section on living costs;
• textbooks and atlases — a one-off purchase, some are available in the library;
• the faculty's preparatory courses — fee-paying and optional.

Entrance exams: what you sit and how to prepare

For všeobecné and zubné lekárstvo every faculty runs a written test in biology and chemistry — in person, in June, usually on a single day. The key point: faculties publish question banks (modelové otázky) from which the test is compiled — several thousand multiple-choice items. For pharmacy and nursing the format is gentler: some faculties select on school grades, others run a test; check for the specific year.

1. Autumn of the final school year — take the faculty's sample questions and see what share you can answer straight away.
2. Buy the question banks of the faculties you are applying to: the topics overlap, the wording does not.
3. Cover the Slovak grammar school syllabus: biology (the cell, genetics, human anatomy and physiology) and chemistry (general, inorganic, organic, biochemistry).
4. The faculty's preparatory course (prípravný kurz) runs from winter, partly online; its main value is getting used to the wording in Slovak.
5. Practise against the clock: there is little time and many questions.
6. Learn the terminology together with the language: the terms are Latin and Greek, and they are easy to learn as a block.

Documents and deadlines: the medical applicant's calendar

Medicine is the only field where most faculties close applications at the end of February, while other bachelor's programmes accept them until the end of March or April. That means starting the recognition of your certificate in winter and finishing the choice of faculties before the New Year.

1. September to November: choice and the start of the language

   Two or three faculties plus a reserve option (pharmacy, nursing, UVLF). Begin Slovak and test preparation at the same time.
2. December to January: recognition of the certificate

   The certificate (or a school statement of grades) is translated by a sworn translator and filed for recognition — see the guide to nostrification of a school certificate. The decision is usually needed by enrolment.
3. By the end of February: the online application

   The e-prihláška on the faculty website, payment of the fee, a copy of the certificate or a school statement, and at some faculties a medical certificate (potvrdenie od lekára). A separate application for each faculty.
4. April to May: the exam invitation

   The faculty sends a pozvánka with the date and place; if needed, apply for a short-stay visa for the trip.
5. June: the exam

   The written test in biology and chemistry in person; the admission decision follows within a few weeks.
6. July to August: visa and dormitory

   Right after the decision — the application for temporary residence for the purpose of study and confirmation of a dormitory place.
7. September: zápis

   Personal enrolment with the originals and the recognition decision. Missing the zápis means losing your place.

Language: what level of Slovak you need

By September a first-year medical student needs Slovak at B2: lectures in anatomy and biochemistry, seminars, and from the third or fourth year patients in the clinic. Some faculties ask for a certificate or run their own check, others look only at the test result. Check the rule at your faculty, but learn the language regardless of the formalities.

• Speakers of Russian, Ukrainian or Belarusian pick Slovak up faster: B1–B2 is achievable in 9–10 months of regular lessons.
• Medical terminology is Latin and Greek; Latin is taught as a separate subject in the first year.
• Read the question banks in Slovak — you prepare for the test and build vocabulary at the same time.
• A summer intensive course in Slovakia before the first year removes the barrier before lectures start.

How to fit the language into a single year is covered in our guide to Slovak for admission (see the "Read also" block below); common questions are answered in the FAQ.

How the studies are organised and what follows the degree

The first three years are theory: anatomy, histology, biochemistry, physiology, pathology. From the fourth year comes clinical training in university hospitals: UN Bratislava for LF UK and SZU, UN Martin for JLF UK, UNLP Košice for LF UPJŠ. Summer placements are compulsory. It ends with the state exams and the title MUDr. (medicine), MDDr. (dentistry) or Mgr. (pharmacy).

After that a doctor moves on to specialisation (špecializačné štúdium) — several years of supervised hospital work; Slovakia runs state residency programmes. A dentist may practise straight away, a pharmacist can work in a pharmacy. In another EU country the degree is recognised under the common European rules; outside the EU it follows that country's rules, which is beyond our field.

Chances, application strategy and living costs in three cities

Competition for general medicine is markedly higher than for other fields, and for dentistry higher still. International applicants sit the same test on equal terms — there are no quotas, so strategy matters more than luck.

• Apply to two or three faculties: LF UK as the target, JLF UK or LF UPJŠ as the realistic option. The exams are usually on different days.
• Keep a reserve option with softer selection: pharmacy at FaF UK or UVLF, nursing, physiotherapy. After a year you can reapply from there — by then with the language.
• Do not overrate the capital: the degrees are equivalent, and living in Martin or Košice is noticeably cheaper.
• Factor in the dormitory: places are scarce in Bratislava and easier to get in Martin and Košice.

For a closer figure for your city and type of housing, use the cost of study and living calculator.

Typical mistakes of medical applicants

1. Starting after New Year

   Neither the recognition nor the preparation fits before the February deadline. Plan from the autumn of your final school year.
2. Preparing from textbooks instead of the question bank

   The test is compiled from published questions — your competitors have worked through them.
3. One application to one faculty

   One bad day at the exam and the year is lost.
4. "I will learn Slovak in the first year"

   The volume of material leaves no time for the language. B2 by September.
5. Leaving the visa and dormitory until August

   The decision arrives in June or July; those who hesitate are late for the zápis.
6. No reserve option

   Pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy or UVLF let you avoid losing a year.

FAQ