Study · Medicine

How does an international student study medicine in Ukraine?

Published 29 October 2026 · facts checked against the primary sources on 2026-10-29 · Ukraine For ALL, Kyiv

What people abroad call MBBS is, in Ukrainian law, a master's degree in speciality 222 "Medicine", listed in the current classification as I2 "Medicine" in field I "Health care and social welfare". The rules below come from the Law on Higher Education, Cabinet of Ministers Resolutions No. 758 and No. 334, and the Ministry of Education orders on admission and recognition.

What degree does a medical student get?

A master's degree of medical orientation. Article 5(5) of Law No. 1556-VII lets it be earned on the basis of complete general secondary education, with a programme of 300–360 ECTS credits. There is no separate bachelor's stage: a school leaver enters year one of the master's programme.

The state portal for international students describes medical programmes the same way: on-campus only, no online option.

How do you choose a university?

Check two things before you apply: the university holds a licence for higher education, and the medicine programme is accredited. Resolution No. 758 lets only such institutions take foreign students (para. 1). Each higher education institution can be looked up in the public register of the Unified State Electronic Database on Education, registry.edbo.gov.ua.

The offer a university sends you through the e-system must state the programme, the expiry of its accreditation certificate, the study format, the duration, the entry tests, the price and the start date (Resolution No. 758, para. 3). That offer becomes part of your contract, so read the accreditation date against the six years you plan to study.

How does admission work for medicine?

It follows the general procedure described in how international students enrol at a Ukrainian university:

1. Create an electronic cabinet in the state e-system and apply to up to 20 programmes for one 3,100 UAH fee (Resolution No. 758, para. 5; studyinukraine.gov.ua).
2. Upload your school-leaving certificate with its annex, your passport and a colour photo. The certificate needs an apostille or consular legalisation in the issuing country before enrolment.
3. The university answers within five working days (para. 7). If you accept its offer, the system issues an electronic invitation valid for six months.
4. Apply for a type D student visa, enter Ukraine and file for a temporary residence permit after enrolment.

Degree students are enrolled twice a year, until 1 November and until 1 March (MON Order No. 1541, para. 6). Each university sets its own entrance tests and earlier deadlines in its admission rules and publishes them on its website.

What does it cost?

The state portal run by the Ukrainian State Center for International Education gives an average range of EUR 1,500–5,000 a year for medical programmes, depending on the university, the city and the language of instruction. The exact price is the one in your educational offer.

Which exams does a medical student sit?

The unified state qualification exam replaces the usual final exam for the health care field. Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 334, in its version of 25 February 2026, sets these components for speciality 222 / I2 "Medicine":

Under martial law the international foundations-of-medicine exam is not held (Resolution No. 334, para. 4-1), so students currently sit KROK, the English test and the clinical exam.

KROK is a standardised test built by the MOH Centre for Quality of Education, which also marks it centrally (paras. 2, 11). The clinical exam is held by an examination commission at the university (para. 8). You are admitted only without academic debt.

Three rules matter in wartime. A student who is outside Ukraine may sit KROK and the English test by computer at an approved testing centre abroad and pays that centre's fee (para. 4-1). The clinical exam may be held remotely by the university's commission (para. 4-1). A student who fails a component may resit it up to two times under martial law, against once in normal times, and pays for each resit (paras. 13, 13-1).

How is your school certificate recognised?

A foreign school-leaving certificate passes recognition under the second procedure of MON Order No. 504, for documents on general secondary education. You file before studies start or within the first month, and recognition must finish within the first year (section IV, paras. 10–11). The decision comes within 45 calendar days of a complete file and the certificate of recognition has no expiry date (section VII, paras. 5, 8). The full procedure is in recognition of foreign diplomas in Ukraine.

A refusal is serious. The university expels the student within two weeks of the refusal notice (Resolution No. 758, para. 11).

Where people get stuck

• Unaccredited programmes. An offer from an institution without an accredited programme gives no lawful basis for the invitation or the visa.
• The certificate left unlegalised. The apostille or legalisation is done in the country that issued the certificate, and it has to be done before enrolment.
• Planning for distance study. Medicine is closed to part-time and distance study for foreigners, so the plan has to include living in Ukraine.
• Recognition at home ignored. A Ukrainian degree is valid in Ukraine. Your home regulator decides whether you may practise there.

FAQ

Can I study medicine in Ukraine in English?

Yes, where the university has decided so and states it in the programme description. Article 48(3) of Law No. 1556-VII allows a university to teach one, several or most subjects in English, and Article 48(4) lets private universities teach in an official EU language with Ukrainian kept as a separate subject. The professional English test is a component of KROK 1.

How many years is medicine in Ukraine?

The programme carries 300–360 ECTS credits (Law No. 1556-VII, Art. 5(5)). Resolution No. 334 places the second stage of the state exam in the sixth year of study for speciality 222 / I2 "Medicine", which matches a six-year programme.

Can I study medicine in Ukraine online?

No. MON Order No. 1541, para. 3, closes part-time and distance study for foreigners in the health care field of knowledge, and the state portal says medical programmes are delivered on campus only.

Do I need NEET or another entrance exam?

MON Order No. 1541 leaves entrance tests to each university. Admission rests on entrance examinations, the academic rights your school certificate gives in its country of origin and your grades, with the requirements published in the university's admission rules (para. 6). Your home country may set its own conditions, such as an entrance test, for recognising a foreign medical degree later.

Can I sit KROK if I am outside Ukraine?

Under martial law, yes. A student enrolled in a health care speciality who is abroad may take KROK and the professional English test by computer at an approved testing centre, paying that centre's fee (Resolution No. 334, para. 4-1).