Studying Medicine and Dentistry in North Macedonia

The most established institution offering medical education in North Macedonia is the Faculty of Medicine at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University (UKIM) in Skopje. Programmes are offered in both Macedonian and English, with annual fees for foreign students around EUR 2,600. Goce Delcev University in Štip offers a lower-cost Macedonian-medium programme and approximately EUR 3,500 per year for English-medium study.

In dentistry, UKIM's STOMFAK faculty charges approximately EUR 6,000 per year for its English-medium programme. MIT University in Skopje offers a Turkish-language dentistry programme — a notable option for Turkish students — at around EUR 5,000 per year. Medical studies last 6 years; dentistry is 5 years. Fees may vary by institution and programme; we recommend confirming directly with the university before applying.

Foreign students are generally required to submit an apostille-certified translated high school diploma and transcript, a nostrification (recognition) decision from North Macedonia's Ministry of Education, and valid health insurance. A language proficiency certificate (IELTS, TOEFL or equivalent) is required for English-medium programme applications. No Turkish university entrance exam (YKS) is needed; direct application with a high school diploma is possible.

Registration periods are typically between August and September. The full document list required for application may vary from university to university. Contact us for guidance on the student visa and residence permit process.

UKIM's Faculty of Medicine is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and ECFMG, which allows graduates to sit international licensing exams such as USMLE and PLAB. Since North Macedonia is an EU candidate country rather than a member, automatic mutual recognition of medical diplomas under EU Directive 2005/36/EC does not apply; a separate application and evaluation process is required in each EU country.

Reliable information on how foreign-national doctors can work in North Macedonia after graduation is difficult to verify; we recommend confirming this directly with the North Macedonian Ministry of Health or the Macedonian Medical Chamber.

Following a regulatory amendment to YÖK's (Turkey's Higher Education Council) guidelines that came into force in March 2024, degrees in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and law obtained abroad are only eligible for equivalency applications in Türkiye if the relevant university appears in at least two of the ARWU, CWTS Leiden, QS or THE rankings within the top 1,000. UKIM does not currently appear in the top 1,000 of these rankings.

Conflicting information on this topic circulates publicly; rather than relying on verbal statements from any consulting firm, we strongly recommend applying directly through YÖK's official equivalency portal (denklik.yok.gov.tr) for a current, case-specific assessment, and contacting YÖK in writing if necessary. Taking this step before making your study decision is of critical importance.