Dear future students of medicine and dentistry!
Welcome to our page, where you can get 100% accurate and comprehensive information about the Faculty of Medicine in Košice, Slovakia, and get free consultancy and apply to the program of General medicine or Dental medicine! You can apply by clicking here. We offer a wide range of supportive services, such as personal assistance during entrance examination and first months of studies, finding accommodation, sworn translations, or health insurance.
Update 2021: University of Pavel Jozef Safarik is offering also studies of General medicine in Prague, Czech Republic. The lessons will be taught at: U Santošky 17, 150 00, Praha 5. The program is starting from 2021/2022. Entrance exam is needed, while students need to specify in advance, where do they wish to study (either in Kosice or in Prague). Tuition fees are 15000€ per one academic year.
Who are we? We are the official representative of the Faculty of Medicine (University of Pavel Jozef Safarik) in Košice and the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin (Comenius University). If you are looking for the German version of this article, please click here.
How we are different from other agencies? We are located directly in Kosice, which means we help students during their studies in Slovakia. We help with the application procedure, all paperwork related to studies, nostrification of documents, foreign police visits, and on-going support in Kosice during your studies.
Are you here to look for accommodation in Kosice? Then take a look at the article I wrote about ways to find a flat in Kosice: https://medhead.eu/finding-accommodation-in-kosice-international-students/
Contact me for more information – peter.zavacky@meadhead.eu or call us: +421/910 173 958
Applicants usually have plenty of questions and are not able to find answers on the faculty page or elsewhere on the internet. These questions usually range from: „How is the entrance examination in Kosice like?“, „How do I get accommodation?“ to „What is the quality of the Faculty of Medicine in Kosice?“ etc.
We have created this document, where you can find all relevant information about the organization of study, student life, study programs, the application process, or fees related to studies.
If there are still some unanswered questions, do not hesitate to contact us – we are here to help you any day of the week. You can find our contacts under this video as well.
1. Where is Košice located?
2. History of Košice and universities
3. Living costs and your monthly budget in Košice
4. Faculty of Medicine as part of Pavel Jozef Šafarik University
5. Faculty of Medicine – oldest Faculty of University in Košice
6. The most important numbers about the Faculty of Medicine in Košice
7. Study programs in Košice: General Medicine and Dental Medicine
8. International students at the Faculty of Medicine in Košice
9. Entrance examination at the Faculty of Medicine
10. Documents required for the entrance examination
11. Transferring to the Faculty of Medicine in Kosice
12. Scholarships for international students
13. What students should do after passing the entrance examination?
14. Should you appoint an agency?
15. How can our agency help you?
Let’s start and answer these questions one by one.
1. First, let us answer the basic question: where is Košice located?
Košice is located in eastern Slovakia. It has its own airport with a direct connection to Liverpool, Prague, and London-Standsted (as per the 2023 situation- outbound flights), respectively with London Standsted, Vienna, Prague, Liverpool and Dublin (inbound flights). In addition to that, you can also use airports in Budapest, Krakow, Katowice or Bratislava (there are shuttle taxis with regular departments both ways). There are comfortable train and bus connections from any direction. In other words: you can comfortably come to Kosice by plane, train, car, or bus.
2. History of Košice and universities
Kosice has really long history – the first written reference came from the year 1230. The statute of the city was given to Kosice in the year 1241. Košice played an important historical role practically from the 17th century. It has developed into the second biggest city in Slovakia with more than 240.000 inhabitants. Thanks to the many beautiful building of Kosice and reconstructed the main street, Kosice is referred to as one of the most beautiful cities in Slovakia.
You can find 3 universities here: Pavel Jozef Šafárik University, Technical University, and University of Veterinary medicine and Pharmacy. That means that in cafeterias and pubs, you can meet plenty of university students every evening. Students are friendly and have no problem speaking English.
3. Living costs and your monthly budget in Košice
What are the prices in Kosice? Your monthly budget might be around 500€ which covers all of your expenses. For example, beer is 1,50€ at pubs, a monthly ticket for public transportation costs 10€ for students, accommodation at dormitories around 100-150€ and so on.
If you compare this to expenses for example in Germany, where monthly living costs are 800€, you save around 400€ a month or 4000€ for 10 months during 1 academic year in Slovakia.
4. Faculty of Medicine as part of Pavel Jozef Šafarik University
Now – let’s proceed to the institution, which covers the faculty of medicine – Pavel Jozef Safarik University.
University was established on the 28th of November 1959 and has currently more than 7800 students. It is the second oldest university in Slovakia and the successor of the University of Kosice founded in 1657.
You can see the facade of the Rectorate of Pavol Jozef Šafárik university in the picture.
5. Faculty of Medicine – oldest Faculty of the University in Košice
An interesting fact about Faculty is, that it is older than University itself because it was founded in 1948, 11 years before the establishment of the University itself. Since 1992, there are English study programs offered to international students at the Faculty of medicine UPJS: General Medicine and Dental Medicine.
Faculty runs under the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), which is a standard for comparing study attainment and performance of students in higher education in the whole European Union and other collaborative countries. This means, that transfers of completed courses from another university are possible. In other words, you are free to continue your studies here or elsewhere in Europe without problems.
In the picture, the Faculty of Medicine is situated on the left. The tall building next to the Faculty is a University hospital called also the New hospital, where students go for their practicals.
6. The most important numbers about the Faculty of Medicine in Košice
Here is really important information about the Faculty.
There are more than 13.000 graduates since the establishment of the Faculty in 1948.
The reason is simple: the degree is internationally recognized and you can work with it in the European Union (usually language test is required, even for natives studying abroad), USA (after passing USMLE) and in most countries around the world.
You can rely on your degree because the quality of education is ensured by meeting accreditation criteria. In the last complex accreditation process conducted by Pavel Jozef Šafárik University, the Faculty of Medicine gained 3,95 points from a maximum of 4,00 points. Faculty gets this great rating also thanks to the close cooperation with University Hospital.
The hospital, where students go to practicals is located next to the Faculty – but there are 2 more hospitals that cooperate with the Faculty of medicine. It is Stara nemocnica (Old hospital) in Rastislavova street and Private hospital Saca in Kosice-Saca. Students are in direct contact with patients from the early beginnings of their studies (practicals start from 3rd year of studies). Not every patient speaks English of course – that is the reason, why one of the subjects of the curriculum is the Slovak language. It is not easy – but speaking at least the basics of Slovak brings you much closer to your patients.
The great news is, that laboratories and research facilities at Faculty were reconstructed and modernized with European structural funds in recent years.
7. Study programs in Košice: General Medicine and Dental Medicine
I guess you must be really curious about the specifics of study programs for international students.
There are 2 study programs for international students: General medicine and Dental medicine.
General medicine is an undergraduate program taught in the English language. The study of General Medicine lasts for 6 years (12 semesters) and graduates are awarded degrees: Doctor of General Medicine (MUDr.).
During these 6 years, students obtain adequate theoretical knowledge of practical, pre-clinical, and clinical subjects. In practical training, students learn basic preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures.
In comparison to Germany and other countries, there is no numerus clausus (which means limited availability of places for students) – so everyone who passes an entrance examination is enrolled in Faculty! Admission criteria are based completely on the multiple-choice entrance exam, that is organised also by agencies abroad.
Furthermore, you do not need to wait for your results: you get information on whether you are accepted or not, usually within 3-4 working days.
We will speak about an entrance examination later on.
There are 210 students accepted to the program General medicine each year. The fee for studying is 10.500€ per 2 semesters (one year) and is paid in 2 installments (before the start of winter and summer semesters). There was the plan of opening a branch of the faculty in Prague in 2021/2022, but it is still on hold. Make sure to follow us on Facebook in order to get the latest update on entrance exams.
Dental medicine is a second undergraduate study program offered for international students. It lasts 6 years (or 12 semesters) and graduates are awarded degrees: Doctor of Dental medicine. Stress is put on the practical skills of students, so they are able to perform basic stomatology procedures on their own after graduation. Compared to the program of General medicine, 35 students are accepted. The fee for this study program is 11.000€ paid in 2 installments.
8. International students at the Faculty of Medicine in Košice
There are over 1200 international students at the Faculty of Medicine in Kosice (compared with 900 in 2015) and this number is growing continually. Students come from all over the world: Germany, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Spain, Portugal or Italy, but also from Canada, the US and India. Students form groups of 10-15 people, in which they attend seminars and practicals and are free to ask anything teachers.
The Faculty has also foreign lecturers (e.g. Miona Jovanovic that is teaching Dental medicine).
The classes and practicals are completely taught in the English language. Apart from education, students can use also services of counseling – legal counseling, psychological counseling (difficulties with studies, coping with burden situations, psychological difficulties) or social counseling. Students can book their slot and come for the meeting with a counselor.
9. Entrance examination at the Faculty of Medicine
If you decide to apply to the Faculty of Medicine in Košice, you must pass an entrance examination. The entrance examination is held usually in June and August in Kosice and also organised by Medhead in Poland and Greece. The entry test consists of 100 questions from Biology and 100 questions from Chemistry. The test is multiple choice and for every question, a maximum of 4 points may be given to the applicant. For the wrong answer, there is no deduction of points. Applicants may score a maximum of 800 points.
All questions are from one databank, which can be bought from my agency as well. We also offer online preparatory courses with experienced Chemistry and Biology tutors (so far the course is offered in Polish language).
If you want to be sure, that you are accepted, you must score at least 570 points from 800 possible in multiple-choice tests. If you want to prepare, you should revise the basics of chemistry and biology first and then go question by question from the databank. No points are deducted for incorrect answers. You can score 0-4 points (one question has 4 options and you get 1 point for each partially correct answer).
Please note that from the 2019 year, there will be 600 questions from biology and 600 questions from chemistry in the databank. 100 questions from biology and 100 questions from chemistry will be chosen. The minimum level for passing an entrance examination will be 570 points from 800 points (but the level is usually adjusted down due to the fact, that multiple students apply for various universities and then select only one).
10. Documents required for the entrance examination
Which documents will you need, if you decide to apply?
Firstly, go to the portal of Faculty and find e-Application. Your application must be filled out on a computer and then signed. Some fields are a little bit tricky, so do not hesitate to contact the study department of the university or our agency. There is also a special registration form for precise date when you wish to sit an entrance test. Without this paper, you cannot be registered for any entrance exam.
Secondly, you must submit medical confirmation about your physical and mental ability to study. This document cannot be older than 3 months.
Thirdly, submit a scan of your passport or ID.
Fourthly, you need to show, that you paid a 30€ fee to the university (from 2020, the amount can be paid electronically as well). The bank account numbers can be found on the faculty website.
Finally submit the school leaving certificate – the certificate must be certified by a Slovak notary and other public institutions. The procedure is really long and time-consuming. Please contact me in case of any questions.
11. Transferring to the Faculty of Medicine in Kosice
There are students, who are not satisfied with their current university and wish to change it. The Faculty in Kosice is very friendly toward international students and make transfers up to 5th years possible. The most important rule is that students need to pass an entrance exam and then ask for recognition of completed courses from their previous University. My experience is that 80% of transfer students get the year they wish for – you can check the overview of my recent cases. There are a few important rules to remember:
– you can ask for recognition only for courses completed in the last 5 years
– if you passed all exams in your previous University and you are currently still a student, you can ask for a direct transfer without an entrance exam
– you need to obtain the curriculum of completed subjects and transcript of records from your home university stamped by the study office (both documents must be submitted as originals or notary copies)
– the last date to submit papers for recognition is the end of August
There is a lot of paperwork needed to make the transfer possible. If you need help with it, please email me at medhead@medhead.eu
If you study in Poland in English and wish to transfer to Kosice, please check this link . For students from Czech Republic, please follow this link.
12. Scholarships for international students
The next question, which applicants ask quite a lot is: are we eligible for the same scholarships as Slovak students?
The answer is yes, you are. There are various scholarships for students: based on your good study results (you must be among the best 10% of students), based on the great representation of Faculty at conferences or sports competitions and social scholarship.
Concrete sums of the scholarship vary from year to year, so we advise you to ask the International study department.
13. What students should do after passing the entrance examination?
Now imagine the situation: you just passed the entrance exam and are almost a student of the faculty. What you should do after coming to Kosice?
Firstly, enrollment to Faculty is the most important of course. During enrollment, you are about to choose your subjects for the first year of your study (with a minimum of 40 credits, optimally 60 credits).
Secondly, do not forget to pay a scholarship by the end of August – otherwise, you need to pay a penalty for every day of delay. Receipt of payment must be presented on the enrollment day
Thirdly, the Faculty of Medicine is organizing information days for freshers. You can get plenty of information about the organization of study, the faculty itself, or your duties in upcoming semesters there.
Fourthly, do not forget to arrange accommodation. There are guaranteed places for students of medicine at dormitories, where prices start from 83€ a month (the price of a single room is around 150-170€ in a dormitory at Popradska street).
Fifthly, every international student in Slovakia must be insured by commercial insurance. For citizens from European Union, there is a so-called European health card, that covers urgent cases also in Slovakia. For students from outside of the Schengen Area, I suggest taking 12 monthly insurance contracts from Axa insurance company for 276€. Check prices for Axa insurance for students.
Sixthly, there is the obligation for students to do nostrification (recognition of completed studies from his/her secondary studies). This procedure requires an experienced agent as recognition takes 2-3 weeks and must be completed before enrollment. Make sure to contact us for help.
And lastly: Register at Foreign police – everyone who stays longer than 3 months in Slovakia must be registered at Foreign police. The problem is, that usually, people at the police do not speak the English language. This applies also to EU students, which you can find useful in situations when only citizens or people with registered residency in Slovakia may enter Slovakia.
14. Should you appoint an agency?
The last question that will be answered in this article is: should you appoint an agency or not?
Preparation for the entrance examination is really time-consuming and stressful – and solving various problems with your papers can make your situation even more complicated. There are definitely a lot of agencies on the market. As usual, there are always good and bad apples. The trick is usually with the transfer students. There are students who wish to transfer to a given year at UPJS to continue their studies. This information might be given only after approval from the vice dean of education for studies after studying your transcripts and curriculum. Many agents do not follow this unfortunately and give an instant positive answer to students. My suggestion is to do market research and appoint a person with the best ratio of service offered for a given price.
I am convinced, that my agency will do everything on time, in a proper manner, and professionally. The agency works for 5 years and brought hundreds of students to different study programs.
15. How can my agency help you?
So what do we offer and how much do we charge?
I can offer you the following:
- Preparation for entrance examination: we will provide you with a database of questions for an entrance examination.
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Personal assistance: We will assist you in person when you come to Košice for an entrance examination
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Flat searching: We will help you to find a flat in Košice in case you do not want to live in a dormitory.
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Insurance arrangement: As every foreigner must be insured when living abroad, we will help you with this.
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Nostrification: I help you with recognition of your school leaving the document which needs to be done before enrollment
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Bank account and SIM card: Bank account is a must because you will need it when paying rent, withdrawing money from ATM, or paying for beer contactless. We will assist you when you go to the bank. We will suggest also the best mobile operator.
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City guide: you can feel lost in the first days after you come to Košice. We will provide you with a city guide, that will contain useful information, numbers, and everything else you need to know!
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Assistance at Foreign police: everyone from the EU, who stays in Slovakia, must register with the Foreign police. The problem is, those police clerks usually do not speak English or German. We will guide you – step by step.
How much it will cost you?
Consultation is free of charge – feel free to contact me at medhead@medhead.eu or zavacky@studyinslovakia.sk
More info: