University of East Sarajevo, Faculty of Medicine

The University of East Sarajevo is a public university and has its seat in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. It has a total of 15 faculties and 2 academies located in various cities. The Faculty of Medicine is located in the city of Foca, around 80 kilometers south of Sarajevo. The University has existed since 1992 and has approximately 13.000 students and 933 academic staff. The University is decentralized and has faculties in cities Podrinje, Semberija, Trebinje, Foča, Pale, East Sarajevo, Bijeljina, Zvornik, and Doboj.

About the Faculty of Medicine, University of East Sarajevo

The Faculty of Medicine offers a program in General medicine. It has 6 years and it is taught in the English language. The faculty started its existence in 1993 to educate local hospitals with doctors, nurses, and dentists. Since then it has evolved into an institution with over 2000 students in various study programs – Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Special Education and Rehabilitation (offered in Serbian at that time). There is a scientific-research center for biomedical science called The Specialist Dentistry Center working since 2016. The faculty is affiliated with 6 faculties of medicine in Bosnia and works closely with the University hospital, which is located next to the faculties. Teachers have experience from abroad and hold certificates and diplomas from all over the world.

Study programs at the Faculty of medicine in Foca

The medical program in English started in the academic year 2020/21. Students of General medicine come from different countries, such as Italy, Slovenia, Egypt, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India. The study program of Dental medicine opened in 2022/2023 for the first time. The faculty is affiliated with 6 faculties of medicine in Bosnia and works closely with the University hospital, which is located next to the faculties. Teachers have experience from abroad and hold certificates and diplomas from all over the world.

Program of General Medicine

The General medicine program is taught in the English language and is open to all international students. The course takes 6 years (360 credits) to complete and is one of the most affordable universities in Europe. The tuition fees are 3100€ (3 installments are allowed). There will be a maximum of 50 students accepted for the program. The program runs since 2020/2021. There is one Winter intake. Students for the first year are starting their education in November so they have enough time to complete their visa process. The academic year has 2 semesters, Winter semester is starting in November (respectively in October for higher years students) and March for the Summer semester. There are 15 weeks of education, exams are running during the whole academic year.

Program of Dental Medicine

The program started in the academic year 2022/23 and is taught in English. It is open to all international students who pass the entrance exam and comply with admission rules. There is a maximum of 20 students admitted to the program. The program has a total of 6 years (360 ECTS) to be completed and cost 3100€ per year. The Department of Dentistry is located on the same campus, directly next to the University Hospital of Foca. There is one intake (in the Winter semester). The academic year has 2 semesters, one is starting in November, and the second is in March. Students usually finish their exams in June / July.

Recognition of degree from the University of East Sarajevo in Foca

The Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry are listed in the European Associations of Medical Faculties (EAMF) and WMF. The medical degree is recognized e.g. by the Medical Council of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Nepal. There are approximately 240 professors and assistants participating in the teaching process. Students have access to two modern equipped amphitheaters, many classrooms, the center for research, laboratories for histology, anatomy, pathology, chemistry and biochemistry, a clinical skills laboratory, two computer centers and a modern library during their studies.

Involvement of the University in international projects

The University is involved in various international projects, such as Erasmus+, Tempus, Horizon 2020, The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), CEEPUS, and tens of bilateral or multilateral contracts with universities from all over the world (for example with Maribor University, University KaHo Sint-Lieven in Belgium, University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy, Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania, University Shandong in China, Zhejiang Wanli University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Hangzhou Normal University in China or University of Pisa in Italy). The University also cooperates with various agencies or private companies like the European Public Law Organization – UES, Faculty of Law, Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow, – UES, Faculty of Technology or with Clinical Center of Montenegro, – UES, Faculty of Medicine.

It is a member of the European University Association, Alpe Adrian Rectors Conference. The University is awarding ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits, which makes the education recognisable abroad as well. The implementation of the Bologna process (which is designed for standardization of studies worldwide) started in the academic year 2007/2008.

Admission process to the University of East Sarajevo in Bosnia

The application process is done fully remotely (including the submission of documents), so applicants do not need to travel to Bosnia. It is possible to score a maximum of 100 points, the applicant will need a minimum of 51 points to be accepted. The point structure is the following: 20 points for a test of biology, 20 points for a test of chemistry, 10 points for an oral interview, and 50 points for marks from secondary school. There are also preparatory materials offered by the university for prospective students. Currently, there is no minimum number of points needed from secondary school marks in order to be considered a candidate for admission.

There will be 3 selection dates – July, August, and September. It is better to choose a sooner date as places might be allocated to students before you take an entrance exam. Students in the first year are starting their education in November, so there is enough time for the visa process for non-EU students to arrive in Bosnia. EU students do not need any special visas or passports to arrive in Bosnia.

Transfers of medical studies to the University of East Sarajevo

The Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of dentistry are accepting transfer students. There are the following documents need to be submitted: stamped transcript of records, stamped curricula of the subjects. Students can currently join the 3rd year (for the academic year 2022). There are no restrictions on the number of transfer students that faculty can accept. There could be lengthy processing time as heads of each department must assess the files and then decide whether the subject will be or will not be recognized. Therefore it is recommended to start the process a minimum of 3-4 months before the start of classes.