EUNICAS, European University Central Application Support Service

Medicine and Vet Science continue to rank amongst the most popular selections of students registering with EUNiCAS, as increasing numbers of UK and Irish students seek alternative routes to careers as Doctors, Dentists or Vets.

Though the deadlines for some of the attractive Medicine degree programmes in Western Europe, taught through English [in Italy, Malta and the Netherlands] have now closed, there are still some excellent alternatives available.

EUNiCAS has been receiving excellent reports on some of the med schools in Poland. See them all here The top-ranked med schools in Poland are still taking applications: the deadline for applying to Jagiellonian, in Cracow is 9th May, for Warsaw Medical University, it is 4th May, for Poznan Medical University it is 28 June and for the Medical University of Lodz, you can apply up until 15th July. Of course, all the programmes are recognised by the Medical Council and, in many of the Polish med schools, you can sit exams for a US Licence.

Note that some Polish schools offer 4-year Graduate Programmes for Life Sciences graduates.

There are also good schools in the Czech Republic and Hungary and some attractive options in Slovakia, all of which are still open for applications.

Above: Jagiellonian University, Cracow. It's med school is the top-ranked in Poland

Most of these universities have their own entrance tests. You need to travel to the university to sit the tests for some of these programmes though the Hungarian universities have tests coming up next month, in both the UK and Ireland. The Medical School at PJSU, in Slovakia, has its entrance tests in London and Dublin on 27th and 28th April.

Vet schools, too, are attracting increasing numbers of Irish and UK students: there are currently several hundred British and Irish studying the subject in Central Europe. Both Warsaw University of Life Sciences and Szent Istvan University, Budapest, have exams upcoming in the near future, in the UK and Ireland, but you need to apply soon.

EUNiCAS can assist students in applying to these programmes

Dutch Universities are experiencing significant growth in registrations from UK students. In figures released recently in the Dutch Transfer magazine , it is shown that, in 2012, there were 971 UK students registered in the Dutch Research Universities, an overall increase of nearly 80% on 2011 figures. This figure doesn’t include the increasing numbers of UK students registering in the Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences.

The highest increases were in VU Amsterdam [129%], University of Leiden [91%], University of Maastricht [91%] and University of Groningen [82%]. The highest numbers of UK students are currently registered in University of Maastricht [298], University of Amsterdam [150], University of Leiden [134], University of Utrecht [105] and University of Groningen [80]

Both the Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences are reporting a continuing trend of increasing applications from UK students for 2013 with many also reporting a significant increase in the numbers of students applying from Ireland this year.

Particularly attractive to UK and Irish students, at undergraduate level, are the Liberal Arts & Sciences programmes, as well as Economics, International Business and International Law and, amongst Irish students, the Physiotherapy programmes.

BBC News; 03 January 2013

University applications from UK students are down for the second year running, official figures show.UCAS admissions data from mid-December show applications from English students at their lowest since 2009. The trebling of maximum tuition fees saw a drop in applications for autumn 2012 but university leaders hoped demand would recover in 2013.A UCAS spokesman said it was too early to say whether overall applications would be down. The general deadline for applying to start university in autumn 2013 is 15 January, although people may apply later.

These interim figures were collated by UCAS on 17 December, by which time some 265,730 people living in the UK had applied to start degree courses this autumn, down 6.3% on the same point in 2012. Among students living in England, applications were down 6.5% on 2012 at 229,932. 

Pam Tatlow, Chief Executive of university group Million+ said: "The worrying trend of falling university applications continues, according to the most recent statistics published by UCAS."We urge the government to step in with a national campaign to promote the value of university for potential students currently considering their options, whether they are about to leave school or considering a university course later in life."

The Application Deadline is fast approaching for some attractive Bachelor programmes in the Netherlands, in some of Europe's leading Universities, in particular in excellent Liberal Arts & Sciences programmes and highly thought of Physiotherapy programmes.

01 February is the application deadline for Liberal Arts & Sciences at Utrecht University [University College Utrecht], University of Amsterdam [Amsterdam University College] and Leiden University [ Leiden University College]. Deadlines are later for other Liberal Arts & Sciences programmes at Maastricht University, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tilburg University.

The deadline for applying to Physiotherapy in Saxion University of Applied Sciences is also 01 February, whereas Physio at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences closes on 15 February.

Two Dutch programmes in Medicine, at University of Groningen and Maastricht University, close on 01 March and 01 February respectively

Cambridge Assessment confirmed yesterday that the Italian Ministry of Education has brought forward by five months the date of the IMAT exam !!! The exam is now taking place on 15th April. Applications for IMAT will now open on 15th February and close on 20th March. IMAT is the entrance test for accessing the Medicine & Surgery programmes, taught through English, now being offered by six Italian universities.

It is understood that this move was made to accommodate international students who were having difficulties taking up offers that were made in September under the previous schedule, in that they only had three weeks to complete paperwork, find accommodation and move to Italy. The universities themselves were concerned that they were at risk of losing some high calibre students, as a result of this

Please feel free to contact EUNiCAS This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , if you have any questions.

[Below: Universita di Pavia: one of six Italian Universities now offering a medicine degree programme, taught through English]