Advice for students who might be looking for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine abroad after A’ level results day

UCAM – one of several options for dentistry in Spain.

If you are only just now starting to research your options abroad, we suggest that you have a look at the recording of our most recent webinar.

Rather than try to “sell” you on any particular option the purpose of this blogpost is to encourage you to think about the most important aspects of your choice. At the end we will list some places that have availability for 2022 but we already know that the right advice for most of you will be to take some time out and plan for 2023 or beyond.

• How do I choose the right medical/dental/vet school?

Which is the best medical school in Europe that is easiest to get in to? This is a typical first question and it is an awful one. Is the best option likely to be the easiest? It might very well be the most affordable (what you get and what you pay for aren’t always the same thing) but getting into medical school just means you have jumped the first hurdle – there are many other things to consider.

Obviously, you need to know that you meet the entry requirements and that your grades will be acceptable but many medical, dental or vet schools won’t actually care about your grades. What they will care about is how you do in their own entrance exam and this is the first problem that you will face: you are quite possibly too late to apply for 2022 admission. Covid-19 has meant that many students who finished school last year have already booked up most of the places on some of the popular options. For example, dentistry in Spain has been full for months already and we can only advise you to try in 2023.

We recently organised a webinar about how to research medical, dental and veterinary schools abroad and we recommend that you watch this as it will answer most of your questions. This is designed specifically for people applying in 2023 but if this is the first time you are thinking about this, it is still a good introduction.

• Will I need to learn a foreign language?

Yes.

There are an increasing number of options taught entirely in English but they are not available in all European countries. Even where you can study in English, you will almost certainly need to deal with patients in their own language. There are very few ways of doing this completely in English and you will hugely restrict your options if you insist on this.

Every year we come across one or two new European options but they are usually in the same countries:

• Medicine – central and eastern Europe, Netherlands (50% in Dutch), Cyprus, Italy, Croatia, Germany and Malta
• Dentistry – central and eastern Europe, Spain, Cyprus, Italy, Austria
• Veterinary Medicine –  Croatia, Poland

We occasionally have students who insist that they will only go to places where they can qualify entirely in English and this is possible: if you have the money, by all means go to the Caribbean or Australia (Ireland is extremely unlikely although the RCSI does offer medical education in Bahrain at around US$40,000 a year).

For most people, however, studying health sciences abroad means studying elsewhere in Europe and that means learning a language. It is fair to say that Spanish or German might be easier to learn than Bulgarian or Czech (not to mention more useful later in life) but if you go into this thinking that you can minimize the importance of learning the local language, you are going into this with the wrong frame of mind and we would encourage you to think twice.

You will also come across examples of medical and dental schools in Ukraine and Georgia, or branch campuses of these universities in the UK. If you find yourself speaking to an agent who is pushing you in this direction, rather than sensible, recognized choices within the EU, hang up the phone and move on.

• Will my degree be GMC/GDC/RCVS recognized?

For medicine students, the introduction of Medical Licensing Assessment from 2024 might have an impact on EU-educated doctors but currently it would be illegal to make you take this test if you had qualified within the EU. This is one of those areas where you will need to be aware of the impact of Brexit.

In the future, for veterinary students, if you have studied at an EAEVE accredited institution you are unlikely to have any issues with recognition.

For dentistry, there is no indication yet of what will happen from 1^st January 2023. If you start dental school this year, you will be doing so without clear knowledge of recognition and registration processes when you graduate. There is no point complaining about this. If you would like to get a sense of the General Dental Council’s concerns you can read their response to the government’s consultation here.

• Should I take a Pathway Programme or an alternative Bachelor’s degree in the UK and try for graduate entry?

No.

OK, I appreciate that my advice here might be biased and needs to be tempered by all the other considerations that you will have. However, I think it is definitely something you need to hear as it might contradict what you will be told by other sources.

Clearly, many students in the UK are attracted to options that appear to keep them on track to becoming a doctor or dentist after the completion of a Bachelor’s degree. However, this doesn’t always work and there are precious few graduate entry routes available elsewhere in Europe. This means that upon completion of a 3 year BSc in Biomedical Science, for example, you might have to start at the beginning again at a European medical school. The chances of your credits being recognized towards a medicine or dental degree elsewhere in the European Union is zero.

The only country that has a number of suitable options for medics is Poland and these are primarily designed for students who intend to work in the USA upon graduation. There are options to gain a 4-year UK medical degree in Cyprus or Malta, and Ireland is also theoretically possible, but entry requirements are high. There is nothing suitable for dentists and only one known option for veterinary students.

There is no such thing as graduate entry medicine or dentistry in other European countries. British students who are going abroad after studying Biomedical Science in the UK are occasionally able to start in the 2^nd or 3^rd year of a six-year programme (five for dentistry) but this is not the same thing and there can be recognition issues as a result. Currently, only universities outside the EU are offering such a possibility. This is the main reason why so many British students have been convinced to study in Ukraine or Georgia.

Some international universities offer pathway programmes that might be suitable but please be aware that they might only be recognized in certain universities. We work with the Universidad Europea de Madrid Health Science Foundation Year which is ideal for people with below CCC at A’ level, or who do not have the right subjects. It works very well for gaining guaranteed admission to 1^st year dentistry in Madrid the following year but does not improve your chances anywhere else.

• How much is it going to cost?

The one financial consideration that is the same wherever you go is that British student finance isn’t going to travel with you; you are on your own financially. This usually means that the decision to study abroad is one that needs to be taken as a family. There is absolutely no point in applying to a university if you know you will not be able to afford to take up your place there. There are currently no medical schools abroad where you have automatic access to student finance.

Scholarships and bursaries are extremely rare but Italian medical and dental schools will take your family’s income into consideration when setting tuition fees. Post-Brexit this might not be as generous as it once was. Many universities that offer financial support to international students actually make exemptions for students of medicine and dentistry. To put it bluntly, as an international student you are a cash-cow. You will be expected to contribute to the bottom line, not subtract from it.

• Do I need an agent to get into medical, dental or vet school abroad?

If you are looking to apply last-minute for 2022 entry, you are almost certainly going to need help. Applications can be complicated procedures but often the part that is least tricky is getting you a place. Obviously, this depends on supply and demand as well as your academic record but if you meet the required standard, and places are available, it is often quite easy to arrange to sit an entrance exam or get an offer letter if this isn’t required.

Meeting the other requirements around payment, translation of documents, moving to a new country etc. are all examples of issues where you might require assistance. However, none of these are of any importance at all if you do not have an offer letter even though some agents will make you pay in full for these services up front.

One aspect of the application process that is going to make your life harder is the need to obtain a student visa to study elsewhere in the EU if you are a British citizen. Some countries are relatively problem-free but others are extremely difficult. Even if there were still spaces in Spain, it would be too late to apply for this year because of the difficulty of getting a visa on time. Other countries such as Cyprus, Croatia and the Netherlands are much easier.

• What options do I have right now?

Very few. Nearly always you are going to have to take a year out. We don’t work with Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian medical and dental schools so there might be options there. Here are a few places where we might be able to help:

Medicine

• European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus: Admissions are handled on a rolling basis and the last we heard there were about five places remaining. There is no entrance exam. Students will be assessed based on A’ level performance, personal statement, references and interview performance. Please contact us urgently if you are interested.
• European University Cyprus, Frankfurt, Germany: This is a new venture for 2022. The application process is identical to the main campus in Cyprus. There are very few places available at this time but we might be able to help a few candidates. Please contact us for further details.

Dentistry

Spain is completely full and this is unlikely to change on results day. There is little point contacting us to ask if there are places available this year. To be added to our list for 2023 admission, please send us an email with details of your exam results. We anticipate that admissions will open from October 2022.

• European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus: Admissions are handled on a rolling basis and there are some places available at this time. There is no entrance exam. Students will be assessed based on A’ level performance, personal statement and references. Please contact us urgently if you are interested.

Veterinary Medicine

For the first time since its launch in 2016, the Veterinary Medicine degree at University of Zagreb has been completely full since the second application window. There is no chance of getting a place for 2022 and we are already starting to collect candidates for 2023.

We may also have options in Poland for all three subjects. Please get in touch if these might be of interest.

Please feel free to contact us if you would like information on any of the options listed above. You can also call/whatsapp us on 07780503231 but please bear in mind we will be extremely busy on results day with 2022 candidates. If you would like information about 2023 please do not expect an immediate response but we will get information to you in good time for the next admissions window.

Our office will be closed from Monday 22^nd August until Monday 5^th September. We will respond to emails about 2022 only if we are in a position to help. All 2023 enquiries will be handled on our return.

Our visit to Haarlem Campus

For the first time since 2019 we were able to visit a university in the Netherlands in person so what better way than to start with a brand new initiative?

Haarlem Campus will welcome its first students in October 2022 but it is a joint venture between two well-established higher education institutions, the Global School 4 Entrepreneurship and SRH University of Applied Sciences. GS4E is a Dutch innovator in higher education with a strong focus on developing the skills needed in start-ups and creative industries and SRH is one of the biggest private providers of higher education in Germany. This new venture has been designed to provide Haarlem with a high-quality, internationally-minded University of Applied Sciences. It is likely that the name of Haarlem Campus will be changed to reflect this in the near future.

Upon arrival in Haarlem, about 30 minutes by direct bus from Schiphol airport or less than 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal, the campus is remarkably easy to find. Over the years, we have visited many universities in repurposed locations, from factories to monasteries or military bases, but this is the first time we have visited a university in a former prison, specifically one built as a panopticon. The building has been very well redeveloped by the city of Haarlem, who own the location, and on the surrounding land, accommodation for students is being built and will be ready for the first students this October. This places Haarlem Campus in an excellent position to address one of the biggest problems with Dutch higher education today – cities with too many students and not enough accommodation options. First-year students will be guaranteed a room at Haarlem Campus and the city itself is keen to welcome more students.

Haarlem Campus Interior, showing cinema in basement and start-up coworking space on the upper level.

The central building (de Koepel in Dutch) not only hosts Haarlem Campus. In the basement, there is a multi-screen cinema that is open to the public every day along with a bar and snack food options. Within the large, central space of the ‘Koepel’, the university has its classrooms and study spaces. The rest of the space is given over to local businesses with the top floor dedicated primarily to local start-ups. The philosophy of Haarlem Campus is that students learn by doing and it is certainly the intention that students will find work, internship and project opportunities with the companies based in the building. There is enough space within the building for Haarlem Campus to accommodate around 750 full-time students but it will take a few years before it reaches those numbers. While the campus has a very self-contained feel, students are only a very short walk from the centre of the city and minutes away from the beach by public transport or bicycle.

Haarlem Campus will start its operations this year with three Bachelor of Science programmes. They will not offer a degree in business itself, but it is certainly fair to say that business underpins all three of the degrees. Digital Transformation Management is a degree with a strong focus on Information and Communication Technology and the role of data in business development. Creative Media focuses more on communications and media. The final degree, Business Psychology, has been very popular in Germany and is now offered in the Netherlands for the first time. It concentrates on the role played by psychology in business organisation, marketing and decision-making. All three degrees are practical in nature and encourage students to seek the real-world application of the skills they are developing. There are no plans for the degrees to be delivered virtually as the connection between student and teacher is seen as fundamental to the educational model. However, online learning would be offered in the event of further pandemic-related closures.

The curriculum is delivered in five-week blocks. This means that students will dedicate themselves to one module at a time and will complete their study and assessment within this period, before moving on to the next module. The first 90 days of all three degrees are identical, giving students the opportunity to work together with their peers on the other programmes. All degrees are 4 years in length and contain a mandatory internship in the final year.

The former prison cells will be repurposed as meeting rooms and private study spaces.

Haarlem Campus is a private university of applied sciences which means that some things are different in comparison with public universities. There is no difference in terms of entry requirements but the application process and deadlines can be more flexible. Aside from the guaranteed accommodation, which is otherwise only offered at some University Colleges in the Netherlands, the biggest difference is financial. Tuition fees are not subsidised by the Dutch government, meaning that EU students will pay €6,750 per year (loans are available) and international students will pay €9,900 per year. The international fees compare favourably with those charged by public universities so British and other non-EU nationals would not be at a financial disadvantage.

As a brand-new university, Haarlem Campus has perhaps more of a start-up feel than a typical university. This is likely to appeal to those students who possess an entrepreneurial mindset. Haarlem as a destination has a lot to offer students looking to be near Amsterdam but without the expense of actually living in the city itself. In conclusion, Haarlem Campus offers something new and different within Dutch higher education and is worth investigating as an additional option.

Key reasons for considering Haarlem Campus:

• The educational concept which prioritises learning by doing, in close connection with industry partners
• Small class sizes and close contact with professors and lecturers
• Innovative programmes not offered elsewhere in the Netherlands
• Guaranteed accommodation for international students
• Proximity to Amsterdam without being overwhelmed with the size and expense of studying in a global city

What is happening in English-taught undergraduate education in Europe?

September 2021 saw the start of the first academic year since the consequences of the UK’s departure from the European Union came into effect. The impact of Brexit has been felt both in UK universities and in the EU-27, albeit not evenly. The expected decline in EU nationals coming to the UK has largely materialised, but even the worst-affected universities have been able to offset this with an increase in domestic or non-EU students. This is partly a result of changes in UK higher education policy and visa restrictions being eased.  Post-pandemic bounce-back in domestic numbers has also helped universities cushion the blow, even when they might have lost as much as 90% of their EU enrolments at undergraduate level.

If British universities have largely escaped any negative consequences on student numbers so far, then British students have not been nearly so lucky. The withdrawal of student finance where available elsewhere in Europe, and the introduction of international tuition fees, has seen previously affordable options become significantly more expensive. In the Netherlands, for example, tuition fees at most universities have increased from around €2,000 a year to a minimum of €8,000 but usually higher. Tuition fee loans are also not available, so students now have to finance their education from their own resources. It might seem surprising then that the number of British students at Dutch universities has only dropped by 25% this year. It is likely that a large proportion of British residents still going to Dutch universities will be in possession of an EU passport.

Brexit has not only had an impact in the United Kingdom, however. It has started to change the English-taught higher education landscape throughout the EU-27 and it is these developments that are likely to be more important. Brexit has diverted a huge flow of EU nationals from UK universities and, if unchecked, this could lead to structural issues in any EU member state where public universities are teaching largely, or entirely, in English.

Ireland, now the only country within the EU teaching fully in English, has seen an average 20% increase in EU nationals at undergraduate level, with University of Limerick up 34% (Trinity College Dublin saw an increase of 8% reflecting its higher proportion of EU students even pre-Brexit). Without Ireland’s somewhat complicated system of post-qualification admissions, and points tariffs for every undergraduate degree, it is likely that EU student enrolments would have increased even further. This protects universities from a sudden surge in student numbers, but it does also mean that Irish students face far greater competition for places in their own country.

The two non-English speaking EU member states with significant numbers of English-taught Bachelor’s degrees are Denmark and The Netherlands. Both of these countries are experiencing the consequences of increased demand for English-taught degrees from students of other EU nationalities.

For the first time since launching A Star Future and its database of English-taught undergraduate opportunities, we have recently had to remove a significant number of options. Over the last decade in particular, there has been massive growth in options for English-speaking students but this might now have peaked in the public sector. The Danish government has taken steps to reduce the amount of English-taught degrees at Academies and University Colleges across the country but particularly in the major cities. Almost all Danish universities now have a page on their website referencing a political decision to stop English-taught Academy Professional (AP) and Bachelor Top-Ups from September 2022. The national Study in Denmark website makes no such reference to this situation and is consequently somewhat out of date.

It would be stretching the truth to say that the reduction of English-taught options in Denmark is a direct consequence of Brexit but it has the same root cause. International student demand is driven by any number of factors but two of the most consistently important are quality and affordability. The quality of Danish higher education, coupled with zero tuition fees for EU nationals and generous study grants, has led many students to Denmark. Very few remain in the country upon completion of their studies, and therefore do not integrate into society or contribute to the country’s tax base, so it is perhaps understandable that this has become a political issue. With the UK becoming particularly unaffordable post-Brexit, it is likely this trend would have become unmanageable without this step being taken. There are now only around 40 English-taught Bachelor’s degrees remaining at Danish universities.

If Ireland can limit the number of EU students through entry requirements, and Denmark can do so by reducing the number of options on offer, there is one country that will struggle unless wholesale changes to university admissions are introduced. The Netherlands’ success in increasing international student numbers in recent years, through the growth in English-taught programmes and its reputation for excellence, means that the country has become the first-choice destination for many students, not just those who were already convinced by the merits of a Dutch education. Many EU students who can no longer afford the United Kingdom are now drawn to the Netherlands.

A quarter of all students in the Netherlands are now from abroad, approximately 72% of them from the European Economic Area and therefore entitled to pay the same tuition fees as domestic students. There are 115,000 international students at Dutch universities in 2021/22. Five years ago there were only 77,000. This growth has been mostly experienced in the research universities’ English-taught Bachelor’s degrees where there has been a 90% increase in first-year students since 2017/18. Bachelor’s degrees at Universities of Applied Sciences have seen a 24% increase in international student numbers over the same period. Assuming there is no significant drop-out rate, the number of international undergraduate students at Dutch universities will increase from approximately 53,000 in 2017/18 to 82,000 in the current academic year and on to 126,000 in 2023/24. This is before any further increase in international student enrolments is taken into consideration.

Such growth is unsustainable, particularly in the English-taught Bachelor’s degrees at research universities. Currently, unless there are restrictions, any student with an appropriate academic high school diploma (International Baccalaureate, A Levels at CCC or better etc) is entitled to a place on a Dutch university degree for at least the first year. Numerus Fixus restricts the number of places on some degrees but by no means all of them. It is likely that some kind of restriction will need to be introduced but it is difficult to do so in a way that is compatible with EU law and the Dutch ethos of open access to higher education. Not all degrees at Dutch universities are facing the same rapid growth but it is clear that in some fields, entry will need to become more selective and places will need to be limited.

As international students from the EEA are entitled to Dutch student loans and their tuition fees are subsidised, there is a real cost to the Dutch taxpayer of this rapid expansion. Additionally, there are concerns about the ability of Dutch universities to maintain academic standards when faced with such an increase in student numbers. Student experience is also likely to be affected and it is already clear that the housing market is struggling even before the most recent increase in student numbers.

It is likely to become harder in the coming years to study in English at public universities within the European Union. The pressure from the diversion of international students from the United Kingdom will have consequences for the options that are becoming more popular. Degrees in the social sciences and law at Dutch universities are already seeing increased numbers of applicants and it is likely that others will also have to review their entry requirements. Opportunities for EEA passport holders are going to be harder to come by. The future of English-taught higher education in the European Union will almost certainly see a bigger role played by the private sector. The days when individual member states are willing to fund the education of large numbers of “foreign yet domestic” students are limited.

Private universities are likely to grow in response to a demand for English-taught higher education. These are already the most common providers of English-taught Bachelor’s degrees in France, Germany, Spain and Italy. While tuition fees are higher because of the lack of direct or indirect subsidy, it is still likely that they will be below the amounts charged to international students in the United Kingdom. Already, in the Netherlands, a new private university of applied sciences, Haarlem Campus, is launching English-taught degrees from September 2022. Its offer includes guaranteed accommodation, addressing one of the key concerns that international students are likely to have. This trend is likely to accelerate as demand for English-taught higher education in the EU is unlikely to decrease any time soon.

A message for students enrolled at Ukrainian Medical and Dental Schools

Current tragic events mean that it is unlikely you will be able to resume your studies in the near future. We have been contacted by many students looking into the possibility of transferring. This is extremely complicated, particularly as the majority of students have been enrolled into “graduate entry” routes which, in reality, never existed; direct entry into the 3rd or 4th year of a six-year programme is actually something entirely different and this has consequences if you are seeking to have prior study recognised by medical schools elsewhere in the European Union.

In ordinary circumstances there would be zero chance of any EU medical school recognising your prior study (particularly credits not earned on medicine degrees) but these are not ordinary circumstances. We are contacting all medical schools we know to see if there is any possibility of recognising Ukrainian credits. You are welcome to contact us to see if we have made any progress with this. Certain agents operating in Ukraine are refusing to release transcripts to their students and we have made our partner schools aware of this situation.

It has also come to our attention that one of the main agents that has been paid handsomely for sending UK students to Ukrainian medical schools is now requesting payment to facilitate transfers to Georgian medical schools. Firstly, you would be right to have an extremely low opinion of such behaviour and secondly, please do not go to medical school in Georgia if you can possibly avoid it.

This is obviously a difficult situation for many people and I expect it will be a huge setback to many people’s desire to qualify as a doctor or a dentist. Unfortunately, for many people in this situation we will only be able to offer our sympathy.

Changes to Entry Requirements at German Universities for A’ level students

A’ level entry requirements for German universities will change from 2022. The old rules will still apply until Winter Semester 2023 if these are more advantageous for you, but it is unlikely that this will be the case. In fact, it seems that entry to German universities will be much simpler in future for students with A’ levels. To avoid confusion we have removed the older regulations from our website but you can still find them here (in German).

There is no change to Scottish Highers and other school leaving diplomas such as Btecs are still not seen as suitable for entry to German higher education.

While there any number of exceptions for competitive degree programmes, and sometimes confusing rules relating to particular A’ level subject combinations, the basic rule is that university admission is now possible with 3 A’ levels at CCC or better. This fits the reality of British-educated students’ academic background far better than the previous regulations that still refer to AS levels and require a minimum of four subjects. The other main benefit of these changes is that it is no longer the case that Maths (or a science) is required for absolutely everything. This change alone will make German higher education more accessible to British-educated students.

General Requirements

A minimum of 3 A’ levels at CCC or better is required to study at a German university. These A’ levels must be in independent subjects (eg. Maths and Further Maths is only one A’ level).

Two of these A’ levels must be from subjects on List A. These subjects include: Foreign Languages (not mother-tongue), English, History, Geography, Politics, Sociology, Government & Politics, Economics, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computer Science.

The third A’ level can be another one from List A or an independent subject on List B. The most common subjects on this list are: Art & Design, Ancient History, Classical Civilisation, Geology, Drama, History of Art, Music, Psychology, Religious Studies, Physical Education and Statistics.

If a subject on this list is deemed dependent, it cannot be considered. Examples would include History of Art for students who also have History, Statistics with Maths, Geology with Geography etc.

There is also a List C that includes a number of subjects that might be accepted if they relate directly to the intended degree programme. Acceptance of these subjects is at the discretion of the individual university. The most common examples include: Business Studies, Design & Technology, Film Studies, Law, Media Studies and Music Technology. The same rule about subject dependency applies, meaning that Business Studies cannot be offered alongside Economics, for example. Law cannot be offered with History, Politics, Sociology or Government & Politics.

We have not included all subjects on List B and C here, nor all of the subject-dependent clashes. However, this summary does cover the most common examples.

There do appear to be some omissions or apparent inaccuracies. For example, there is no mention of General Studies or Critical Thinking on any list, so it is safe to assume these subjects are not recognised.

On List A, “Informatik” is the German name given to Computer Science A’ level but it also includes Information & Communication Technology and Information Technology A’ levels which might be more equivalent to the vocational subjects in List C and are certainly treated as such in other countries eg. the Netherlands. This would appear to be inconsistent.

In summary, we believe that most typical combinations of A’ level choices should be fine when planning to apply for a degree in a related subject. We would be most concerned for students taking Psychology or Law A’ levels as these might restrict choices.

Subject – Specific Requirements

For certain degree programmes specific combinations of A’ levels are required. In reality, this affects most degrees except the arts.

Medicine and Pharmacy – 3 A’ levels from Maths, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Computer Science

Maths and Engineering – Maths is compulsory, one A’ level must be Biology, Physics, Chemistry or Computer Science. The third A’ level can be anything.

Sciences – Two A’ levels must be from Maths, Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science.

Social Sciences and Economics – One A’ level must be from Maths, Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science. One A’ level must be from History, Geography, Politics, Economics and Sociology.

Law – One A’ level must be from History, Geography, Politics, Economics and Sociology or a language.

In degrees that are not listed here, the universities can specify their own subject requirements if they wish.

It is also worth mentioning that AS levels are not recognised at all in the new entry requirements. The last time that these can be taken into consideration is for entry in September 2023.

Applying to Universita Bocconi in 2022 and 2023 – A Webinar

In the last year we have organised two webinars with Bocconi, which have proven to be the most popular of any our online sessions. Recordings of the previous sessions can be found on our YouTube channel.

On Wednesday 1st December at 5:00pm UK time we will be hosting another session with contributions from the advice and guidance department of the university as well as three students from UK schools who are currently at the university. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn all about the university, the application process and the financial reality of studying in Milan.

We believe that Bocconi is one of the best options in Europe for students of economics, management and finance. Join us on Wednesday 1st December and see if it might be right for you.

You can sign up for the webinar here.

Studying Medicine in Italy – A webinar

On Monday 8th November at 17:00 UK time we will be hosting a webinar with representatives of Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Located in Rome, the medical faculty is one of the best medical schools in the world.

Every year we assist a handful of British and Irish students in getting a place at Cattolica. Admissions for 2022 have just opened. This is the ideal opportunity to find out all you need to know about the application process, life in Rome and everything else you need to know about the university.

We will be joined by Elizabeth Tyrie who is the campus manager for Cattolica in Rome. She will be able to answer all questions about the medical school application process.

Please sign up for the webinar here. If you are unable to make it on the day we will be releasing a recording of Elizabeth’s presentation on our YouTube channel shortly after the webinar takes place. You can also visit last year’s webinar where we focussed more on the perspective of current students at Cattolica.

Advice for students looking for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine abroad after A’ level results day 2021

You can find plenty of general advice about studying medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine on our website but this is our guidance for those of you who are only just thinking about having to study abroad as a consequence of your A’ level results.

Rather than try to “sell” you on any particular option the purpose of this blogpost is to encourage you to think about the most important aspects of your choice. At the end we will list some places that have availability for 2021 but we already know that the right advice for most of you will be to take some time out and plan for 2022 or beyond

How do I choose the right medical/dental/vet school?

Which is the best medical school in Europe that is easiest to get in to? This is a typical first question and it is an awful one. Is the best option likely to be the easiest? It might very well be the most affordable (what you get and what you pay for aren’t always the same thing) but getting into medical school just means you have jumped the first hurdle – there are many other things to consider.

Obviously, you need to know that you meet the entry requirements and that your grades will be acceptable but many medical, dental or vet schools won’t actually care about your grades. What they will care about is how you do in their own entrance exam and this is the first problem that you will face: you are quite possibly too late to apply for 2021 admission. Covid-19 has meant that many students who finished school last year have already booked up most of the places on some of the popular options. For example, dentistry in Spain has been full for months already and we are already taking applications for 2022.

We recently hosted a webinar about how to research medical, dental and veterinary schools abroad and we recommend that you watch this as it will answer most of your questions.

• Will I need to learn a foreign language?

There are an increasing number of options taught entirely in English but they are not available in all European countries. For example, we get many students who wish to study in Germany and Scandinavian countries because tuition fees there are zero in public universities for EU nationals. There is no chance of this happening if you don’t speak the local language.

There is now one German medical school teaching in English but this is a private school and its fees are quite high. Also it awards a Romanian degree not a German one. Every year we come across one or two new European options but they are usually in the same countries:

• Medicine – central and eastern Europe, Netherlands (50% in Dutch), Cyprus, Italy, Croatia and Malta
• Dentistry – central and eastern Europe, Spain, Cyprus, Italy, Austria
• Veterinary Medicine –  Croatia, Poland

We occasionally have students who insist that they will only go to places where they can qualify entirely in English and this is possible: if you have the money, by all means go to the Caribbean or Australia (Ireland is extremely unlikely although the RCSI does offer medical education in Bahrain at around US$40,000 a year).

For most people, however, studying health sciences abroad means studying elsewhere in Europe and that means learning a language. It is fair to say that Spanish might be easier to learn than Bulgarian or Czech (not to mention more useful later in life) but if you go into this thinking that you can minimize the importance of learning the local language, you are going into this with the wrong frame of mind and we would encourage you to think twice.

• Will my degree be GMC/GDC/RCVS recognized?

For medicine students, the introduction of Medical Licensing Assessment in 2022 might have an impact on EU-educated doctors but currently it would be illegal to make you take this test if you had qualified within the EU. This is one of those areas where you will need to be aware of the impact of Brexit.

In the future, for veterinary students, if you have studied at an EAEVE accredited institution you are unlikely to have any issues with recognition.

For dentistry, there is no indication yet of what will happen from 1^st January 2023. If you start dental school this year, and probably also next year, you will be doing so without clear knowledge of recognition and registration processes when you graduate. There is no point complaining about this. Either you can deal with the uncertainty or you can’t. We don’t anticipate any major problems but there are no guarantees.

• Should I take a Pathway Programme or an alternative Bachelor’s degree in the UK and try for graduate entry?

No.

OK, I appreciate that my advice here might be biased and needs to be tempered by all the other considerations that you will have. However, I think it is definitely something you need to hear as it might contradict what you will be told by other sources.

Clearly, many students in the UK are attracted to options that appear to keep them on track to becoming a doctor or dentist after the completion of a Bachelor’s degree. However, this doesn’t always work and there are precious few graduate entry routes available elsewhere in Europe. This means that upon completion of a 3 year BSc in Biomedical Science, for example, you might have to start at the beginning again at a European medical school. The chances of a significant number of your credits being recognized towards a degree abroad are very low even if this is possible in theory.

There are very few graduate entry routes available elsewhere in Europe. The only country that has a number of suitable options for medics is Poland and that is primarily designed for students who intend to work in the USA upon graduation and Biomedical Science BSc is not always seen as appropriate preparation. There are options to gain a 4-year UK medical degree in Cyprus or Malta but these are very expensive and entry requirements are high. In countries like Bulgaria and Romania it might be possible to enter the third year after completing a BSc but these are not graduate-entry options and there are complications associated with this route.

There is nothing suitable for dentists and only one known option for veterinary students.

Some international universities offer pathway programmes that might be suitable but please be aware that they might only be recognized in certain universities. We work with the Universidad Europea de Madrid Health Science Foundation Year which is ideal for people with below CCC at A’ level, or who do not have the right subjects. It works very well for gaining guaranteed admission to 1^st year dentistry in Madrid the following year but does not improve your chances anywhere else.

• How much is it going to cost?

The one financial consideration that is the same wherever you go is that British student finance isn’t going to travel with you; you are on your own financially. This usually means that the decision to study abroad is one that needs to be taken as a family. You definitely need to get their input when trying to decide what is feasible. There is absolutely no point in applying to a university if you know you will not be able to afford to take up your place there. There are currently no medical schools abroad where you have automatic access to student finance.

Scholarships and bursaries are extremely rare but Italian medical and dental schools will take your family’s income into consideration when setting tuition fees. Post-Brexit this might not be as generous as it once was. Many universities that offer financial support to  international students actually make exemptions for students of medicine and dentistry. To put it bluntly, as an international student you are a cash-cow. You will be expected to contribute to the bottom line, not subtract from it.

• Do I need an agent to get into medical, dental or vet school abroad?

If you are looking to apply last-minute for 2021 entry, you are almost certainly going to need help. Applications can be complicated procedures but often the part that is least tricky is getting you a place. Obviously, this depends on supply and demand as well as your academic record but if you meet the required standard, and places are available, it is often quite easy to arrange to sit an entrance exam or get an offer letter if this isn’t required.

Meeting the other requirements around payment, translation of documents, moving to a new country etc. are all examples of issues where you might require assistance. However, none of these are of any importance at all if you do not have an offer letter even though some agents will make you pay in full for these services up front.

One aspect of the application process that is going to make your life harder is the need to obtain a student visa to study elsewhere in the EU if you are a British citizen. Some countries are relatively problem-free but we are experiencing difficulty with Spain. For this reason alone, some of the options that might have been available in previous years might no longer be feasible.

• What options do I have right now?

Very few. Nearly always you are going to have to take a year out. We don’t work with Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian medical and dental schools so there might be options there. Here are a few places where we might be able to help:

Medicine

• European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus: Admissions are handled on a rolling basis and the last we heard there were about five places remaining. There is no entrance exam. Students will be assessed based on A’ level performance, personal statement, references and interview performance. Please contact us urgently if you are interested.

Dentistry

Spain is completely full and this is unlikely to change on results day. There is probably little point contacting us to ask if there places available this year.

• Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain (The foundation year has places. This is suitable for students with lower grades at A level or inappropriate subject choices)
• University of Zagreb, Croatia (2021 entry by entrance exam in early September in Zagreb)
• European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus: Admissions are handled on a rolling basis and there are some places available at this time. There is no entrance exam. Students will be assessed based on A’ level performance, personal statement and references. Please contact us urgently if you are interested. 

Veterinary Medicine

• University of Zagreb, Croatia (currently full but possible to get places from the waiting list in September.)

We may also have options in Czech Republic, Poland and Germany. Please get in touch if these might be of interest.

For many of these universities you can find webinar recordings on our YouTube Channel.

Please feel free to contact us via the blog or on info@astarfuture.co.uk if you would like information on any of the options listed above. You can also call/whatsapp us on 07780503231 but please bear in mind we will be extremely busy on results day with 2021 candidates. If you would like information about 2022 please have a look at our webinar and wait until next week before contacting us.

International Higher Education Webinars – June 2021 4 of 4

Our final webinar this month will be a little different in the sense that we will be our own special guest. This webinar will focus on studying medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine abroad.

Students currently in Year 12 are most likely thinking solely about their British options at this time but there is really high chance that they will need to look abroad if they don’t get a place here. Rather than leaving their research to the last minute once the situation in the UK becomes clear, we encourage students to be more proactive.

Studying abroad is a big decision for anyone to take but there are many real issues for medics, dentists and vets. In this webinar we aim to assist students with identifying the key issues around applying overseas. For this reason, we have deliberately decided not to invite guests from specific universities in order that we can keep our advice as focussed on the needs of students as possible.

It is our aim to ensure that all participants in the webinar know how to ask the key questions when researching their options at international medical and dental schools. We will deliver a presentation covering the key issues but we welcome questions from participants.

While this session is primarily designed for British and Irish students we welcome attendees from any country.

Please register for the webinar here.

When: Monday 28th June, 5:00pm BST

International Higher Education Webinars – June 2021 3 of 4

In the third of our webinars our focus turns to the most popular country of all for British students – the United States of America.

It is easy to see the appeal of the USA as a destination but there are many important issues to consider if you are thinking about studying there. Before you even get into issues of finance, visas and entry requirements it is important to appreciate just how different US higher education can be.

US Bachelor’s degrees are most often based on the concept of the liberal arts and sciences. This means that their degrees are likely to include a range of general education classes that form an integral part of every degree. Sometimes there can even be requirements that seem bizarre for British students. For example, some universities require all students to take a swimming test in order to be able to graduate! That is an unusual example but it is quite common for students to have to take classes from both the arts and sciences as part of their degree. This webinar will be focussed on helping you understand why this can be a great advantage.

In this webinar we will be joined by Adam Beals, Director of Advising at Green River College in Washington State. He has years of experience in helping international students understand the American education system and how to make it work best for them. Former GRC student, Gouresh Kamble, will also be on hand to share his experience of studying in the USA.

You will of course have the opportunity to ask any questions you might have about studying in the USA and our panellists will be happy to share their experience about American higher education in general.

Register for this webinar here.

When: Tuesday 22nd June, 5pm BST