• Completition of high school / senior secondary school
• Good command of English
• Strong motivation to study and practice medicine, dentistry or pharmaceutical sciences

Admission is based on a successful entrance examination

The exams consist of multiple choice tests in Biology, Chemistry and English (both general and biomedical), followed by an oral examination, which will also focus on the applicant’s knowledge of Biology, Chemistry and English (both general and biomedical). 

The examination will also be supplemented by a personal interview that aims to examine the applicant’s professional attitude.

The lists of topics

• in medical chemistry
• in medical biology

The main topics of the exams are as follows:

1. Evolution: chemical and biological aspects
2. Chemical background in Biology: structure of atoms; chemical bonds; ionic compounds and molecules; solutions; types and energetics of chemical reactions; acid-base reactions; redox reactions; inorganic constituents of living organisms; hydrocarbons; organic compounds containing oxygen or sulphur; organic compounds containing nitrogen; carbohydrates; amino acids and proteins; lipids; vitamins; nucleic acids.
3. The cell and its organization (morphology and function): Prokaryotes (bacteria) and Eukaryotes (focus on cilia and flagella, cell wall, cell membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, lysosome, mitochondrion, ribosome, centriole, nucleus, nucleolus).
4. From cells to tissues of different structure and function.
5. Cell division: mitosis and meiosis.
6. Anabolic and catabolic pathways regarding nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids (bioenergetics included).
7. The physiology of living organisms: respiration, ingestion and digestion, excretion, circulation, endocrine and neural regulation, immune-biology, locomotion.
8. Reproduction and development of animals.
9. Viruses.
10. Genetics: Mendelian inheritance, human genetics.

Note: Knowledge of English terminology is required in all of these areas!

Full application and admission process is supported by Semmelweis University’s online web software called SEMAPHOR.

First step must be a registration (creating a user account) in SEMAPHOR.

Fees of admission procedure

• The admission procedure fee is US$ 350 and is compulsory for successful completion of application process.
• You can pay either by debit/credit card or by wire transfer. In this case you need to upload the payment certificate to the system.
• The admission procedure fee cannot be reduced.
• The admission procedure fee is non-refundable, only if the application has never been submitted or it has been withdrawn before the application deadline.

Required documents for application

• Secondary School Leaving Certificate from an accredited secondary school. This document is a necessary prerequisite of starting the studies (original/attested copy + copy). If the student at the time of applying has not completed his/her studies at secondary school yet, the leaving certificate can be submitted until the registration day.
• One passport size photo
• Curriculum Vitae in English
• Copy of Passport/ID card with the applicant’s personal data and the expiry date of the passport/ID card.
• Medical report for application – signed by a GP (the form can be downloaded from the Faculty’s website).
• Letters of Recommendation. Letters in English from a secondary school principal or science instructor are welcome, but not obligatory.
• Payment Certificate about the payment of the admission procedure fee if the applicant chooses not to use the online payment system.

Applicants may register for entrance exam date in SMAPHOR after completed application process.

Due to pandemic, there are solely online entrance exams this year. Semmelweis University usually provide 2 times entrance exam dates in every upcoming week till the end of the admission period.

Applicants, who have submitted their application(s) via SEMAPHOR, may apply for an exemption from the entrance examination if they have obtained a B.Sc. (or higher) degree in a relevant field of specialty (i.e., closely related to medicine, biology or chemistry) in a higher education training program in English language. Exemption is not automatic. 

All requests for exemption are considered by the Admissions Committee and will be decided upon on the basis of the type(s) and issuing Institution(s) of the diploma(s), the attached transcript(s) showing the applicants performance, the recommendation letter(s), the proof of good command of English and of other details contained in the curriculum vitae and in the motivation letter. 

All documents should be submitted online as attachments to the application(s) in SEMAPHOR, and after having the application(s) submitted, a simple request for exemption from the entrance examination needs to be sent to the Directorate by e-mail: english.secretariat@semmelweis-univ.hu. 

Requests without online submission of application(s) are not considered. Applicants may sign up to and participate in entrance examinations if their request for exemption has been rejected.

Students who have successfully pursued their studies at other accredited universities (in Hungary or abroad) can apply for admission without being obliged to take an entrance examination. 

Subjects of previous studies with identical or at least 75% similar content to the subjects included in the curriculum of Semmelweis University Faculty of Health Sciences can be accredited, meaning that admission to an upper year might be possible. 

Transfer students are required to prove their current student status and previous study results. The previous study results will be examined by Semmelweis Credit Transfer Committee.

On the basis of this examination it will be decided how many of the previously completed subjects get accredited, and in which year the applicant can start his/her studies.

Who can apply for student transfer?

There are three conditions that must be met in order to become eligible.

1. Students need to have active/passive student status at the moment of the transfer.

2. Students can be only accepted if they are transferring from a health care related programme (Medicine, Pharmacology, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Midwifery Programme, etc.)

3. Students must have at least two closed active semesters spent in higher education (only health care related programmes are considered).

Those who fail to fulfil these 3 conditions cannot apply for a transfer but have to go through the regular entrance procedure. If the Study and Examination Committee accepts the applicant as a transfer student, he/she will be acquitted of the entrance procedure.

Documents to submit when applying for student transfer

1. The properly completed Transfer Request Form (with the subject code including the sign of the semester);

2. Official Transcript/Academic record: including all the grades and credits from the previous college/university studies (original/attested copy);

3. Student status certification: from the current university (issued not more than 30 days prior to the request’s submission, indicating the currently active/passive student status).

Please note that we need:

– the original English document OR

– the attested copy of the original English document OR

– the authorized English translation of the original non-English document.

Further information about the credit transfer request will be provided at the Foreign Student Secretariat after a successful enrollment.

Documents to submit when applying for credit transfer

In case the applicant would like to turn in a Credit Transfer Request to get his/her earlier studies (credit points) accredited, it is necessary to present the following documents:

1. Completed Credit Transfer Request Form for each and every target subject;
2. Official Subject Descriptions;
3. Official certification about the field practices;
4. Marking scale in order to evaluate/compare academic records accurately.

Further information about the credit transfer request will be provided at the Foreign Student Secretariat after a successful enrollment. 

In case of refusal, what can students do?

If the student believes they have good grounds for the request, they can submit an appeal to the Study and Examination Committee by filling the Appeal Request Form.

Semmelweis University doesn’t offer any scholarships to applicants and students, however, Semmelweis University is partnered with the Tempus Public Foundation who are responsible for the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship.