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Greece's largest university, teaching medicine since 1942 and, since 2021, running Greece's first six-year medicine degree taught in English.
1,500+ Students trust us
Greece
Country
Thessaloniki
City
€12,000 a year
Tuition, about ₹12.7 lakh
English
Medium, with compulsory Greek courses
For Indian Students
Short answer: Yes, Indian students can study MBBS in Greece. Not confirmed: the NMC has not said whether the final year of hospital training built into the degree counts as its 12-month internship, so graduates may be asked to complete a longer internship in India.
Every English-taught programme is open to applicants who studied their last two school years outside Greece, so Class 11 and 12 in India qualify. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki runs an online test and video interview, while NKUA Athens usually takes a UCAT or MCAT score and an online interview. A qualified NEET UG result is needed before you join a medical course abroad and to sit the FMGE later.
The NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 ask for at least 54 months of study and a 12-month internship in the same foreign institution. The Greek degree runs six years in English, and its final stage is full-time clinical training in the university's teaching hospitals: semesters 11 and 12 at Aristotle and semesters 10 to 12 at NKUA. That training is completed before the degree is awarded. The NMC does not publish a list of accepted universities. It assesses each graduate's documents individually, and it has often treated practice years inside a degree as part of the course rather than as a separate internship.
After clearing the FMGE (NExT deferred and not in force), a graduate of a Greek programme may be asked to complete a longer internship in India to make up the difference. If India is your long-term goal, plan this with our counsellors before you apply, and keep the university's written description of the final clinical training, which the State Medical Council will ask to see.
Introduction
School of Medicine building at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki carrying the Delphic maxims Know Thyself and Nothing in Excess in red Greek lettering across the facade
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Recognition & Prestige
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the largest university in Greece, with around 88,000 students. Its School of Medicine is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS), and the Greek medical degree, the Ptychio Iatrikis, is named in EU law. Its world rankings are below.
=502
QS World University Rankings 2027
801 to 1000
Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027
501 to 600
Times Higher Education 2026, Medical and Health
Clinical training runs across seven hospitals in Thessaloniki, all National Health System hospitals that host the university's clinical departments: AHEPA University Hospital on the university campus, Hippokration General Hospital, Papageorgiou General Hospital, G. Papanikolaou General Hospital, G. Gennimatas Agios Dimitrios General Hospital, the Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki and the Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases. EU Directive 2005/36/EC lists the Greek degree at Annex V, point 5.1.1, with a reference date of 1 January 1981. Because the school is listed in WDOMS, graduates can apply for ECFMG Certification and the USMLE. The GMC lists the Ptychio Iatrikis as a relevant European qualification, so UK registration is applied for directly, without PLAB. For India, the degree meets most NMC rules; the open point is whether the year of clinical traineeships built into semesters 11 and 12 counts as the 12-month internship the NMC asks for, which the NMC decides for each graduate.
WDOMS
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools
EU
Greece is an EU member state, and the Ptychio Iatrikis is listed in Annex V, point 5.1.1 of EU Directive 2005/36/EC, reference date 1 January 1981
Complete Information About the Thessaloniki School of Medicine
Get complete information about the AUSoM programme, including tuition, living costs, admission and recognition for Indian students.
Success stories
Hear directly from students who are studying medicine in Europe with futureMBBS.
Academic Excellence
AUSoM was Greece's first English-taught medicine degree, with a clear fee, 60 places a year and two application rounds, in a city that costs less to live in than Athens. Against that there is no direct flight from India to Thessaloniki, and an open question over how the NMC treats the clinical year built into the degree. Both sides are set out below.
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How to Apply
Admission runs through the programme's own online admission test, a personal statement and a video interview, into 60 places a year across two application rounds. A NEET score is not one of the results that replace the test. A qualified NEET UG result is still a separate Indian requirement, needed before you join a medical course abroad.
Indian citizens and OCI holders need a qualified NEET UG result before joining a medical course abroad, and the result stays valid for three years from its declaration. This is an Indian requirement, entirely separate from the university's own selection, and on this programme it does not replace the admission test.
Applications close on 31 January and on 31 May, for one intake a year in September. Two rounds give an applicant a second chance within the same year.
IELTS 6.0 or above overall, or TOEFL 79 or above out of 120. Greek is not needed to apply.
Sixty multiple-choice questions on school Biology, Chemistry and reasoning, taken online with no travel to Greece. The university takes a €1,200 deposit (about ₹1.3 lakh) before the test, fully refunded if you are not admitted. MediTest-EU, or A-Levels at AAB or better on final results, remove the test. A NEET score does not.
Your school-leaving certificate or International Baccalaureate, English proficiency evidence, a personal statement, and an online video interview.
Pay the €6,000 deposit (about ₹6.4 lakh, non-refundable), which counts towards the first year's fee, with the second instalment due at the end of the winter semester. Then apply for the national long-stay type D student visa at the Greek visa centre in New Delhi, showing funds of about €650 a month (about ₹68,900), and apply for the residence permit for studies within 90 days of arrival. Places cannot be deferred to the next year, so start the visa early.
The programme asks for a school-leaving certificate or an International Baccalaureate, English at B2, a personal statement and an interview. It is open only to foreign nationals who studied at least their last two school years outside Greece, which every Indian student schooled in India meets. Under Indian NMC rules an Indian applicant also needs Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English at Class 12, with at least 50% aggregate in Physics, Chemistry and Biology for the general category, 40% for SC, ST and OBC candidates and 45% for general-category candidates with benchmark disabilities, together with a qualified NEET UG result.
Subjects:
Under Indian NMC rules the candidate must be 17 years old by 31 December of the admission year, with no upper age limit. The programme applies no separate age condition of its own.
Two things govern an AUSoM application.
The Admission Test, Sat Online
Sixty multiple-choice questions on Biology, Chemistry and reasoning, taken online with no travel required. Only MediTest-EU or A-Levels at AAB or better remove the test. A NEET score does not, so an Indian applicant should plan to sit it.
Sixty Places and Two Rounds
The programme admits 60 students a year across two application rounds, closing on 31 January and 31 May, for one September intake. Two chances in the same year give an applicant more room to plan.
Admission rests on the programme's own test together with the components below.
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| AUSoM Admission Test | 60 multiple-choice questions on Biology, Chemistry and reasoning, sat online; MediTest-EU or A-Levels at AAB or better remove the test |
| English proficiency | B2: IELTS 6.0 or above overall, or TOEFL 79 or above out of 120 |
| Academic qualification | School-leaving certificate or International Baccalaureate, with at least the last two school years studied outside Greece |
| Personal statement and interview | Both required; the interview is held online by video |
To apply, students need to submit essential academic and identification documents:
Admission Guidance & Document Checklist
Get the complete document checklist or admission guidance from our experts.
Programme Structure
AUSoM runs six years and 360 ECTS across twelve semesters and 83 modules, taught in English. Greek Language I to VI run from the first to the sixth semester, with Greek Medical Terminology I and II in semesters five and seven. Taught courses run through semester 10, followed by seven clinical traineeships across semesters 11 and 12, worth 60 ECTS. The traineeships sit inside the degree and there is no separate internship after it, which is the point that matters for Indian students (see the FMGE section below).
Total Duration:
6 Years, 12 semesters, 360 ECTS, ending in seven clinical traineeships worth 60 ECTS
Degree:
Ptychio Iatrikis (degree in Medicine, equivalent to MBBS)
Semesters 1 to 4
The basic medical sciences together with early clinical skills, with Greek taught alongside as a compulsory subject:
Semesters 5 to 6
Disease mechanisms and the diagnostic sciences, bridging the laboratory and the ward:
Semesters 7 to 10
Clinical teaching across the major disciplines and then the specialties in the affiliated hospitals, completing the taught part of the degree:
Semesters 11 to 12
A full year of full-time supervised clinical training in the affiliated hospitals, seven clinical traineeships worth 60 ECTS in all, built into the degree:
Clinical training runs across seven hospitals in Thessaloniki:
| Clinical base | Role in training |
|---|---|
| AHEPA University Hospital | The flagship tertiary centre, on the university campus, and the closest thing the school has to an in-house teaching hospital |
| Hippokration General Hospital of Thessaloniki | A major general hospital hosting university clinical departments across internal medicine and the specialties |
| Papageorgiou General Hospital and G. Papanikolaou General Hospital | Two further large general hospitals in the Thessaloniki network carrying university clinics |
| G. Gennimatas Agios Dimitrios General Hospital | A general hospital hosting university clinical departments |
| Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki and the Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases | Specialist teaching sites for psychiatry and dermatology, alongside the general hospitals |
Get the full curriculum
Download a free brochure to see detailed subjects, the course structure and everything you need to plan your studies.
European Framework
A Greek medical degree sits inside the European professional qualifications framework, and the terms are national rather than set by each university. The table sets out what that means for this programme.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| EU Directive 2005/36/EC | Greece is an EU member state, and the Ptychio Iatrikis is listed at Annex V, point 5.1.1, with a reference date of 1 January 1981. Automatic recognition across the EU applies to EU citizens, so an Indian graduate moves to another EU country through that country's own procedure for non-EU nationals |
| WDOMS listing | The School of Medicine is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, which opens the USMLE route to the United States through ECFMG |
| UK registration | The General Medical Council lists the Ptychio Iatrikis issued by a Greek university as a relevant European qualification, so a graduate applies for full registration directly, without PLAB. The GMC bases this on where you qualified, not on nationality, and says it applies at this time under existing legislation |
| Programme launch | The English-taught programme admitted its first class in September 2021, and that class graduates in 2027 |
| Eligibility restriction | Open only to foreign nationals who studied at least their last two school years outside Greece; Greek nationals take the Greek-language degree |
| Licence to practise in Greece | Applied for online on gov.gr through the Panhellenic Medical Association, and open to graduates of a medical school in Greece or another EU country, whatever their nationality |
Understand the Recognition Framework
The table above sets out where a Greek medical qualification is recognised and on what basis.
Legacy
The university is named after Aristotle, was the first founded outside Athens, and is led by a cardiothoracic surgeon who graduated from its own medical school.
Rector of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, elected on 11 June 2025. A professor of cardiothoracic surgery, he has led that department at AHEPA University Hospital since 2011, chaired the Department of Medicine from 2020 to 2024, trained at the Oxford Heart Centre and is himself a graduate of this medical school.
Head of the School of Medicine, with Pavlos Georgiadis serving as Secretary.
The School of Medicine sits within the Faculty of Health Sciences and teaches around 4,000 students across 82 departments and laboratories, organised into academic sectors covering anatomy and pathology, physiology and pharmacology, biological sciences and preventive medicine, radiology, medical physics and informatics, sensory organs, child health and neurosciences, and surgery and internal medicine. The university as a whole enrols around 88,000 students, making it the largest in Greece.
Greece's largest university, with around 88,000 students
82 departments and laboratories in the School of Medicine
Seven teaching hospitals, including AHEPA on the university campus
English-taught programme running since September 2021
Sixty places a year on the English-taught programme
Two application rounds, closing on 31 January and 31 May
Admission test sat online, with no travel to Greece
Greek taught as a compulsory subject for clinical communication
About University
Get all information about the Thessaloniki School of Medicine in our free brochure
Read on to find out how you can fulfil your dream of studying medicine in Greece.
Role in medicine
Get all information about the Thessaloniki School of Medicine in our free brochure
Read on to find out how you can fulfil your dream of studying medicine in Greece.
Cost of living
Thessaloniki is Greece's second city, with a metropolitan population of about 1.19 million, and it is cheaper than Athens on rent and transport. The table assumes a one-bedroom flat to yourself; sharing the 51 to 80 square metre flat the programme suggests, at about €450 a month, brings the rent down considerably. Rupee figures are at about ₹106 to the euro (October 2026).
| Cost Component | Approximate Amount |
|---|---|
| Accommodation (one-bedroom flat, outside the centre to city centre) | ₹44,900 to ₹58,200 (€424 to €549) |
| Groceries/meals | ₹31,800 to ₹42,400 (€300 to €400) |
| Public transport (monthly pass) | ₹1,700 (€16) |
| Utilities, internet, SIM and leisure | ₹29,700 to ₹40,300 (€280 to €380) |
Average monthly living cost
₹1.08 lakh to ₹1.43 lakh (€1,020 to €1,345)
Housing
The university runs halls of residence, but for a fee-paying international student on this programme the practical route is the private rental market, and the programme's own guidance points there.
Need accommodation details?
Get a full overview of housing options with our university guide, or reach out to an expert.
Food & Dining
Thessaloniki is a city of 1.19 million with a handful of Indian restaurants, fewer than Athens, so a student here should expect to cook most of the time.
Nargis Indian Restaurant is the established option, and a few other places serve Indian dishes alongside Italian or Mexican food. Athens, a short flight away, has a wider choice.
Thessaloniki is Greece's second city and its Indian restaurant scene is correspondingly small. A student who wants Indian food regularly will cook it more often than buy it.
Greece is in the EU, so EU-wide online spice and grocery suppliers deliver without customs or payment friction. Online ordering, with the occasional trip to Athens, is the realistic way to keep an Indian kitchen stocked.
Numbeo puts an inexpensive restaurant meal in Thessaloniki at about €15 (about ₹1,600), the same as Athens. Greek food is vegetable-heavy and vegetarian eating is straightforward.
The programme has students from more than forty countries and has run since 2021, so the international student community is well established. The International Studies Office is the best first contact for meeting other Indian students.
Location
School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, Thessaloniki, Greece. The school sits on the university's main campus in central Thessaloniki, beside AHEPA University Hospital, and six further teaching hospitals are spread across the city. Thessaloniki is Greece's second city, roughly 300 kilometres north of Athens.
Nearest Airport
Thessaloniki Airport Makedonia (SKG), with European and regional routes and no direct flight to India
Realistic Routing From India
Fly to Athens, which IndiGo has served nonstop from Delhi and Mumbai since January 2026, then take the 55-minute onward flight; or connect through a hub such as Istanbul, Doha or Dubai straight into Thessaloniki
Your Roadmap to Success
Graduates receive the Greek primary medical qualification, the same degree as the Greek-language class. It is the equivalent of an Indian MBBS rather than an Indian postgraduate MD.
The Ptychio Iatrikis is listed at Annex V, point 5.1.1 of EU Directive 2005/36/EC, with a reference date of 1 January 1981. For EU citizens this means automatic recognition across the EU. For an Indian citizen, practising in another EU country goes through that country's own procedure for non-EU nationals.
Greece's licence to practise is applied for online on gov.gr, through the Panhellenic Medical Association, and it is open to graduates of a medical school in Greece or another EU country, whatever their nationality. Working in Greek hospitals needs good Greek, which is why the programme teaches it. Specialty training is applied for through the Greek regional health authority (Perifereia) where you want to train.
The General Medical Council lists the Ptychio Iatrikis issued by a Greek university as a relevant European qualification, so a graduate applies to the GMC for full registration with a licence to practise directly, without sitting PLAB. The GMC bases this route on where you qualified rather than your nationality, and says that at this time it applies under existing legislation.
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS), so its graduates can apply for ECFMG Certification and sit the USMLE, the US licensing exam. ECFMG's accreditation policy is for information only and does not affect an individual graduate's eligibility for ECFMG Certification.
The six-year English-taught degree meets most of the NMC rules, including more than 54 months of study and teaching in English. The open point is the internship. The NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 ask for a 12-month internship in the same foreign institution, and Aristotle's final year, full-time clinical traineeships in semesters 11 and 12, is built into the degree and completed before it is awarded. The NMC publishes no list of accepted universities, assesses each graduate's documents individually, and has often treated practice years inside a degree as part of the course. So after clearing the FMGE (NExT deferred and not in force), the screening exam run by NBEMS, a graduate may be asked to complete a longer internship in India to make up the difference. If practising in India is your main goal, plan this with our counsellors before applying, and keep the university's written description of the final year, which the State Medical Council will ask to see.
Understand the Medical Licensing Pathway
A clear overview of the exams and requirements after graduation.
Practising in India
To practise medicine in India after graduating abroad, an Indian student qualifies NEET UG before admission, completes a course that meets the NMC rules, clears the NMC screening examination (the FMGE; NExT is deferred and not in force), completes a 12-month internship in India, and registers with the NMC or a State Medical Council. For a Greek degree the open point is the internship, and the steps below explain what that means.
Step 1
The NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 ask for at least 54 months of study and a 12-month internship in the same foreign institution. The six-year, 360-ECTS programme clears the course length. Its final year, seven full-time clinical traineeships worth 60 ECTS in semesters 11 and 12, is built into the degree and completed before it is awarded, and Greece has no separate internship after graduation. The NMC has not said whether this year counts as the internship; it assesses each graduate's documents individually.
Step 2
The programme is taught in English and no Greek is required for admission. Greek is taught as a compulsory subject, Greek Language I to VI plus Greek Medical Terminology, because the hospital years are spent with Greek-speaking patients.
Step 3
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences conducts the FMGE twice a year with a pass mark of 150 out of 300. In the December 2025 session 42,872 candidates appeared and 10,262 qualified, a pass rate of 23.95%. In June 2025, 36,034 appeared and 6,707 qualified, 18.61%. The National Exit Test (NExT), intended to replace the FMGE, is deferred and not in force. NBEMS publishes no figure for Greece, because the first English-taught class graduates in 2027.
Step 4
After clearing the FMGE, a foreign graduate completes a twelve-month Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship in India, and then registers with the NMC or a State Medical Council.
Step 5
The NMC has often treated practice years inside a degree as part of the course rather than as a separate internship, so an Aristotle graduate may be asked to complete a longer internship in India to make up the difference. Plan this with our counsellors before applying, and keep the university's written description of the final year for the State Medical Council. The School of Medicine is also listed in WDOMS, which opens the USMLE route, and the GMC accepts the Greek degree for UK registration without PLAB.
Student Life Style
Thessaloniki is Greece's second city, with a metropolitan population of about 1.19 million, cooler and wetter than Athens, and built around the largest university in the country.
Sailing yacht at anchor on clear turquoise water off a Greek island coastline
Aerial view of a Greek island town on a wooded headland at dusk
Aerial view of a Greek coastal town with a harbour, a wooded headland and mountains behind
Scholarship & Financial
The programme offers no scholarships on its English-taught track, so a family should plan for the full fee from the start.
Tuition is €12,000 a year (about ₹12.7 lakh), the same in every year, so €72,000 across six years, about ₹76.3 lakh, paid in two instalments a year. The €6,000 deposit paid after the offer counts towards the first year's fee.
The programme's own FAQ states that no scholarships are currently available on the English-taught track. That is a clear answer, and it means the full six-year fee belongs in the plan from the first day.
Erasmus+ pays for study periods abroad, not for Greek tuition. Once enrolled, students can apply for an Erasmus+ exchange at a partner university in Europe, and long single-cycle degrees such as medicine allow up to 24 months of Erasmus+ mobility across the degree.
Compare
Compare Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with India's top-ranked government medical college.
Quick Comparison:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki vs AIIMS New Delhi
| University | Aristotle University of ThessalonikiThessaloniki, Greece | AIIMS New DelhiNew Delhi, India |
|---|---|---|
| University Type | Public, founded 1925 | Institute of National Importance (government) |
| Medium | English, with compulsory Greek courses | English |
| Course Duration | 6 years, 360 ECTS, including a final year of clinical traineeships in semesters 11 and 12 | 5.5 years, being 4.5 years plus a 12-month internship |
| Tuition (per year) | €12,000, about ₹12.7 lakh (October 2026) | About ₹1,628 in academic fees for the whole course, including ₹1,350 tuition |
| Admission | Online admission test and video interview, plus a qualified NEET UG result | NEET UG |
| Recognition | Listed in WDOMS; EU Annex V 5.1.1; meets most NMC rules, and a longer internship in India may be asked for | Listed in WDOMS |
| Global Ranking | QS =502 (2027); THE 801 to 1000 (2027); THE Medical and Health 501 to 600 (2026) | NIRF Medical 1 (2025) |
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FAQ
Short answers to the questions students and parents ask most often about studying medicine at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
