Zagreb School of Medicine Admission 2027: Indian Guide

Admission to the Zagreb School of Medicine is a written online entrance exam in biology, chemistry and physics, taken after you post a complete application with a 300 euro fee. You need at least 61 correct answers out of 120, with at least 15 in each subject, and the school admits a maximum of 60 students a year to its six year Medical Studies in English.

That's the whole route in two sentences. The rest of this guide fills in the detail an Indian family actually needs: the exam terms, the documents, what you pay and when, and the Croatian paperwork that follows your offer. Every fact comes from the University of Zagreb School of Medicine's own admission pages, read on 1 November 2026.

Key Takeaways

• The programme: Medical Studies in English is a six year integrated course that leads to the title of Doctor of Medicine, the degree Indian students call MBBS, taught in Zagreb, Croatia's capital.
• The exam: 120 high school questions, 40 each in biology, chemistry and physics. You pass with 61 correct answers in total and at least 15 per subject.
• The terms: the 2026/2027 cycle had five online exams between January and August 2026. Each needed your posted application at least 15 days before the exam.
• The cost: a 300 euro application fee, then tuition of 12,000 euros a year paid at once, or 12,200 euros in two instalments. A 2,500 euro first instalment holds your seat.
• The seats: a maximum of 60 students a year, enrolment in Zagreb in September and lectures from the start of October.

What is the Zagreb School of Medicine admission process?

The Zagreb School of Medicine admission process has four parts: a complete application sent by post with a 300 euro fee, an online written exam in biology, chemistry and physics, a conditional offer that you accept with a 2,500 euro payment, and recognition of your Class 12 certificate through Croatia's national application platform, Postani Student.

The school's admission requirements page also sets health requirements and, for some applicants, an English test. Only after all of that are you put on a national list, and only candidates on that list receive the Letter of Acceptance and the Student Contract.

It sounds like a lot. In practice it runs in a clear order, and most of it happens from home in India. The exam is online, the application goes by courier, and you travel to Zagreb only for enrolment in September.

When are the Zagreb School of Medicine entrance exam dates?

The Zagreb School of Medicine ran five online entrance exams for the 2026/2027 intake: 12 January, 12 May, 8 June, 6 July and 31 August 2026. Each had a rehearsal a few days before and an application deadline about two to three weeks earlier. The 2027/2028 schedule had not been posted on 1 November 2026.

Here is the last cycle in full, from the school's admission requirements page. Use it as your planning template.

Notice the first row. The last cycle opened with a January exam and a deadline just before Christmas. If the school keeps that pattern, the first chance for the September 2027 intake could come in the same weeks, so check the admission pages and our MBBS deadlines page through November and December. The school also notes that dates can change for administrative reasons, and its call for applications says the autumn exam only takes place if places are left.

What is the Zagreb School of Medicine entrance exam like?

The Zagreb School of Medicine entrance exam has 120 multiple choice questions at high school level: 40 in biology, 40 in chemistry and 40 in physics. To pass, you need at least 15 correct answers in each subject and 61 correct answers in total, which is just over half the paper.

That rule is worth reading twice. A brilliant biology score can't rescue a weak physics section, because every subject has its own floor of 15. The entrance exam page publishes separate syllabus requirements for each subject and sample questions for physics, chemistry and biology.

There's a practice book too. The school's handbook of entrance exam examples holds three full exams built from the 2020 and 2021 papers, plus 100 extra questions with answers. It's sent as a PDF to applicants who have paid the fee and sent a complete application.

For an Indian student, the content will feel familiar. It's the same Class 11 and 12 science you prepare for NEET. If you're still revising, NEETsheet's guides to the NEET 2027 physics preparation strategy and the NEET 2027 biology preparation strategy cover exactly the topics this paper tests. Our guide to the MBBS entrance exam in Europe shows how Zagreb's test compares with other universities.

Who can skip the Zagreb entrance exam?

Two groups can skip the Zagreb School of Medicine entrance exam: applicants with an internationally recognised exam such as the MCAT, with at least 125 in each section, and applicants with a BA or BSc in natural sciences and good results in biology, physics and chemistry. Their 2026/2027 application deadline was 15 June 2026.

Most Indian applicants come straight from Class 12, so they take the exam. Indian board marks aren't on the exemption list.

English is a separate question. The school asks for an English test only from candidates who are neither native speakers nor graduates of an English-speaking secondary school or college. The accepted scores are:

• IELTS 6
• TOEFL 500 on paper, 60 on the internet based test or 170 on the computer based test
• Duolingo English Test 105
• Cambridge or Oxford exams, or a C1 certificate from a language school

If your school taught in English, you may not need a test at all. Ask the student office to confirm that in writing before you book anything. Our post on MBBS in Europe without IELTS explains how schools usually judge this.

Which documents go into a Zagreb School of Medicine application?

A Zagreb School of Medicine application needs 12 items: the application form, certified school records, any college certificates, translations, an English CV, two photos, the 300 euro fee, a medical certificate, passport copies, a birth certificate, a financial statement and, where required, an English test score. Applications sent by e-mail or fax are not considered.

The school's application procedure page lists them in this order:

1. The completed international student application form.
2. Certified copies of your report cards for the last four school years (three, if your country has three year secondary schooling), your final report card and proof of any final exam.
3. Certificates of any college or university study.
4. For students who finished school outside the EU, like you: a translation of grades and diploma into Croatian or English, validated by a certified court interpreter.
5. A curriculum vitae in English.
6. Two photographs, 4 x 6 cm, not older than six months.
7. Proof of the 300 euro application fee, paid to the school's account with OUR charges, so you cover all bank costs.
8. An original certificate of medical and psychophysical capability to study medicine, not older than one month, from a general practitioner who isn't a family member, plus the completed questionnaire.
9. A certified copy of your passport's data pages.
10. An original or certified copy of your birth certificate.
11. A certified financial statement showing that you or your sponsor can pay for the course.
12. An English proficiency certificate, if it applies to you.

The medical certificate deserves early attention. The admission requirements page lists what it covers, including eyesight, colour vision checked with the 24 plate Ishihara test, hearing, speech, movement and regular immunisation. A one month validity window means you book that appointment last, just before you post the envelope.

Several of these papers may also need an apostille later, for the visa and residence permit. Our guide to the apostille for MBBS in Europe walks through the Indian side of that process.

How do you apply to the Zagreb School of Medicine, step by step?

Applying to the Zagreb School of Medicine takes about eight steps, from the NEET check at home to enrolment in Zagreb. Do them in this order, and give the postal stage at least two weeks of margin before your chosen exam deadline.

1. Check your Indian eligibility first. Confirm your NEET result against NEETsheet's guide to NEET qualifying marks and the NEET 2027 eligibility criteria, because India's rules apply when you come home.
2. Pick an exam term. Choose the earliest online exam that leaves you time to collect documents. Earlier terms leave more time for the visa.
3. Book your medical certificate. Get it from a general practitioner no more than one month before you post.
4. Prepare and translate your documents. Certify your school records and have them translated into English or Croatian by a court interpreter.
5. Pay the 300 euro fee and post the application. Send everything to the school or through an official representative, at least 15 days before the exam.
6. Sit the rehearsal and the online exam. Aim well above 15 correct answers in every subject.
7. Accept your offer and pay 2,500 euros. Then register on Postani Student and request recognition of your Class 12 certificate.
8. Apply for your visa and travel for enrolment. Use the Letter of Acceptance for the visa and arrive in Zagreb for enrolment in September.

What happens after you pass the Zagreb entrance exam?

After you pass, the Zagreb School of Medicine e-mails a conditional Offer of Place, within one or two days after the August 2026 exam. You accept it by paying the non-refundable 2,500 euro first instalment by the date in the offer, then register on Postani Student and request recognition of your school certificate.

If the payment doesn't arrive in time, the offer of place page says your answer counts as negative and you go on the waiting list. So keep the funds ready before the exam, not after.

Recognition is the step families often underestimate. Croatia has to recognise a school certificate earned abroad before you can enrol. You register on Postani Student, send the Request for recognition from your profile and choose the programme Medicina (na engleskom jeziku); the school notes the programme can be chosen only after 1 February. For the 2026/2027 intake, the school forwarded documents to the national agency by 1 July 2026, according to its diploma recognition page.

Once recognition is complete, you join the joint national list. For 2026/2027, that list appeared on 15 July 2026, and on 16 September 2026 for the August exam term. Only candidates on it, who have also paid the 2,500 euros, receive the Letter of Acceptance and the Student Contract.

How much does Zagreb School of Medicine admission cost in rupees?

Zagreb School of Medicine admission costs 300 euros (about 31,800 rupees) to apply and 2,500 euros (about 2.65 lakh rupees) to hold your seat. Tuition for 2026/2027 is 12,000 euros a year paid at once, about 12.73 lakh rupees, or 12,200 euros in two instalments of 6,100 euros, about 12.94 lakh rupees.

We converted at the European Central Bank's euro to rupee reference rate of 106.0840 rupees on 30 October 2026. Your bank's rate will differ a little.

The 2,500 euros is the first part of your tuition, not an extra charge. Six year totals assume today's fee holds for your whole course; the school sets the fee in each year's call. For the full budget, with living costs and both Croatian schools side by side, read our guide to Croatia MBBS fees. Sending the money is covered in our post on education remittance for MBBS in Europe.

Why Indian students choose the Zagreb School of Medicine

Indian students choose the Zagreb School of Medicine for a few concrete reasons, all on the school's own prospective students page.

• A long track record with foreign students. The University of Zagreb was founded in 1669 and its School of Medicine in 1917. The school says more than 700 foreign students have earned their medical degrees there since the period between the two World Wars, India among their home countries.
• A programme built in English. Medical Studies in English began in 2003 as a full 12 semester course, taught entirely in English.
• Small intake. A maximum of 60 students a year means you're a name, not a roll number.
• An EU degree. Croatia has been a member of the European Union since 2013, which matters if you later look at work or training elsewhere in Europe.
• Croatian lessons included. The school notes language lessons for students who don't speak Croatian, which helps once you start seeing patients.
• An exam you can take from home. Every term in the last cycle was online.

The school describes Zagreb as a big, cosmopolitan yet reasonably priced and very relaxed city. The school gives a feel for prices: a single room with a shared kitchen from about 200 euros a month, and a studio from about 300 euros. Our page on the University of Zagreb School of Medicine and our country guide to MBBS in Croatia for Indian students add more background, and the Croatia country page compares the other medical schools in the country.

What do you need for the visa and residence permit?

Indian students need a visa issued by a Croatian embassy or VFS centre before travelling, because visas can't be applied for or extended inside Croatia. After arrival, non-EU students staying more than 90 days must apply for temporary stay for study purposes within 48 hours, with proof of about 270 euros a month in means.

The school's prospective students page lists what that temporary stay application asks for: the form for non-EU citizens, an acceptance letter in Croatian from the university, one colour photo, proof of means, proof of accommodation, proof of health insurance, a criminal record certificate with an apostille and your passport. Documents must be translated into Croatian and certified by a notary. You'll get your OIB, Croatia's personal identification number, when you register with the police, and enrolment isn't possible without it.

Start the visa early. The school warns that the visa process can take several weeks or even months, and it treats late visas or housing as no reason to postpone your studies. Our guides to the student visa for MBBS in Europe, the residence permit for MBBS students in Europe, proof of funds and health insurance explain each piece.

Does a Zagreb degree fit India's FMGL rules?

India's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 ask for a course of at least 54 months, a 12 month internship in the same foreign institution, English as the medium of instruction and registration with the licensing body of the country that awards the degree. After that comes a 12 month supervised internship in India.

The Zagreb School of Medicine's course runs six years in English, which covers the length and language conditions. The school's admission pages don't say how its final year training maps onto the 12 month foreign internship condition, so ask in writing during your Zagreb School of Medicine admission and keep the reply with your offer.

The school's pages also don't ask for a NEET score. India's rules are a separate track, and our guide on whether NEET is required for MBBS abroad explains why it still matters for you. Our posts on checking NMC and WDOMS recognition and on the FMG internship and registration cover what happens when you come home.

Planning your Zagreb School of Medicine admission with us

Zagreb rewards organised applicants: one online exam built on the science you already know, a clear list of documents and a small class in an EU capital. If you plan the medical certificate, the translations and the 2,500 euros in advance, the rest falls into place.

Sources

• University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Medical Studies in English, Admission requirements (online exam dates 2026, exemptions, English scores, health requirements, offer of place, 60 places, tuition, academic year), read on 1 November 2026: mse.mef.unizg.hr
• University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Application procedure (list of documents, 300 euro fee, postal address, deadlines), read on 1 November 2026: mse.mef.unizg.hr
• University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Call for applications 2026/2027 (60 places, 12,000 or 12,200 euros, eligibility, 15 day rule), read on 1 November 2026: mse.mef.unizg.hr
• University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Entrance exam (120 questions, pass marks, practice handbook), read on 1 November 2026: mse.mef.unizg.hr
• University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Offer of place (2,500 euro non-refundable instalment, waiting list), read on 1 November 2026: mse.mef.unizg.hr
• University of Zagreb School of Medicine, High/secondary school diploma recognition (Postani Student, national list), read on 1 November 2026: mse.mef.unizg.hr
• University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Prospective students (history, foreign graduates, housing, visa, temporary stay, OIB), read on 1 November 2026: mse.mef.unizg.hr
• European Central Bank, euro reference rate for the Indian rupee, 106.0840 on 30 October 2026: ecb.europa.eu
• National Medical Commission, Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021, read on 1 November 2026: nmc.org.in