Medicine (integrated bachelor’s and master’s, Doctor of Medicine)

About the course

A six-year integrated Doctor of Medicine (MD) programme taught in English (360 ECTS). Estonian language courses are a compulsory part of the curriculum.

Entry requirements for Irish students

• The university assesses the Irish Leaving Certificate individually and does not publish a fixed Irish requirement. Contact admissions to confirm.
• Selection (2026 cycle) has three parts: a motivation letter of up to 4,000 characters (20%, you need at least 51/100 to go forward), a 120-minute online entrance test in Physics and Chemistry at secondary-school level (60%, you need at least 51/100 to go forward) and an 8-9 minute interview (20%).
• English: IELTS Academic 6.0 (no part below 5.5), Cambridge 169, PTE Academic 59 or an accepted TOEFL iBT score. You may be exempt if you completed secondary education in English in the EU/EEA, which normally covers Irish Leaving Certificate students taught through English.

Working in Ireland afterwards

Because your medical degree comes from an EU/EEA country, the Medical Council of Ireland can recognise it automatically under EU Directive 2005/36/EC, as long as it is listed in Annex V (point 5.1.1). If that listing says the degree must come with an internship or state-exam certificate from your home country, you need to have that too, and you must also show your current professional standing and meet the English-language requirements. Graduates of EU/EEA medical schools may apply to the HSE for Irish intern posts, but only if their home-country degree does not already count as complete training. In older HSE intern guides (e.g., the 2022 guide), only graduates from medical schools in Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Iceland and Slovenia could apply. Graduates from other EEA countries (and Italians holding the ‘abilitante’ degree) were told they are not eligible, because they qualify directly for General registration. Applicants who need no work permit were matched before those who do. Please check the current eligibility list in the HSE intern guide for the year you apply. We could not confirm it for the July 2027 intake because the current HSE guide pages are password-protected.

How to apply

1. Prepare documentsGather certified copies of your secondary school certificate and grade list (current grades are accepted from EU countries), your passport and proof of English. Draft a motivation letter of up to 4,000 characters.
2. Apply on DreamApplyIn the 2026 cycle, applications ran from 2 January to 15 April and there was a EUR 100 application fee. Check the 2027 dates, which are due to be published by the end of December 2026.
3. Online test and interviewSit the online Physics and Chemistry test (120 minutes). If you score at least 51/100 on both the test and the motivation letter, you go on to the interview. In 2026 these were held on 15 May and 20-22 May.
4. Results and enrolmentIn 2026, results were due by 1 June. If you receive an offer, post your documents within 3 weeks, pay the first-semester fee after you arrive (by 20 September) and start classes on 31 August.

Costs

• EUR 13,200 per year, as listed on the programme page (curriculum version 2026/2027). The fee for the 2027 intake has not yet been confirmed. The fee applies to this English-taught programme, including for EU/EEA students. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens pay the first-semester fee after arriving in Tartu, by 20 September at the latest. There is also a one-off EUR 100 application fee for non-Estonian applicants.

At a glance