How Many English-Taught Medical Programs Are There in Europe?
A full count: 271 English-taught medicine, dentistry and pharmacy programs at 159 universities across 21 countries, broken down by country and profession, with what the numbers reveal about where choice actually is.
Quick Answer
271, at 159 universities across 21 countries: 141 in medicine, 71 in pharmacy and 59 in dentistry. The distribution is far more uneven than most people expect. The United Kingdom alone accounts for 88 of the 271 — roughly a third — followed by Italy and Poland with 25 each and Romania with 22. At the other end, Estonia and Portugal have one program each. That concentration matters when you build a shortlist: excluding the UK on cost removes a third of the field at a stroke, and several countries offer so few programs that a single rejection ends your options there. Every program in the count is verified against the university's own pages.
Source Status
The count includes every English-taught medicine, dentistry and pharmacy program verified against official university sources for the 2026-2027 cycle. It is a count of programs, not of intake places, and universities running the same subject at multiple faculties are counted once per program.
Quick Take
- 271 programs, 159 universities, 21 countries.
- The UK holds 88 — about a third of everything available.
- Six countries have four programs or fewer between all three professions.
The full count
271 English-taught programs, at 159 universities, across 21 countries: 141 medicine, 71 pharmacy, 59 dentistry.
| Country | Total | Medicine | Dentistry | Pharmacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 88 | 36 | 15 | 37 |
| Italy | 25 | 22 | 2 | 1 |
| Poland | 25 | 14 | 8 | 3 |
| Romania | 22 | 12 | 9 | 1 |
| Ireland | 17 | 9 | 2 | 6 |
| Czechia | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Hungary | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Bulgaria | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Serbia | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Croatia | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Cyprus | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Greece | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Slovakia | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Lithuania | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Latvia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Malta | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| North Macedonia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Albania | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Estonia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Portugal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Browse any of them in the program explorer or by country in the countries directory.
The UK distorts every average
Eighty-eight of 271 programs are British — about a third of everything available in English in Europe. That single fact explains several things people find puzzling.
It is why the median pharmacy tuition looks high: 37 of the 71 pharmacy programs are UK MPharm courses at UK fee levels. It is why "average European tuition" figures are misleading. And it is why excluding the UK on cost is such a consequential decision — it removes a third of the field before you have compared anything.
The UK picture is in studying medicine in the UK.
Where the choice really is, by profession
Medicine is the widest field: 141 programs in 21 countries. Outside the UK, Italy leads with 22, then Poland with 14 and Romania with 12.
Pharmacy has 71 programs but the most lopsided distribution of the three — 37 in the UK alone, leaving 34 across the rest of the continent. Ireland has 6, Hungary 4.
Dentistry is the narrowest at 59 programs in 16 countries, and five countries teaching medicine in English offer no dentistry at all. Romania has the most outside the UK at 9, then Poland with 8. That scarcity is a large part of why dental places are hard to win — see where to study dentistry in Europe.
The one-program countries
Estonia and Portugal have a single English-taught program each. Albania has two. Bosnia and Herzegovina has four, all medicine. Malta, Latvia and North Macedonia have four apiece across all three professions.
Applying to a country with one or two programs means one or two chances. If that country is central to your plan, you need a genuine alternative rather than a hope — which is the practical argument for spreading applications across more than one country and more than one deadline window, as set out in when to apply.
What this count does and does not measure
It counts programs, not places. A country with three programs might admit more international students than one with six, and intake numbers are rarely published in a comparable way. Treat program count as a measure of how many doors exist, not how wide they are.
It also counts only programs taught in English and verified against official university sources for 2026-2027. Programs taught in the local language are excluded, which is why countries with large medical sectors can appear small here.
And it is a snapshot. Universities open and close English-language tracks between cycles, which is why every record carries a verification date and why the updates feed exists.
FAQs
How many English-taught medical programs are there in Europe?
271 across medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, at 159 universities in 21 countries — 141 medicine, 71 pharmacy and 59 dentistry, all verified against official university sources for 2026-2027.
Which European country has the most English-taught programs?
The United Kingdom by a wide margin, with 88 of the 271 — about a third. Italy and Poland follow with 25 each, then Romania with 22.
Which country has the most outside the UK?
Italy and Poland with 25 programs each, though they are shaped differently: Italy is heavily weighted to medicine with 22, while Poland spreads across 14 medicine, 8 dentistry and 3 pharmacy.
Why is dentistry so much narrower?
There are 59 dental programs across 16 countries, against 141 medical programs across 21. Five countries that teach medicine in English offer no English-taught dentistry at all, which is a large part of why dental places are competitive.
Does a higher program count mean more places?
No. This counts programs, not intake places, and intake numbers are rarely published comparably. A country with three programs may admit more international students than one with six.
Are programs taught in the local language included?
No. The count covers English-taught programs only, which is why countries with large medical sectors can appear small here. It also excludes programs we cannot verify against official university sources.