Dentistry in Europe: 59 Programs Compared
All 59 English-taught dental programs across 16 countries, with verified 2026-27 fees from €6,000, course length, and how each country selects.
Quick Answer
59 English-taught dentistry programs across 16 countries, and the price range is enormous: €6,000 a year at Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje to €72,847 in the United Kingdom. Romania is the deepest affordable option with 9 programs from €6,500, and the United Kingdom the largest overall with 15 from €33,718. The detail that catches people out is length. Dentistry runs five years in most of Europe, but six in Romania, Serbia, Croatia and at Varna in Bulgaria, and five and a half at Sofia and Plovdiv — so a cheap Romanian place costs an extra year of fees and living costs that a Polish one does not. Selection is looser than in medicine: several countries admit on file review alone, and only the UK requires an admission test as standard.
Source Status
Program counts and tuition are drawn from the verified EuroMedGuide 2026-2027 catalog and link to each university's official fee page. Licensing points cite the national regulator and are framed 'verify before acting' — this is not licensing advice.
Quick Take
- 59 programs across 16 countries, from €6,000 to €72,847 a year.
- Romania has the most affordable depth at 9 programs from €6,500.
- Length varies: five years in most of Europe, six in Romania and Serbia.
Where the 59 programs are
| Country | Programs | Verified fee range | Typical length |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 15 | €33,718 – €72,847 | 5 years |
| Romania | 9 | €6,500 – €13,500 | 6 years |
| Poland | 8 | €14,000 – €20,900 | 5 years |
| Czechia | 5 | €14,000 – €24,250 | 5 years |
| Hungary | 4 | €14,829 – €17,863 | 5 years |
| Bulgaria | 3 | €10,000 flat | 5.5–6 years |
| Ireland | 2 | €52,100 – €60,000 | 5 years |
| Italy | 2 | assessed, not flat | 6 years |
| Lithuania | 2 | €13,600 – €15,000 | 5 years |
| Serbia | 2 | €7,200 flat | 6 years |
| Slovakia | 2 | €13,500 – €14,500 | 5 years |
| Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, North Macedonia | 1 each | €6,000 – €26,000 | 5–6 years |
Two countries account for 24 of the 59 — the UK and Romania — and they sit at opposite ends of every axis: price, length and selectivity.
Italy's two programs publish no flat annual fee because Italian public tuition is assessed on income and country of residence, which is why they are absent from every ranking here. See what Italian public universities really cost.
The cheapest verified dental programs
| University | Country | Annual fee | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje | North Macedonia | €6,000 | 6 |
| Craiova | Romania | €6,500 | 6 |
| Lucian Blaga Sibiu | Romania | €7,000 | 6 |
| University of Niš | Serbia | €7,200 | 6 |
| Ovidius Constanța | Romania | €8,000 | 6 |
| Grigore T. Popa | Romania | €9,000 | 6 |
| Victor Babeș | Romania | €9,000 | 6 |
| Medical University of Plovdiv | Bulgaria | €10,000 | 5.5 |
Craiova's €6,500 is the cheapest verified dental fee inside the European Union. Skopje is €500 cheaper but North Macedonia is outside the EU, which changes the recognition route home — see studying medicine in the Western Balkans.
Seven of the eight cheapest are six-year courses. Priced across the whole degree rather than per year, a €6,500 six-year Romanian place costs €39,000 against €70,000 for a five-year Polish one at €14,000 — still much cheaper, but the gap narrows once you count the extra year of living costs too.
The length trap
Dentistry is one of the few subjects where course length varies by country rather than by university, and it is the most common planning error people make here.
| Length | Where |
|---|---|
| 5 years | UK, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Ireland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta |
| 5.5 years | Bulgaria (Sofia, Plovdiv) |
| 6 years | Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, North Macedonia, Bulgaria (Varna) |
A sixth year is a full year of tuition, a full year of living costs and a year of delayed earnings. At Romanian prices that is roughly €15,000 to €17,000 all in; at Irish prices it would be €67,000. Weigh it against the annual fee rather than reading the fee alone — how long is medical school in Europe sets out every duration, and the real total cost does the compounding.
How dental schools select
Dentistry is admitted more loosely than medicine almost everywhere outside the UK.
In the UK, the UCAT is standard and applications run through UCAS on a single October deadline — the mechanics are in the UCAT for UK medicine and dentistry and how UK offers work.
In Romania, only 2 of the 9 dental programs interview and 4 admit on file review alone — noticeably easier than Romanian medicine, where all 12 programs interview.
In Bulgaria, Sofia and Plovdiv run a written entrance examination; Varna admits on file review.
What the schools actually ask you to produce, and the grade thresholds where they are published, are in what European dental schools actually ask for.
Coming home as a dentist
This is where dentistry differs sharply from medicine, and it is worth understanding before you choose a country.
For the USA and Canada, a foreign-trained dentist generally completes an advanced standing program at an accredited North American dental school and sits the INBDE. That is a longer and more expensive route back than the medical equivalent, and it is not optional. The detail is in dentistry licensing in North America.
Inside the EU, an EU dental degree carries the automatic recognition route between member states, which is why the EU-versus-non-EU distinction matters more for dentistry than the fee difference does. Croatia, Romania, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta and Cyprus are inside; Serbia and North Macedonia are not.
Where to study, weighed by country rather than by price alone, is in where to study dentistry in Europe.
FAQs
How many English-taught dentistry programs are there in Europe?
59, across 16 countries. The United Kingdom has the most at 15, then Romania with 9, Poland with 8, Czechia with 5 and Hungary with 4.
What is the cheapest dentistry degree in Europe?
€6,000 a year at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia. Inside the European Union the cheapest is €6,500 at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova in Romania. Both are six-year courses.
How long is dentistry in Europe?
Five years in most of Europe, including the UK, Poland, Czechia, Hungary and Ireland. But six in Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Italy and North Macedonia, and five and a half in Sofia and Plovdiv. That extra year is a full year of fees and living costs.
Is dentistry easier to get into than medicine?
In several countries the published selection is lighter. In Romania only 2 of the 9 dental programs interview and 4 admit on file review, where all 12 Romanian medicine programs interview. The UK is the exception: the UCAT and the UCAS cycle apply to dentistry exactly as they do to medicine.
Can I practice in the US or Canada with a European dental degree?
Generally you complete an advanced standing program at an accredited North American dental school and sit the INBDE. That is a longer and costlier route home than the medical equivalent, and it should shape your choice of country before the fee does.
Which country is best for English-taught dentistry?
It depends on what constrains you. Romania offers the most affordable depth — 9 programs from €6,500 — at the cost of a sixth year. Poland offers 8 five-year programs at €14,000 to €20,900. The UK offers 15 but at €33,718 to €72,847 with the UCAT and a single October deadline.