Pharmacy in Europe: 71 Programs in English
All 71 English-taught pharmacy programs across 18 countries, from €3,000. Why the UK dominates the count, and which degrees clear the US five-year screen.
Quick Answer
71 English-taught pharmacy programs across 18 countries, and the shape of that number matters: 37 of them are UK MPharm courses, so more than half of European pharmacy taught in English is British. Fees run from €3,000 at the University of Kragujevac in Serbia to €44,286 in the UK. Outside the UK the median is €8,000, roughly 55 percent of what non-UK medicine costs, and pharmacy is cheaper than medicine at 35 of the 37 universities that price both. The structural detail that decides the route home is length: continental European pharmacy is almost always a five-year integrated master's, which is what the US FPGEC route screens on, while the UK MPharm is typically four years. That single year is the difference between a straightforward US path and a complicated one.
Source Status
Program counts and tuition are drawn from the verified EuroMedGuide 2026-2027 catalog and link to each university's official fee page. Registration points cite the national regulator and are framed 'verify before acting' — this is not licensing advice.
Quick Take
- 71 programs across 18 countries; 37 of them are UK MPharm courses.
- Outside the UK the median fee is €8,000, against €14,472 for non-UK medicine.
- Continental pharmacy runs five years; the UK MPharm typically four.
Where the 71 programs are
| Country | Programs | Verified fee range |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 37 | €19,530 – €44,286 |
| Ireland | 6 | €12,000 – €25,000 |
| Hungary | 4 | €6,838 – €11,316 |
| Bulgaria | 3 | €6,200 – €8,000 |
| Poland | 3 | €9,812 |
| Serbia | 3 | €3,000 – €7,000 |
| Cyprus | 2 | €9,240 – €10,800 |
| Czechia | 2 | €7,500 – €7,900 |
| North Macedonia | 2 | €5,000 |
| Albania, Croatia, Greece | 1 each | €6,000 – €10,000 |
More than half of English-taught European pharmacy is in the United Kingdom. That one fact distorts every summary statistic about the subject, and it is why pharmacy's catalog-wide median of €21,623 reads higher than medicine's €16,968 while being, in most of Europe, much cheaper.
Romania, by contrast, teaches 12 medicine programs in English and only one pharmacy program. Pharmacy depth and medicine depth do not track each other.
The five-year rule is the whole game
If your intention is to practice in the USA, degree duration is the first screen you have to clear, and it is decided by where you study rather than by how well you do.
Continental European pharmacy is almost universally a five-year integrated master's. Every program in the affordable tier — Kragujevac, Belgrade, Štip, Skopje, Lithuania, Albania, Plovdiv, Debrecen — runs five years.
The UK MPharm is typically four. That is entirely correct for UK registration and creates a real problem for the US FPGEC route. Ireland is the exception within the British Isles: all six Irish pharmacy programs are five-year integrated master's degrees.
The detail, including which UK programs differ, is in pharmacy degrees and the five-year rule and UK pharmacy degrees and US licensing. Settle this before you shortlist on price.
What it costs, and the subject discount
The cheapest verified programs:
| University | Country | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| University of Kragujevac | Serbia | €3,000 |
| University of Belgrade | Serbia | €3,500 |
| Goce Delčev, Štip | North Macedonia | €5,000 |
| Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Lithuania | €5,600 |
| Medical University of Plovdiv | Bulgaria | €6,200 |
| University of Debrecen | Hungary | €6,838 |
Pharmacy is cheaper than medicine at 35 of the 37 universities that price both, typically at about 62 percent of the medicine fee. The gaps are largest exactly where fees are highest: Trinity College Dublin charges €60,000 for medicine and €21,230 for pharmacy, a €38,770 difference at one institution. See one university, three very different prices.
The full ranked list is in cheapest pharmacy schools in Europe, and the UK specifically in cheapest MPharm degrees in the UK.
Admission, and a disclosure gap
Pharmacy admission is generally lighter than medicine's. Most continental programs admit on secondary-school chemistry and biology with an entrance examination at some universities; interviews are rarer.
In the UK, pharmacy does not require the UCAT — a point of frequent confusion, since medicine and dentistry at the same universities do. What UK pharmacy schools actually ask for is in what UK pharmacy schools actually ask for.
There is a real disclosure gap here. Several pharmacy programs publish no exact entry requirements at all — all three Bulgarian pharmacy programs among them, and two of Ireland's six. Pharmacy is also where published English-language bands are most common, which is covered in what English score do you actually need.
Coming home as a pharmacist
For the USA, the route runs through FPGEC certification, which screens on the degree's structure and duration before anything else, then the FPGEE and the licensing sequence in your state. Pharmacy licensing in North America has the sequence.
For Canada, the route runs through the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada. The two are not interchangeable and the requirements differ in ways that should influence where you study — pharmacy in Europe: US vs Canadian licensing.
Inside the EU, a pharmacy degree from a member state carries the recognition route between members, which is worth weighing against the cheaper non-EU options in Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania.
As with medicine, a country-level track record is not a guarantee about your school. Verify your specific program before you enroll.
FAQs
How many English-taught pharmacy programs are there in Europe?
71, across 18 countries. The United Kingdom alone accounts for 37 of them, Ireland 6, Hungary 4, and Bulgaria, Poland and Serbia 3 each.
What is the cheapest pharmacy degree in Europe?
€3,000 a year at the University of Kragujevac in Serbia, then €3,500 at the University of Belgrade. Both North Macedonian universities charge €5,000. Inside the EU the cheapest is €5,600, at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.
Is European pharmacy cheaper than medicine?
Outside the UK, substantially — the non-UK pharmacy median is €8,000 against €14,472 for non-UK medicine. Within a single university pharmacy is cheaper at 35 of the 37 that price both, typically at about 62 percent of the medicine fee.
How long is a pharmacy degree in Europe?
Five years for a continental integrated master's, which is what almost every non-UK program runs. The UK MPharm is typically four years. That difference matters because the US FPGEC route screens on degree duration.
Do I need the UCAT for pharmacy in the UK?
No. UK pharmacy does not require the UCAT, even though medicine and dentistry at the same universities do. That is one of the more common points of confusion for applicants building a mixed UK shortlist.
Can I work as a pharmacist in the US with a European degree?
The route runs through FPGEC certification, which screens on the degree's structure and duration first, then the FPGEE and your state's licensing sequence. Canada runs a separate route through the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada, with different requirements.