Recognition & career

Transferring your medical studies from Romania to another European country

July 30, 2026 · Med Romania

You’ve started your medical studies in Romania. You’ve passed one, two, perhaps three years. And a question comes up: can I transfer to a faculty back home, in Belgium, or in another European country?

The answer is yes — but with conditions. Transferring mid-degree between EU countries is possible, but it’s more complex than transferring between universities within one country. Here’s what you need to know, university by university, credit by credit.

The principle: the ECTS system makes transfer possible

The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is the key to mobility. Created under the Bologna Process, it allows learning outcomes to be measured, compared and transferred between institutions across the European Union.

60 ECTS = one full-time academic year (1,500 to 1,800 hours of work).
30 ECTS = one semester.
Every module, placement or examination passed corresponds to a defined number of ECTS.

All Romanian medical faculties use ECTS. In theory, the credits you’ve earned at Cluj, Bucharest or Târgu Mureș should be recognised by a French, Belgian or Spanish university.

In theory only. Because there’s a fundamental difference between the right to transfer (which exists) and the administrative reality (which is more complex).

Transferring to a French faculty: the procedure

What the law says

French universities are required to recognise ECTS credits obtained at another EU institution. The Education Code (articles L.613-3 et seq.) provides for the validation of prior learning. Directive 2005/36/EC governs only recognition of the final degree — not mid-degree transfer — but the ECTS/Bologna framework applies.

What happens in practice

Transferring into a French medical faculty is technically possible but administratively difficult, for a simple reason: places in years 2, 3 and 4 are capped. A faculty can’t “create” a place for you — it has to have a vacant one.

Concretely:

Transfer into year 2 — practically impossible after a year in Romania. The French first year is a selection year with no direct equivalent in Romania, where medical studies begin straight away in year one.
Transfer into year 3 — possible if a place is vacant and your ECTS credits from the first two Romanian years are recognised.
Transfer into year 4 and beyond — possible but subject to approval by an academic committee that assesses your prior learning.

The typical procedure

Identify the target university and contact the medical faculty’s registry.
Request a prior learning validation committee. It is this committee (made up of academic staff) that examines your file and decides on the equivalence of your Romanian years.
Build a solid file: detailed transcripts with ECTS, the diploma supplement, detailed syllabuses for the subjects taken (course descriptions, contact hours, assessment methods).
Be prepared to retake some examinations. Even if your credits are broadly recognised, the committee may require you to validate specific subjects (anatomy, semiology, and so on) against the local curriculum.

The real obstacles

Vacant places: this is the number one limiting factor. French faculties have few places to offer transfer students.
Different curricula: the Romanian curriculum doesn’t follow exactly the same sequencing. A subject taught in year 3 at Cluj may be taught in year 2 in France — or the reverse. The committee’s judgement is final.
Administrative resistance: some faculties are reluctant to accept transfers from abroad, through unfamiliarity with ECTS or implicit protectionism.

Our advice: don’t count on transfer as plan A. Treat it as a possibility to explore if you have a compelling reason to return mid-degree. And prepare a well-documented file — a terse transcript will convince nobody.

Transferring to Belgium

Belgium is, with France, the natural destination for a French-speaking student wanting to leave Romania mid-degree.

In its favour

Belgian faculties (ULB, UCLouvain, ULiège) know the ECTS system well.
Teaching is also in French (Wallonia/Brussels).
The credit recognition committees are used to international transfer files.

Against

A strict cap. Transfer is possible, but places are scarce. Priority goes to Belgian students and to those who passed the entrance examination.
Entrance examination: if you didn’t sit it on entry, transfer may be conditional on passing it even mid-degree (under Wallonia-Brussels Federation rules).
Romanian transcripts must be translated and detailed.

Transferring to Spain or Croatia

Spain

Transferring to a Spanish faculty is harder, for two reasons:

The nota de corte (admission cut-off) governs access. You’ll have to get your school-leaving qualification homologated and present a grade equivalence.
Teaching is in Spanish. Even if your ECTS credits are recognised, you’ll have to follow lectures in a language you may not command at the academic level required.

Croatia

Transferring to a Croatian faculty is administratively simpler (Croatian universities actively want international students) but runs into the language barrier: teaching is in Croatian or English.

Transfer via Erasmus+: a simpler alternative

If you don’t want a permanent transfer but rather to spend a semester or a year at another university, the Erasmus+ programme is the smoothest solution.

How it works

The Romanian UMFs have Erasmus agreements with many European faculties, including French ones (Paris, Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg and others). You apply through your UMF’s international relations office.

Key points:

Your Learning Agreement is signed before departure by all three parties: you, the home UMF, and the host university.
Credits earned during the mobility are automatically recognised by the home UMF.
You continue to pay your tuition fees in Romania (no additional fees at the host university).
You may receive an Erasmus+ grant (€200 to €400/month depending on destination).

The advantage: it’s temporary mobility, without the administrative grind of a permanent transfer. It lets you experience another hospital system, strengthen your CV, and form a view of practising in another country — while staying enrolled at your Romanian UMF.

The ECTS Medical Association

Founded in 2004, the ECTS Medical Association brings together more than 50 European medical faculties (EU + Switzerland + Norway) to facilitate medical student exchanges. Several Romanian UMFs are members, which eases credit recognition between member institutions.

Strategy: what to do if you genuinely want to change country mid-degree

Complete at least two full years in Romania before initiating a transfer. A file with 120 ECTS validated (2 years) is stronger than one with 60.
Look after your transcripts. Solid results will be a strong argument in front of a validation committee.
Document everything. Keep the detailed syllabus for every subject, contact hours, teachers’ names, assessment methods. The better documented your file, the more the committee can recognise.
Contact the target university first. Before embarking on a transfer, speak to the registry of the university you’re aiming for to find out the exact conditions and available places.
Consider Erasmus+ as the alternative. If your goal is to experience another system without giving up your Romanian enrolment, an Erasmus semester is far simpler than a permanent transfer.

FAQ

“Can I transfer my first Romanian year into a French pre-med year?”

No. The French first year is a selection year, not medical training as such. Credits from your first Romanian year aren’t directly transposable.

“Do I need authorisation from my UMF to transfer?”

Yes. You need a certificate of enrolment, your transcripts, and in some cases a letter from the university confirming you aren’t subject to disciplinary proceedings.

“Does a transfer cost me years?”

Possibly. A validation committee may decide your Romanian learning corresponds to a lower level than the local one for the same year. You could have to partially repeat a year. That’s the committee’s sovereign decision.

“Can I transfer to a country outside the EU?”

Yes, but ECTS isn’t always recognised there, and Directive 2005/36/EC doesn’t apply. Every case is individual. For the United Kingdom post-Brexit, for example, contact the target university directly.

Going further

Last verified: July 2026 — Sources: French Education Code (art. L.613-3 et seq.), ECTS system (European Commission), Erasmus+ programme, ARES (Wallonia-Brussels Federation), Romanian UMF websites.

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