Veterinary Medicine

Integrated undergraduate and graduate (IUG) degree programme in veterinary medicine at the University of Zagreb

Since 2016, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zagreb offers an IUG degree programme in Veterinary Medicine for a small class of 25 students. This is a six-year degree programme and taught entirely in English. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM).  Here we outline the key points that you should know about this undergraduate programme.

Veterinary Medicine education at the University of Zagreb

The University of Zagreb has provided veterinary medicine education for almost a century. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the university was founded in 1919 as the School of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb. In the past 99 years, it is the only higher education institution in the field of veterinary medicine that supplies highly skilled veterinary professionals in Croatia. The move toward providing English education follows the Faculty's ambition to create a more diverse student population and make its veterinary courses more accessible to aspiring students worldwide.

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zagreb is positively evaluated and approved by EAEVE (The European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education) from 2002. This means you can start practising veterinary medicine in Europe immediately after your graduation without taking any extra exam.

The main building of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is situated at the Vjekoslav Heinzel Street veterinary campus. This is a peaceful oasis in the central eastern part of the city. You will be very close to the city centre where you can find a variety of restaurants, cafes and shopping malls.

As a veterinary medicine student at the University of Zagreb, you will have access to a central library which provides a wide range of primary sources in veterinary studies. It contains a large number of periodicals, manuals and textbooks - hence you don't need to budget much for learning materials.

Other learning resources are available at the Museum of Veterinary Medicine History (MVMH), Museum of Pathological Anatomy (MPA) and Museum of the Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology (MDAHE).

How to Apply for the Veterinary Medicine degree programme at the University of Zagreb

We would be happy to give you more advice about the university, the programme and living in Croatia before you make an application decision. Here is some general information that we hope you will find useful. All applications from the UK and Ireland must be submitted through A Star Future but there is no charge for our services.

Entry requirements

Unlike other central European veterinary medicine degrees, there is currently no entrance exam for admission to the University of Zagreb. This may change in future years but for the time being, assessment is based primarily on academic achievement.

You should have A’ levels of BBB or better including Biology and Chemistry although some flexibility will be possible. Students with the International Baccalaureate will need 32 points with science subjects at Higher Level. Students with BTECs and Access to Higher Education Level 3 qualifications are unlikely to be successful.

If you are applying as a mature student or have significant relevant experience, it might be possible to admit you on a different basis but you will still need 3 A’ levels in order to be eligible to study at a Croatian university.

If you have studied outside the United Kingdom you will need to have achieved a result equivalent to at least 65% of the maximum. We can advise on Scottish Highers and Irish Leaving Certificate without difficulty but we can probably work out eligibility for most other school leaving certificates if required.

You will also need to be able to prove your level of English if your secondary education has not been in this language or you are not a native speaker.

What information do you need to supply as part of your application?

1. The completed application form of the university.
2. Copy of your birth certificate.
3. Copy of the photograph page of your passport.
4. Copies of all certificates from GCSE onwards as well as predicted grades if you have not taken your high school leaving diploma (these will need to be translated into Croatian at a later stage in the process.)
5. A motivation letter outlining the reasons you wish to study veterinary medicine.
6. A medical certificate indicating there are no medical grounds why you would not be able to study and qualify as a vet.
7. Proof of financial capacity to pay the fees and associated study costs. This can be a guarantee from a parent, company etc.
8. Proof of payment of the application fee of €50.00. This should be paid directly to the university.

We can probably start the application process before you have all of this information collected but you will definitely need to produce all of it before a final decision is made. Please send all information to us so that we can check it has been prepared correctly. There is no fee from us for this service.

Deadlines

For 2019 admissions, there are three windows for admissions. The first two have now passed.The final window opens later in June and will close on 12th July. Candidates will be informed of the result of their application on 19th July. Please contact us now if you are interested in applying.

We will post details of 2020 admissions process on this website once these are known. This will probably be in October 2019.

Tuition fees

In 2019-2020, tuition fees will be €9,000. These must be paid into the university’s bank account in full upon acceptance of your offer. You will not have to pay any additional costs to A Star Future at any time.

There is no possibility of spreading the payments in the first year but this might be an option from the second year onwards.

Charlotte Stiles, a veterinary medicine student at the University of Zagreb, has shared her story on this site. Read Charlotte's testimonial to find out why she chose the university and what she has learned in her first year.