MBBS in Poland for Indian Students (2027–28): Fees, Admission Tests and Licensing

Poland's state medical universities have taught medicine in English for decades, mostly to students from Europe, North America and the Middle East. For Indian students they offer a strong academic option at a price close to Hungary. The catch is licensing: a Polish licence involves more steps than the diploma alone, which matters under India's FMGL rules. Figures below are from official university pages as of November 2026.

MBBS in Poland at a glance

How much does MBBS in Poland cost?

English-programme tuition at the leading state universities is about €16,000–18,800 a year. We convert at the ECB reference rate of 13 November 2026 (€1 ≈ US$1.105) and US$1 ≈ ₹94.

Other one-off costs at Warsaw: a €24 application fee for the competency-test route (€20 for other routes) and a €1,000 confirmation fee, which counts towards tuition but is non-refundable (half is refunded if you withdraw in writing before 15 July). Warsaw accepts bank transfers in euros only. Jagiellonian lists an application fee of 100 PLN (to be confirmed).

Fees rise for new cohorts but are usually fixed for your own cohort. Jagiellonian's table shows medicine tuition rising from €14,000 (2019–2021 entrants) to €15,500 (2024/25 and 2025/26) and €16,000 (2026/27). Six years of tuition therefore costs about $106,000–125,000 (≈ ₹1–1.2 crore) before living costs.

We did not find an official living-cost estimate from these universities. As a working assumption, budget roughly $700–1,000 a month for rent, food and transport in Warsaw or Kraków, and check current dormitory prices with the university. Use the cost calculator and compare in MBBS abroad fees.

Admission: entrance and competency tests

Most Polish medical universities now select foreign applicants by a test in biology and chemistry, on top of school grades. In 2025 Poland passed the Act of 4 April 2025 on eliminating irregularities in the visa system. The Medical University of Warsaw says that, as a result, "most candidates are not eligible for exemption from the competency test" in long-cycle programmes such as medicine.

Medical University of Warsaw (2026/27 rules):

1. You need passing school-leaving grades in biology and chemistry (at extended level) and in physics or maths. If a subject is missing, the university can test you in it (pass mark 30%).
2. The ranking combines those grades with your competency-test score (or, for a few candidates, accepted UCAT/BMAT/MCAT/GAMSAT scores or a life-science degree GPA).
3. The online competency test has 80 multiple-choice questions: 30 biology, 30 chemistry (1 point each) and 20 decision-making (2 points each), maximum 100, no negative marking. You may sit it once per recruitment cycle, on a computer with a camera.

Jagiellonian University (2027/28 rules):

1. Applications open 1 March 2027 and close 5 May 2027.
2. Admission is based solely on the entrance exam, held online on 5 June 2027.
3. You need IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 87 or Cambridge C1 Advanced, and a school certificate showing biology or physics and chemistry.
4. Ranking list on 14 June 2027; enrolment rounds run from June to September.

Prepare from the published syllabuses. Admission is merit-based; anyone selling "management seats" at a Polish state university is misleading you (agent red flags).

Eligibility checklist for Indian students

Before you apply to a Polish medical university, make sure you tick every box below. Missing one is the most common reason applications stall.

See MBBS abroad eligibility and documents for MBBS abroad for the Indian side of the paperwork.

Admission timeline for 2027–28

Using the Jagiellonian University's published dates as a guide, a realistic plan for a September/October 2027 start looks like this:

1. January–February 2027: take IELTS or TOEFL if needed; get school documents legalised.
2. 1 March–5 May 2027: apply online (Jagiellonian window; other universities differ).
3. May 2027: sit NEET-UG in India.
4. 5 June 2027: Jagiellonian online entrance exam; Warsaw runs its own competency-test sessions.
5. 14 June 2027: Jagiellonian ranking list; first enrolment round 15 June–27 July.
6. July–August 2027: pay tuition, apply for the Polish D visa, book accommodation.
7. September–October 2027: arrive, register your address within 4 days and start the residence-permit application.

Is MBBS in Poland valid in India? (NMC FMGL 2021)

We rate Poland "mixed". NMC does not approve foreign universities; it applies FMGL 2021 to each graduate. Here is how Poland lines up:

• English medium — met for the English divisions, though Polish is needed for patient contact.
• 54 months + 12-month internship in the same institution — check. The Polish programme lasts six years. But the internship that leads to a Polish licence, the staż podyplomowy, is a separate postgraduate internship, done after graduation in approved hospitals that are not necessarily your university. Ask your university in writing how its final-year clinical training is organised and ask NMC whether it satisfies FMGL.
• Licence on par with a citizen — check. According to the Jagiellonian University, a diploma alone does not give the right to practise. You must pass the LEK final medical exam (available in Polish and English) and complete the staż. The Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists says that doctors who studied in a language other than Polish must also pass its Polish language exam: four parts (dictation, listening, reading aloud and a simulated medical interview), at least 55% in each, fee 500 PLN. That rule applies to anyone who studied in English, Polish citizens included, but it is a real extra hurdle for Indian graduates.

After returning, you need a 12-month internship in India and an FMGE pass. FMGE remains the licensing exam for foreign graduates in 2026–27; NExT has no confirmed start date. Read the FMGL guide, internship in India and the NMC eligibility certificate.

FMGE results for Poland graduates

Poland's FMGE numbers are small but better than the overall average. From the NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025:

Most December 2025 candidates came from the Medical University of Gdańsk (6 of 9 passed); Lublin, Warsaw, Poznań, Toruń and Olsztyn had one or two candidates each. Eighteen candidates in a year is too few to predict your chances. See the FMGE exam guide.

Careers in the EU, UK and US

• United States: the Polish Accreditation Committee (PKA) holds WFME recognition until September 2035, a useful quality signal; USMLE eligibility itself depends on the school being listed in WDOMS as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements. See USMLE and PLAB after MBBS abroad.
• EU: the Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists issues certificates of conformity under EU Directive 2005/36/EC for recognition elsewhere in the EU. Whether a non-EU citizen can use them depends on the destination country's immigration and licensing rules.
• Poland: LEK + staż + Polish language exam, as above.
• UK: check the GMC's rules for your nationality and degree.

Visa, residence card and student life

Indian students usually enter on a national (D-type) long-stay visa and then apply for a temporary residence permit for study. The Jagiellonian University's guidance:

• Apply for a multiple-entry long-term visa valid for one year at the Polish consulate.
• Register your address (zameldowanie) within 4 days of arrival if you are a non-EU citizen.
• Apply for a temporary residence permit, issued for one year and renewed annually. Since 27 April 2026, applications go only through the government's online MOS system; you need a PESEL number and a Trusted Profile (Profil Zaufany), and the university must verify your enrolment electronically first.
• Keep your legal stay continuous: apply before your current permit or visa expires.

A Polish residence permit allows short trips within the Schengen area. Rules on student work depend on your permit; confirm them with the voivodeship office. Our student visa and documents guides list common paperwork.

Warsaw and Kraków are safe, well-connected cities with growing Indian communities and Indian restaurants. Winters are long and dark, and students in clinical years need working Polish. Read life as an Indian medical student abroad.

Poland compared with neighbouring options

How to choose a Polish medical university

1. Confirm the English programme's fee for your entry year in the rector's fee order, not on agent websites.
2. Check the test format (Warsaw's competency test vs Jagiellonian's entrance exam) and practise the published syllabus.
3. Ask how final-year clinical training is organised and keep the written answer for NMC.
4. Plan for Polish from year 1 if you might practise in Poland or the EU.
5. Budget for six years plus a margin in case you repeat a year.

More in how to choose a medical university abroad.

Pros and cons of MBBS in Poland

Advantages

• Established state medical universities with long-running English divisions
• Clear, merit-based entrance tests with published syllabuses
• WFME-recognised national accreditation (PKA until 2035)
• EU and Schengen residence; Kraków and Warsaw have large international student communities
• Small but encouraging FMGE record in 2025 (11 of 18 passed)

Drawbacks

• Tuition of about ₹17–20 lakh a year, similar to Hungary
• The Polish licence needs the LEK, a postgraduate staż and a Polish language exam
• 2025 law changes made admission stricter for most foreign applicants
• Residence permit applications moved to an online system in 2026 that needs a PESEL number and Trusted Profile
• Cold, dark winters and Polish needed in clinical years