If you want to train as a doctor abroad, start with a realistic picture. Clinical medicine takes five or six years, often includes a language requirement for work with patients, and is left out of many scholarships: the Romanian Government Scholarship, for example, does not offer medicine, dentistry or pharmacy at all.
There are exceptions. Czech public universities, including Charles University, teach every degree free in Czech, whatever your nationality, so a medical degree costs you a preparatory language year and your living costs. Türkiye Bursları funds medicine in full, with a Turkish language year included, but sets a minimum grade of 90% for medical applicants.
The picture is much brighter after a first degree. Public health, global health and health sciences master's degrees fit the development goals of the big government awards, and Helsinki's tuition waivers apply to its English-taught master's, health programmes among them. At doctoral level, medical and life-science research is funded like the other sciences: salaried PhD posts in Norway and Sweden, and federal awards such as Canada's doctoral scholarship.
Whatever you choose, read the eligibility rules for clinical work carefully. A degree that lets you practise in one country does not always let you practise at home, so check with your own medical council before you commit years to a programme.
Also open to medicine and health
28 more routes fund medicine and health among other subjects: Brown University, Chevening Scholarships, Commonwealth Master's Scholarships, Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, DAAD Scholarships (nationwide), Duke University, Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, Fulbright Foreign Student Program, Gates Cambridge Scholarship, Government of Ireland: International Education Scholarships, Harvard University, Knight-Hennessy Scholars (Stanford), Maastricht University: Holland-High Potential, Master Mind Scholarships (Flanders), Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: McGill, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: UC Berkeley, Rhodes Scholarships (Oxford), Romanian Government Scholarship, Stipendium Hungaricum, Swedish Institute Scholarships (SISGP), Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, University of Bologna, University of British Columbia: International Scholars, University of Toronto: Pearson Scholarship, Universität Hamburg, Vanderbilt University, Yale University.
See them all on the scholarship board →
Common questions
Can international students study medicine for free?
Rarely in English. Czech public universities such as Charles University teach medicine free in Czech to any nationality, once you have learned the language. Türkiye Bursları also funds medicine, with a minimum grade of 90% in your previous studies.
Is a public health master's easier to fund than medicine?
Yes. Schemes open to every subject, such as Chevening, the Commonwealth scholarships and Erasmus Mundus, fund public health and global health master's degrees.
Are health research PhDs paid?
In Norway and Sweden they usually are. The University of Oslo, for example, advertises salaried PhD posts in cancer research and bioinformatics. Our funded positions page lists current openings.