MBBS in University of Mostar Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Mostar, widely referred to as SUM Medicinski Fakultet or the School of Medicine University of Mostar, is one of the notable public medical schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina, formally established on 22 April 1997 as the eighth member institution of the University of Mostar. The parent university itself was founded in 1977, and its roots in the region trace further back to 1895 through the Franciscan theological school in Široki Brijeg; making the University of Mostar one of the older academic institutions in the Herzegovina region, even if the Faculty of Medicine itself is a product of the post-war reconstruction period. The Faculty was born out of a clear regional need: Herzegovina, the southern portion of Bosnia and Herzegovina centred around Mostar, needed its own medical institution rather than relying entirely on Sarajevo. The University Clinical Hospital (UCH) Mostar already existed as a functioning regional tertiary hospital, and the Faculty of Medicine was built to grow alongside it, with the hospital gradually becoming the Faculty's teaching base as it expanded its own domestic clinical staff and infrastructure over the decades since 1997.

That relationship between the Faculty and the University Clinical Hospital Mostar is central to understanding what the school offers. The Faculty building is located at Bijeli brijeg, sharing its medical zone location with the University Clinical Hospital, which is the largest and most advanced hospital serving the Herzegovina region. Students do not rotate to a distant hospital; the clinical training environment is right there. The hospital functions as a regional centre for oncology, cardiology, and paediatrics, among other disciplines, and handles a significant volume of complex referral cases from across southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. From Year 4 of the programme, students enter this hospital environment for full clinical rotations, building diagnostic and clinical reasoning skills on real patient caseloads under supervision. The Faculty building itself is well-equipped for its size and purpose, featuring an amphitheatre, lecture classrooms, computer seminar rooms, teaching laboratories, a dedicated anatomy practical hall, and scientific labs focused on molecular biology, immunology, cytogenetics, physiology, and morphological sciences. High-fidelity simulation laboratories are also available, which help students bridge the gap between theoretical learning and real patient interaction before they step fully into clinical environments.

The University of Mostar as an institution has grown substantially since its post-war reconstruction. Today it has ten faculties and one Academy of Fine Arts, approximately 16,000 students, around 1,000 employees, and 50 academic majors across 46 specialisations and 70 study groups. It is the third largest university in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the only Croatian-language university in the country; a historical legacy of the 1990s conflict and the subsequent administrative structure of Bosnia's Croat communities in Herzegovina. This distinct linguistic and cultural identity gives the University of Mostar a particular character: it operates in the Croatian language for its domestic programmes and has a separately structured, fully English-medium track for international students in Medicine.

That English-medium track; the Medical Studies in English programme; is the primary entry point for international students including those from India. The programme follows the same six-year integrated structure as the domestic Croatian-language programme, carrying 360 ECTS credits and awarding the Doctor of Medicine degree upon completion. It is fully aligned with Bologna Process standards and the European Credit Transfer System, and the programme conforms with EU regulations on regulated professions. The curriculum is divided cleanly into three years of basic medical sciences and three years of clinical training and rotations. Class sizes on the English track are intentionally small; typically enrolling around 30 to 60 students per cohort; which means students receive more individualised attention from faculty, more direct clinical mentorship during rotations, and a learning experience that is genuinely different from the lecture-hall anonymity of much larger medical schools.

Admission to the English-medium programme at SUM does not require a separate entrance examination. Selection is based on high school diploma grades with strong performance expected in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. This makes the process more straightforward than many European medical school admissions, though competition for places does exist given the limited cohort size. The academic year begins in October, and applications typically open in the preceding months; candidates should monitor the Faculty's official website at mef.sum.ba for the annual Call for Applications.

For Indian students, the key practical facts are these: NEET qualification is mandatory as per NMC regulations and must be valid for the year of application. The degree's WDOMS listing and alignment with EU higher education standards are the structural foundations for international recognition. NMC recognition should be verified directly at nmc.org.in before applying, as listing status must be confirmed for the current year rather than assumed. Graduates are ECFMG-eligible, opening the USMLE pathway to US residency, and the Faculty's degrees are recognised by the UK General Medical Council, with graduates already registered with the GMC as of 2022. The internship in Year 6 must be completed in Bosnia and Herzegovina at SUM-affiliated hospitals before NExT eligibility can be pursued in India.

Mostar itself is one of the genuinely compelling places to spend six years as a student. It is a city on the Neretva River, nestled between mountains, with a historic old town that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. The famous Stari Most (Old Bridge), rebuilt after the 1993 war, is the cultural symbol of the city and of the broader region's resilience. The city is smaller and quieter than Sarajevo, which suits students well; living costs are lower, the environment is safe and walkable, and the local population is famously hospitable to international visitors and students.

A one-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs approximately €200–250 per month, and university dormitory options are available at even lower rates for those who secure them early. Monthly living expenses including accommodation, food, and personal costs sit comfortably in the €500–700 range for most students, making Mostar one of the more affordable places in Europe to pursue a medical education. Bosnia and Herzegovina consistently ranks well on global peace indices, and Mostar, despite its difficult history, functions today as a peaceful, multicultural, and genuinely welcoming environment for people from outside the region.