Medical Education for Russian Graduates at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
My questions:
Hello
I am Egor Kugno, a 15-year-old pupil of the 9th grade in Moscow school.
I have a small website — https://kugno.ru / where I write about my studies, exams and publish various answers from Russian ministries (about paying for studies abroad, transferring money for studies and so on)
The first 7 years I studied in an ordinary (good) Moscow school, had additional classes in biology (microbiology) and chemistry; last year I passed through the competition entrance exams to Chemical School #1501 — #10 in the rating of Moscow schools (it is approximately #30 among ALL schools in Russia). The school chemistry was very good — 6 hours a week, all year round (the standard in Russia is 2 hours a week, now there is no chemistry at all in humanities classes), but everything else, except chemistry, was not very good, and I went to 9th grade to school at the Higher School of Economics — (through entrance exams, of course) — where chemistry is a bit less, but everything else is much better)
Although I am still studying 2.5 years, I started researching universities of the world — to understand where I can go to study, what requirements I have to meet, whether to study languages other than English and Spanish that I am studying now at school, and of course — whether my parents will be able to pay for my education.
At the moment I am most interested in medicine (pathology, chemotherapy and hematology), chemistry (more like laboratory management) and pharmacy (more like managing science and research in a pharmaceutical company, but of course with a full understanding of what scientists do, and with a deep knowledge of biochemistry).
Right now I am studying primarily medical education, as it is the most complicated, expensive, there is a lot of information and it is the hardest to find.
Later I will gather information about chemical and pharmaceutical education.
I checked out your university’s website, but I have a few questions for you:
1. Is it possible to enter your university after I finished my 11 years of school in Russia — or do I need to take another course at a university in Russia?
I am studying English (I will graduate with a C1) and advanced chemistry and biology. Starting next year, our school will have compulsory participation in all the Olympiads in Russia for schoolchildren — all in all, it’s a great school.
But, as I wrote, we are only 11, not 12.
2. Do you have any students from Russia who are studying to be a doctor?
3. Are there any quotas for foreigners to study medicine at your university (and are there any quotas for Russians?)
4. Do I understand correctly — I need to study for 6 years?
5. Does your university have dormitories for students for the entire period of study?
5.1 If there are no dormitories (or there is a five-year waiting list), can the university act as a guarantor when renting accommodation?
6. What is the cost of tuition and living in dormitories and all other expenses per year for studying to be a doctor at your university (I mean education-related expenses — i.e. textbooks, labs, etc. — not including food and transportation, of course).
I know that prices are going up, but the overall costs need to be understood early on.
6.1. are there scholarships for Russians to study and/or live in?
7. What exams do I need to take besides English?
7.1 What language certificates do I need to register?
7.2 Is it possible to study in English?
This is an important question because I know that in most countries medical education is done in the national languages of the respective countries and I think that 2.5-3 years of training in any language is enough for level C1 — if taken seriously.
7.3 Are internal Russian achievements recognized and important (participation in Olympiads, successful passing exams in Russian universities)
8. Is it compulsory to take preparatory and/or language courses at your university before entering university?
9. What is the further procedure of training as a doctor after graduation (postgraduate course, residency, specialization) and obtaining a medical license (if you know)?
10. Will I be able to work after graduation?
11. If training to be a doctor is not possible, please tell me if it is possible to study to be a pharmacist (if you have one) and a chemist (biotechnology, as an option — chemical engineering for pharmacy)
Great if you can indicate in your answer if it is possible to study in English for a chemist or a pharmacist)
P.S. Even though I’m only 15 years old, I’ve started seriously looking for a university to get a good education. I have noticed that many universities put information in PDF format on their websites. This, in my opinion, is very wrong. Not everyone REALLY knows English (French, Chinese….), and such guys, going to a university website and not finding information that can be read in Google Translate, will leave forever and not come back.
Sorry for the unsolicited advice))) — But it would be great to have all the information about the university not only in PDF format, but also as plain text on the websites)))
P.S.2. If you have students from Russia, could you give them my email address or forward them my letter?
I would love to talk to them.
Thank you very much again.
Egor Kugno
Answer:
Dear Egor Kugno,
thank you for your interest in studying at FAU.
Please find my answers in your email below.
1. International qualifications:
The secondary education qualification from schools in Russia does not necessarily entitle you to study at a German university.
You can assess your qualification yourself on the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
By stating your home country, and qualifications obtained there, and by answering some country-specific questions you can find out whether or not you are eligible to study in Germany:
https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/plan-your-studies/admission-database/
Secondary education qualifications for university entrance requiring an assessment examination:
Applicants with international secondary education qualifications which do not entitle them to direct entrance to a degree program at a German university must take the ‘Prüfung zur Feststellung der Hochschulreife’ (examination to determine whether they are qualified to study at a German university).
You can prepare for this examination by attending a one-year preparatory course at Studienkolleg (preparatory college).
FAU does not have its own Studienkolleg; the Studienkolleg for all Bavarian universities is in Munich.
Further information on the application for Studienkolleg via FAU can be found on:
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/from-abroad/application-and-enrolment/international-qualifications/#collapse_1
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/from-abroad/application-and-enrolment/international-qualifications/#collapse_2
2. Unfortunately I don’t know. Due to strict German data protection rules we are not allowed to provide you any information and personal data about our students.
3. Probably you already know that Medicine is admission restricted at all universities in Germany.
That means that admission into Medicine is very competitive and there is limited admission.
Applicants are ranked on their qualifications, particularly, their marks. In general a Grade Point Average of >98% is not unusual for admission.
Only 5% of the Medicine study places are offered for Non-EU-citizens.
4. Medical studies in Germany finish with a state examination after 6 years of studying (no Bachelor- Master degree program).
If you decide to train to become a specialist, you have to plan for another five to six years.
The additional training takes place in university clinics or other certified facilities.
5. FAU itself cannot assign you accommodation, but works very closely with Student Services Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Your own initiative is required to find suitable accommodation. Since the market for accommodation can be very overstretched at times, ensure that you start looking for accommodation early (also from abroad) and apply for several different places.
Further information on how to find accommodation can be found on:
https://www.fau.eu/education/student-life/accommodation-2/
The following regulations currently apply for tenants of single apartments in our hall of residence: the tenancy agreement is limited to 6 semesters (3 years). An extension to your tenancy agreement for two more semesters is only possible if Studentenwerk evaluate the demand for housing such that sufficient accommodation for new students can be expected at the start of the next semester.
5.1 Unfortunately no. Your own initiative is required to find suitable accommodation.
6. The average living cost in Germany is comparatively high: The costs of living (including accommodation) in Erlangen ranges from 750 to 1000 Euro per month and student.
The question as to the costs of studying can only be answered very generally as the needs and living conditions of every student are different.
You can find a breakdown of the estimated costs and more information on the websites of the FAU and of the German National Association for Student Affairs.
6.1. Our university unfortunately has no funds for granting scholarships for students.
Budgets of German universities generally do not have budgets for that. In regard of scholarships in general, I would like to suggest having a look on the German Academic Exchange Service’s (DAAD) website.
There, you will find an exhaustive database full with different offers for funding – please mind that you will have to find your way through the offers on your own and will have to apply with every organization/foundation separately.
All the terms and conditions are exhaustively described within the individual offers.
https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/scholarships/
https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/21148-scholarship-database/
https://www.study-in-bavaria.de/how/financing-your-studies/grants-and-funding/
7. Teaching language in Medicine is German. You need German language skills at level C2/C1 (proven by DSH, TestDaF or an equivalent examination) to get accepted for studying. For studying Medicine at FAU you must prove DSH 2 or equivalent:
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/from-abroad/application-and-enrolment/german-language-skills-and-certificates/#collapse_2
by the time of application.
7.1.For studying Medicine at FAU you must prove DSH 2 or equivalent:
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/from-abroad/application-and-enrolment/german-language-skills-and-certificates/#collapse_2
by the time of application.
7.2. No. Medicine is only offered in German language.
Our University offers a preparatory German language course for international applicants.
Unfortunately, applicants for degree programs with few places like Medicine cannot be admitted to the German language course at FAU because there’s lack of chance to get admitted for studying afterwards, see
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/from-abroad/application-and-enrolment/german-language-skills-and-certificates/#collapse_6.
You must obtain the required German language proficiency prior to your application for Medicine at FAU.
7.3. No, only the GPA of your university entrance qualification is taken into account.
Admission into Medicine is very competitive and there is limited admission.
Applicants are ranked on their qualifications, particularly, their marks. In general a Grade Point Average of >98% is not unusual for admission.
Only 5% of the Medicine study places are offered for Non-EU-citizens.
8. Applicants with international secondary education qualifications which do not entitle them to direct entrance to a degree programme at a German university must take the ‘Prüfung zur Feststellung der Hochschulreife’ (examination to determine whether they are qualified to study at a German university), see:
https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/plan-your-studies/admission-database/?ad-layer=2&ad-layerId=9
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/from-abroad/application-and-enrolment/international-qualifications/#collapse_1
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/from-abroad/application-and-enrolment/international-qualifications/#collapse_2
Preparatory German language courses:
Applicants for degree programs with few places like Medicine cannot be admitted to the German language course at FAU because there’s lack of chance to get admitted for studying afterwards, see
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/from-abroad/application-and-enrolment/german-language-skills-and-certificates/#collapse_6.
You must obtain the required German language proficiency prior to your application for Medicine at FAU.
9.If you decide to train to become a specialist, you have to plan for another five to six years.
The additional training takes place in university clinics or other certified facilities.
Please find information here:
https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/plan-your-studies/main-subject-groups/medicine-and-health-sciences/
https://www.study-in-germany.de/en/plan-your-studies/study-options/higher-education-system/medical-studies-and-specialist-training/
10.
11.Our undergraduate degree programs in Pharmacy (state examination), Chemistry (Bachelor), Biotechnology (Bachelor) and Chemical Engineering (Bachelor) are taught in German. We only offer the following Bachelor degree programs in English:
Faculty of Engineering:
Clean Energy Processes (BSc) – all applicants first must successfully pass the qualification assessment test
Faculty of Business, Economics and Law:
International Economic Studies (BSc) — admission restricted
International Business Studies (BSc) — admission restricted
Due to strict German data protection rules we unfortunately are not allowed to provide you any information and personal data about our students
Generall information on how to apply can be found on:
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/from-abroad/application-and-enrolment/
Freundliche Grüße / Best regards
Elisabeth Grosso, Dipl.-Ing.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Informations- und Beratungszentrum für Studiengestaltung
und Career Service (IBZ) / Student Advice and Career Service
Halbmondstr. 6, 91054 Erlangen, Zimmer 1.031
Sprechzeiten: Montag — Donnerstag: 9-12 Uhr
Tel: + 49 174 5393257 / +49 9131 85-24809
www.ibz.fau.de