UMF Iuliu Hațieganu

🏛️ Overview

The Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca is Romania’s most prestigious medical school. Founded on 1 October 1919 in the wake of Transylvania’s union with Romania, it bears the name of its first dean and organiser, Professor Iuliu Hațieganu. The institution traces its roots to the medical-surgical school founded in Cluj as early as 1775, and then to the Hungarian Faculty of Medicine of 1872.

UMF Cluj has established itself as the national leader in medicine. In 2021 it was the only Romanian medical university ranked in the world’s top 1,000 by Times Higher Education. In 2026 it confirmed that leadership in the QS rankings. The university holds the “advanced research and education university” designation awarded by the Romanian Ministry of Education.

What really sets Cluj apart: a dense medical ecosystem, simulation facilities among the most modern in Eastern Europe (a Simulation Centre opened in 2022, an investment of over €5m), and very strong student demand — it is the most sought-after destination for international applicants, with selectivity rising year on year. In 2020 the university received the Order of Sanitary Merit (Knight grade) from the Romanian President, a rare distinction for an academic institution.

The French-language medicine stream at Cluj, opened between 1997 and 2000, is now the largest in the country by number of places (200). Every year it attracts hundreds of applicants from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco, Tunisia and francophone Africa. Teaching is delivered by professors fluent in French, often trained in France or Belgium.

Worth knowing: high demand means more rigorous selection on the strength of your application. A strong school record with solid marks in biology and chemistry is essential — “average” applications are often set aside. Cluj also has the most expensive property market of the Romanian university cities, which can add significantly to your annual budget.

📊 By the numbers

📋 Programmes available by language

Cluj is the only Romanian UMF to offer all three major medical programmes in French — medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. It is also the most generous in the country for French-stream places.

Two additional programmes round out the international offering: medicine in English delivered in Novara, Italy — 100 places, €10,000/year, same degrees — and nursing in English (4 years, 50 places, €10,000/year).

⚠️ The classic trap: many applicants apply for pharmacy in French assuming they can switch to English if they miss out. There is no English-language pharmacy at Cluj. Conversely, dentistry exists in both languages — but the French version (75 places) is considerably smaller than the English one (100 places), so more selective for an equal volume of applications.

Veterinary: no Romanian UMF trains vets. In Cluj, veterinary medicine falls under USAMV (University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine), a separate institution which does offer six-year French and English streams.

Structure of the programme:

• Years 1–2: basic sciences (anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, histology, biophysics). Lectures and laboratory practicals.
• Year 3: the move towards clinical work — semiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology. Hospital rotations begin.
• Years 4–6: full clinical immersion in affiliated hospitals. Rotations in internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, emergency medicine and more.

Distinctive features:

• The Simulation and Practical Skills Centre (€5m+) allows training on high-fidelity manikins before any real contact with patients.
• Erasmus+ mobility available from year three (placements of 2+ months in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States).
• ECTS-certified, compatible with the European bachelor’s–master’s–doctorate framework.

📝 Admission

Type of admission: on application (no written exam)

Recruitment is by assessment of your school record: marks from the last two years of secondary school, chiefly in biology and chemistry, along with extracurricular activities, motivation letters and any references.

Documents required:

• School-leaving certificate (or equivalent), legalised and translated
• Secondary-school transcripts (last two years)
• Birth certificate
• Valid passport (minimum 6 months)
• Medical certificate (physical and psychological fitness)
• Proof of language competence in French: B2 minimum (DELF/DALF, or a qualification from a French-language institution)
• Motivation letter + CV
• Online application form

Typical 2026 timetable:

Additional fees:

• Application fee: €300 (non-refundable)
• Place confirmation: 50% of the annual fee (€5,000, non-refundable, deducted from your first year)
• For non-EU students: payment of the full first year is required for the D visa (€10,000)

⚠️ Session I is reserved for applicants who already hold their final school-leaving certificate. Those unsuccessful in Session I remain in contention for Session II at no extra cost, but competition there is often stronger.

🏥 Clinical placements

Cluj-Napoca has one of the densest university hospital networks in Romania. The university partners with a dozen major clinical hospitals, including:

• Cluj-Napoca County Emergency Clinical Hospital — emergency care, general surgery
• “Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor” Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
• “Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță” Oncology Institute — oncology, haematology, radiotherapy
• “Niculae Stăncioiu” Heart Institute — cardiology, cardiovascular surgery
• Children’s Emergency Clinical Hospital — paediatrics, neonatology
• Clinical Institute of Urology and Renal Transplantation
• Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases
• “Leon Daniello” Clinical Hospital of Pneumology
• “Dr. Constantin Papilian” Emergency Military Hospital

From which year: clinical placements formally begin in year three (semiology, history-taking), then intensify from years four to six with full rotations. International students do their placements in French or English depending on the department.

Quality of placements: generally good, with a high patient volume guaranteeing varied clinical exposure. International students are usually made welcome and can interact in French or English with senior doctors. The caveat: some public hospital infrastructure remains dated despite ongoing renovations (older monitoring equipment, cramped space in certain departments). Partner private clinics (Medisprof, Cardiomed, Polaris Medical) offer more modern facilities, but access is limited to specialty placements. One notable strength: renal transplantation and cardiovascular surgery, both areas of excellence at Cluj.

🏠 Student life in Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca is Romania’s second city and its unofficial “student capital”. With more than 100,000 students across all institutions, the atmosphere is young, cosmopolitan and lively. The city is regularly ranked among the safest in Europe.

Housing:

• UMF hall of residence: ~€150–250/month (limited places, high demand). Hall no. VII was completely refurbished in 2025 at a cost of €2m.
• Sharing a private flat: €250–400/month per person
• Studio flat: €400–600/month

Estimated monthly cost of living: €700–1,000 (housing, food, transport, leisure). This is the highest among the Romanian university cities.

Transport: an efficient bus and trolleybus network. A student pass is very affordable (~€15/month). International airport with direct links to Paris, Lyon, Brussels and London.

Atmosphere: very lively — festivals, cafés, nightlife, and the Carpathian mountains close by for weekends. Significant international student community.

✅ Recognition

The degree awarded by UMF Iuliu Hațieganu is recognised automatically throughout the European Union under Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications. Graduates can practise in France, Belgium, Switzerland (via a mutual recognition agreement), Luxembourg and elsewhere, subject to registering with the medical council of the country concerned.

The university is accredited by ARACIS (the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), a member of ENQA. The medicine programme meets WFME (World Federation for Medical Education) standards.

⭐ Strengths and things to watch

✅ Strengths:

• The best national reputation and international recognition (the only Romanian UMF in the THE top 1,000 in 2021)
• Admission on application, with no written entrance exam
• A large university hospital network and an ultra-modern simulation centre
• Romania’s number one student city, cosmopolitan and very safe
• Plentiful Erasmus+ mobility towards Western Europe
• A large international community and logistical support from student associations

⚠️ Things to watch:

• Tuition fees among the highest in Romania (€10,000/year)
• Cost of living higher than elsewhere in Romania
• High demand means increasingly rigorous selection. An “average” application can be turned down
• Some public hospital equipment remains dated despite renovations
• Cold, long winters (continental climate, down to −15 °C)
• No official cap on international students, but clinical placement capacity is under strain

🔗 Official links

• University website: umfcluj.ro
• International admissions page: umfcluj.ro/en/study-programmes/admission-undergraduate-studies/admission-international-candidates
• Admissions contact: internationalstudent@umfcluj.ro
• Romanian Ministry of Education: edu.ro

🧭 To place this university against the other five: see the comparison table of every route — every programme, in every language, at every UMF, with 2026–2027 places and fees.

📚 Sources and methodology

Our method: every figure is taken from the official table published by the university for the 2026–2027 year, not from an aggregator or a recruitment agency. Where a figure is published only by the press or a third party, we say so explicitly. Additional fees (application, confirmation) are verified separately from tuition, because they change more often.

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Last verified: August 2026.