About the school
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb (Croatian: Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, VEF) is the only veterinary faculty in Croatia and one of the oldest in South-East Europe. Founded by regulation of 31 August 1919 as the Veterinary High School, its first classes started on 13 November 1919; it was renamed the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine by royal decree on 7 December 1924. In 2019 it celebrated its centenary and published a commemorative monograph.
The Faculty operates from a single campus at Heinzelova 55, Zagreb, organised into four divisions (Basic and Preclinical Sciences, Animal Production and Biotechnology, Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, and Clinical Division) plus a Veterinary Teaching Hospital covering surgery, internal medicine, reproduction, poultry, parasitology, radiology and pathology.
Small English-language cohort
The English-taught Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate Study of Veterinary Medicine has run since 2016/17. It is deliberately small: the 2026-27 quota is 30 seats for EU citizens plus 5 seats for non-EU citizens (35 total) — one of the tightest cohorts in EU veterinary education, prized for high staff-to-student ratios and clinical exposure at the on-site teaching hospital.
Accreditation and recognition
- EAEVE / ECOVE: Accredited status renewed on 7 June 2023 for a 7-year period following ESEVT visitation of 17-21 April 2023 (valid to June 2030).
- EU professional recognition: degree included in Directive 2005/36/EC, giving automatic recognition across the EU/EEA and Switzerland.
- AVMA-COE: NOT accredited. Graduates wishing to practise in the US or Canada must take the ECFVG or PAVE certification route.
Verified 2026-09-22 · Sub-agent research + source_notes cross-checked. Sources in each section.
Campus & Facilities
Zagreb, Croatia's capital (population ~770,000), combines Austro-Hungarian architecture, a compact walkable centre and Mediterranean-Continental climate. It is a EU capital since Croatia joined the EU in 2013 and the eurozone / Schengen in 2023.
Faculty location
The Faculty sits at Vjekoslava Heinzela 55, 10000 Zagreb, roughly 3 km east of the main square (Ban Jelačić). Trams 4, 5, 7 and 11 (ZET network) serve the area. The teaching hospital, lecture halls, library and student services are on the same site.
Housing
University-run dormitories are managed by Studentski centar u Zagrebu (SCZG). Capacity is limited: international students are not automatically eligible and must ask the Faculty's international office to submit a recommendation to SCZG. Most English-track students rent privately.
- Private one-bed flat, city centre: EUR 600-1,000 / month
- Private one-bed flat, outer districts: EUR 450-650 / month
- Shared flat / room: EUR 250-400 / month
- SCZG dormitory (if allocated): typically the cheapest option, well under EUR 200 / month
Cost of living
Zagreb is affordable by Western-EU standards but somewhat pricier than Budapest or Košice. A realistic student monthly budget (rent included) is EUR 750-1,200. Groceries, restaurants and utilities are moderate; the tram/bus network is cheap (student monthly pass around EUR 13). The city is compact, safe, and has a growing international student community around ESN Zagreb.
Academic requirements
Admission to the English-taught Integrated Study of Veterinary Medicine is dossier-only. There is no entrance examination and no interview. Applications for the 2026-27 intake are channelled through the central Admission Office of the Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE).
Prior education
- Completed secondary school (high-school diploma) giving access to higher education in the country of issue. Priority is given to candidates who have already graduated; final-year students may apply conditionally.
- Certified translations of the diploma and full transcript of grades.
- Non-EEA diplomas must go through the ASHE recognition procedure.
Recommended subjects
The programme does not publish a fixed subject list, but the curriculum's biomedical foundations make the following strongly advisable at secondary level: biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Strength in these subjects is a key criterion when the selection committee ranks dossiers.
English proficiency
Applicants must prove English at a level sufficient to follow lectures and clinics. Accepted evidence:
- TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge CAE certificate;
- Certificate issued by a recognised language school;
- Certificate of English proficiency issued by the secondary school attended;
- Waiver if prior education was conducted in English.
The Faculty does not publish a minimum IELTS/TOEFL score — candidates should aim for at least IELTS 6.0-6.5 / TOEFL iBT 80+, which is standard for EU health-science programmes.
Latin (unusual requirement)
Proof of Latin knowledge is required — from a language school or a secondary-school certificate. Latin is optional at application stage but is needed to enrol in Year 2, so candidates without it plan a preparatory course during Year 1.
Work experience
Practical exposure to veterinary work is strongly valued and formally requested in the VEF Zagreb dossier — the application call lists a certificate of hands-on experience with veterinarians among the documents to submit.
Required documents involving experience
- A CV detailing academic path, work, volunteer activities, awards and any veterinary-related exposure.
- A motivation letter explaining the choice of the veterinary profession and of Zagreb specifically.
- A certificate or proof of hands-on experience shadowing or working with veterinarians, in a clinic, farm, shelter, wildlife centre, laboratory or equivalent setting.
How the committee weighs it
Because there is no entrance exam and no interview, the selection committee ranks candidates on the combination of academic potential (grades, awards, prizes, olympiads) and personal experience (motivation letter, hands-on veterinary exposure, extracurriculars showing commitment). Two dossiers with similar grades will typically be separated by the quality and duration of clinical shadowing and the specificity of the motivation letter.
What is not required
- No minimum number of hours of animal-handling experience is published.
- No preparatory scientific programme is compulsory (a pre-medical programme certificate is listed as optional / supporting).
- No entrance-exam pass, no MMI or panel interview.
Practical tips
Applicants routinely include reference letters from supervising veterinarians and photographs / logs of activities. Candidates from countries with veterinary work-experience traditions (UK, Ireland, France) tend to submit richer dossiers on this dimension.
Admission
Places 35
No entrance exam and no interview. Selection is 100% dossier-based: academic record (high-school grades, awards), motivation letter, CV, evidence of hands-on veterinary experience, and language certificates. Two application rounds per year — Round 1 runs 1 February to 1 July 2026, Round 2 runs from July to mid-September (Round 2 for 2026-27 closed on 1 September 2026). Applications go through the central ASHE Admission Office.
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Prepare the dossier
Gather the high-school diploma with transcript (certified translation into English or Croatian), English proficiency evidence, CV, motivation letter, medical certificate and proof of hands-on veterinary experience. Pay the EUR 50 non-refundable application fee.
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Submit to the Faculty and ASHE
Email the full pack to english.studies@vef.hr and post a paper copy to Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Studies in English, Vjekoslava Heinzela 55, 10000 Zagreb. From 2026-27 the file is routed through the central ASHE Admission Office.
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Wait for the dossier review
The academic committee scores each file on academic potential and personal experience. Round 1 ranking lists are published by ASHE after 16 July; Round 2 rankings follow in September.
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Receive the Letter of Acceptance
Successful candidates get a formal Letter of Acceptance by email. Non-EU students use it to apply for a Croatian long-stay study visa at the nearest embassy.
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Pay tuition and enrol
The EUR 10,500 annual tuition must be paid within four weeks of receiving the Letter of Acceptance. Bring the original documents for on-site matriculation before the 28 September start of the academic year.
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Arrive in Zagreb
Arrange accommodation (SCZG dormitory recommendation or private rental), register your residence at the police station, obtain the OIB tax number, and attend the Faculty's international welcome week.
Mandatory documents
- Completed application form
- Proof of payment of the EUR 50 application fee (non-refundable)
- Copy of passport or ID + birth certificate
- Two passport photos
- High-school diploma + transcript of grades (certified translation)
- English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, CAE, language-school certificate, or waiver if prior schooling was in English
- CV in English
- Motivation letter
- Medical certificate (fit to study veterinary medicine)
- Certificate / proof of hands-on veterinary experience
Optional but recommended
- Latin certificate (mandatory before Year 2 enrolment)
- Pre-medical programme certificate
- Letters of reference from veterinarians
- Awards, olympiad results, publications
Interview & exam format
The VEF Zagreb English-track admission process is one of the most streamlined in EU veterinary education: no entrance examination and no interview. Selection is entirely file-based (dossier).
Official selection statement
The Faculty states: "There is no entrance exam, but an application procedure needs to be followed. Candidates will be selected based on their academic potential (grades, awards, etc.) and their personal experience."
How the decision is made
- Candidates submit the full application pack by email to english.studies@vef.hr and by post to the Student Office (Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb).
- The Faculty checks completeness and forwards the file to the central ASHE Admission Office (from 2026-27 onwards, applications flow through the ASHE portal).
- An academic committee scores the dossier on: high-school grades (especially biology/chemistry/physics), motivation letter, CV, hands-on veterinary experience, language proficiency and any awards.
- Successful candidates receive a Letter of Acceptance and must pay tuition within four weeks to secure the seat.
Rounds and rolling admissions
- Round 1: 1 February 2026 - 1 July 2026;
- Round 2: opens in July and closes in mid-September (2026-27 second round closed 1 September 2026);
- Final ranking lists are published by ASHE after 16 July for Round 1.
Why no interview?
The Faculty relies on the mandatory motivation letter and evidence of hands-on work as substitutes for an oral panel, allowing a fully remote admission process that suits its international applicant pool.
Tuition fees
| Student profile | Annual fees | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|
| 🌍 International — English track (non-EU and EU alike) | €10.500 | €52.500 |
| 🌍 Non-refundable application fee | €50 | €250 |
| 🌍 Croatian nationals & EU citizens — Croatian-language integrated study | €0 | €0 |
| 🌍 Doctoral study (postgraduate) | €0 | €0 |
Scholarships & financial aid
Annual call by the Ministry of Science and Education for candidates from countries with bilateral agreements with Croatia. Managed by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes (AMPEU).
3-12 month study or traineeship exchange. VEF Zagreb has agreements with dozens of EU veterinary faculties.
Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies — semester or short-term mobility between Central and South-Eastern European partners.
French BFTG / regional grants, UK Student Loans, Nordic CSN / Kela / Lånekassen, US private education loans — the EU-recognised degree makes VEF Zagreb eligible in most home-country schemes.
The English-taught programme at VEF Zagreb is self-funded — the Faculty does not run internal tuition-waiver scholarships. Financial aid comes from three external channels.
1. Croatian government schemes
- Croatian Government Bilateral Scholarships: annual call by the Ministry of Science and Education for foreign students, teachers and researchers from countries with bilateral agreements with Croatia. Managed by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes.
- Croatian nationals and EU citizens: pay no tuition in the tuition-free Croatian-language integrated study (state-funded seats). The English track remains fee-paying for everyone.
- Special quota for members of the Croatian national minority abroad and the Croatian diaspora.
2. Erasmus+ and CEEPUS
VEF Zagreb is fully embedded in Erasmus+ (student mobility for studies and traineeships, 3-12 months) and in CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies) — the latter covers Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and Western Balkans. Both cover a monthly grant plus travel; students remain enrolled at their home institution.
3. Home-country and private funding
- French BFTG / bourses régionales, UK Student Loans Company (limited coverage for EU vet programmes), Nordic state loans and grants (CSN, Kela, Lånekassen) usually cover Zagreb since the degree is EU-recognised.
- Private education loans and family financing are the most common route for non-EU students.
Working while studying
EU and EEA students may work in Croatia without a permit. Non-EU students on a study residence permit may work up to a limited number of hours per week under Croatia's foreign-student rules. Student jobs are routed through the Studentski centar (Student Centre) which manages a legal student-work platform with reduced payroll charges.
Cost of living
📊 What happens to graduates
Aggregate public data with sources cited, verified 23/09/2026.
Employment outcomes
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181.00 avg vet job vacancies/year 🟢HR annual vacanciesAverage annual demand 2010-2019. Zagreb VEF is Croatia's sole vet school — all national data = Zagreb grads.
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160.00 avg vets employed/year 🟢HR avg employedEmployed vets/year — demand (181) > supply (160). Time-to-hire mostly <180 days, few long-term unemployed.
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143.00 avg vets on unemployment regis 🟢HR avg unemployedRegistered unemployed vets (mostly transitional, i.e. between jobs). Very short duration on average.
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25.00 % increase in employed vets 20 🟢HR growth 2010 2019 · cohorte 20192019 employed = 152 (+25% vs 2010 baseline). Employment concentrated in Zagreb (urban) — reflects rural depopulation and declining livestock sector.
geography
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qualitative — most grads emplo 🟢HR urban concentration'Najviše ih se zapošljava u Zagrebu' — companion animal sector dominates over farm/rural.
⚠️ Pilot — 5 schools covered so far. Coverage varies by the official reports available (AlmaLaurea IT, HESA/RCVS UK, aggregate 4-ENV FR survey). Missing metrics will be enriched in future waves.
FAQ
How long is the programme and what degree do I earn?
Six years (12 semesters, 360 ECTS) — an Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate Study of Veterinary Medicine leading to the title Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM / dr. med. vet.). No separate bachelor's degree is awarded; the qualification is a single integrated master's-equivalent aligned with EU Directive 2005/36/EC.
Is the degree recognised across the EU?
Yes — automatic recognition in all EU/EEA states and Switzerland thanks to the veterinary directive. On top of that, VEF Zagreb holds full EAEVE Accredited status (renewed 7 June 2023 for 7 years). Graduates can register with any EU veterinary chamber without additional exams.
Can I practise in the United States or Canada with a Zagreb degree?
Not directly. VEF Zagreb is not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education (no Croatian vet school is). US-bound graduates must complete the ECFVG certification (or Canada's PAVE) and pass NAVLE. This is the same route required for graduates of Budapest, Košice, Cluj, Warsaw and most non-AVMA EU programmes.
Why is the English cohort so small?
The 2026-27 quota is 30 EU + 5 non-EU = 35 seats. The Faculty caps intake to preserve the staff-to-student ratio and guarantee hands-on clinical time at the on-site Veterinary Teaching Hospital — a deliberate quality choice, not a capacity failure. Note: the "25 seats" figure sometimes seen online reflects an older quota, not the current one.
How competitive is the dossier-only selection?
Competition is real but manageable compared with entrance-exam schools like Budapest or Košice. Because ranking is based on high-school grades, awards, motivation letter and hands-on veterinary experience, applicants with strong biology/chemistry grades and documented shadowing hours stand out. There is no published cut-off GPA; the Faculty fills seats round by round until quotas are exhausted.
Are dormitories available for international students?
The University's Studentski centar (SCZG) runs the Zagreb dormitories, but capacity is tight and international students are not automatically eligible. The Faculty's international office can submit a recommendation to SCZG on your behalf. Most English-track students rent a private studio (EUR 450-800/month) or a shared flat (EUR 250-400/month).
How does Zagreb compare with Budapest or Košice for cost of living?
All three are affordable Central-European capitals. Zagreb sits slightly above Budapest on most cost-of-living indices and roughly on par with Košice. Realistic student budget in Zagreb: EUR 750-1,200/month all-in. Rent is the biggest variable; groceries, ZET transport (student pass ~EUR 13/month) and eating out are cheap by Western-EU standards.
What are the deadlines for the 2026-27 intake?
Round 1: applications open 1 February 2026 and close 1 July 2026; ASHE publishes the ranking after 16 July. Round 2: opens in July and closes in mid-September (Round 2 for 2026-27 formally closed 1 September 2026). Academic year starts 28 September 2026. Tuition (EUR 10,500) must be paid within four weeks of the Letter of Acceptance to hold the seat.
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