North Macedonia

⇑Universities

The system is small: according to Eurydice there are 7 state universities and 14 private ones, plus one public-private institution. State universities form the core of the system, among them:

• Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (UKIM) – the largest in the country: 23 faculties, 5 research institutes and more than 30,000 students,
• Goce Delčev University of Štip,
• Mother Teresa University in Skopje,
• University of Tetova,
• St. Paul the Apostle University of Information Science and Technology in Ohrid.

Universities offer all three cycles: bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes. UKIM alone offers 207 first-cycle programmes, 338 master's and 79 doctoral programmes.

⇑Study system

North Macedonia follows the Bologna system with ECTS credits:

• first-cycle (bachelor's) studies – 180 or 240 ECTS, i.e. 3 or 4 years, depending on the programme,
• second-cycle (master's) studies – 60–120 ECTS, i.e. one or two years. After a four-year bachelor's (240 ECTS), a one-year master's of 60 ECTS is enough to reach 300 ECTS in total,
• specialist studies – usually 60 ECTS, for graduates of professional bachelor's programmes,
• integrated studies – e.g. medicine at UKIM takes 12 semesters, i.e. 6 years,
• doctorate – open to holders of an academic master's degree.

At UKIM, tuition fees and credits are counted per year of study, i.e. 60 ECTS.

⇑Admission

At UKIM, international students have a separate quota of places, outside the quotas for Macedonian citizens. You submit your documents at the university's Rectorate in Skopje, and you can send questions to foreign.students@ukim.edu.mk.

Deadlines for 2026/27:

• first cycle – applications until 29 September 2026, enrolment on 1 October 2026,
• second cycle – applications 1–16 October 2026, enrolment on 21–22 October 2026.

For a first-cycle programme you will need:

• application form A1,
• the original of your secondary school leaving certificate with an apostille and your report for each year of secondary school,
• your birth certificate and proof of citizenship,
• a decision on the recognition (nostrification) of your certificate issued by the Macedonian Ministry of Education and Science.

Nostrification requires translations and certified copies and takes several weeks – the university advises sorting it out in June or July. If you will need a visa or a residence permit, start even earlier (see: Residence and formalities).

⇑Entrance exams

First-cycle programmes admit secondary school graduates with the State Matura (Državna matura) or an equivalent – for international applicants, a secondary school leaving certificate that has been recognised (nostrified).

At UKIM most programmes have no entrance exam – what counts is your average secondary school grade. The exceptions are programmes that test knowledge and skills: architecture, dramatic arts, fine arts and music.

⇑Language

The official languages are Macedonian (written in Cyrillic) and Albanian. At UKIM teaching is mainly in Macedonian.

If you don't speak Macedonian, UKIM runs a one-year programme "Macedonian Language for Foreigners" (60 ECTS) at the Blaže Koneski Faculty of Philology. Classes are intensive, and at the end you receive a certificate of the exam you passed. There is also a similar one-year English programme.

UKIM teaches in English in programmes including:

• software engineering and information systems,
• political science,
• clothing design and engineering, and digital metallurgical engineering,
• medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine.

For doctoral studies UKIM requires an English certificate at level B2.

⇑Residence and formalities

North Macedonia is not in the EU. EU citizens do not need a visa for a short stay, and a valid ID card is enough to enter – according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia. Whether other nationals need a visa depends on their nationality – check on the ministry's website before you travel.

Registering your stay: a hotel or hostel registers you with the police within 12 hours. If you stay with a private person, they must register you with the police within 48 hours of your arrival – they can do it online on the Ministry of the Interior website.

To study, every foreign student – EU citizens included – needs a temporary residence permit. It is granted for education for up to one year and can be extended. According to UKIM's guide, you apply at a diplomatic mission of North Macedonia abroad, and after enrolling you go to the Ministry of the Interior with a certificate from your faculty and your tenancy agreement. Once the residence permit is approved, the mission issues a long-stay visa D. Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned stay.

Insurance: to enrol at UKIM you need a one-year health insurance policy that covers emergency care and transport back to your home country. North Macedonia is not in the EU – the EHIC is not valid here.

⇑Tuition fees

International students in North Macedonia – EU citizens included – pay fees for foreign students. At UKIM each faculty sets them, per year of study (60 ECTS).

Examples for first-cycle programmes in 2026/27:

• philology and pedagogy – €800,
• economics – €1,500,
• architecture – €2,000,
• law – €2,000–2,500,
• medicine, dentistry and pharmacy in English – €5,000.

On top of that there is a fee of MKD 750 for student activities.

For comparison: a Macedonian student on a state-funded place pays €200, and on a self-funded place €400 (in denars). In the second cycle, a foreign student pays e.g. €1,000 per semester at the Faculty of Law.

⇑Accommodation and living costs

Official sources do not give a total monthly cost of living for students. UKIM's guide for international students gives these amounts:

• studio flat – €80–120 a month,
• larger flat – €130–200,
• utilities – €50–150 a month,
• hostel for the first days – €7–15 a night.

Treat these amounts as a rough guide and check current listings, especially in Skopje. Student canteens are the cheapest place to eat.

Ask the international students' office at your institution about a place in a student residence.

The currency is the Macedonian denar (MKD). UKIM gives its fees in euros, but you pay in denars at the central bank exchange rate.

⇑Scholarships

A scholarship for a full degree in North Macedonia is hard to get. It is easier to come on an exchange:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or year at a Macedonian university under an agreement with your home university,
• CEEPUS – an exchange programme of 15 Central European countries, including North Macedonia; it is open to students from member countries. The host institution waives your tuition fee and you receive a monthly grant for living costs. Deadlines: 15 June for the winter semester, 31 October for the summer semester, 30 November for freemovers.

Ask about scholarships and fee waivers directly at the international office of your chosen institution and at the exchange office of your home university.

⇑Working while studying

North Macedonia is not in the EU, so as a rule foreigners need a work permit – this applies to EU citizens too. Work permits are issued, extended and revoked by the Employment Service Agency (av.gov.mk).

There are three types of permit: a personal work permit, an employment permit (issued at the employer's request) and a work permit. You can hold only one at a time. You apply at a diplomatic mission of North Macedonia in your country of citizenship or residence.

For students the rules are simpler: according to the Employment Service Agency, work done by foreign citizens who live in North Macedonia for study purposes does not require a work permit – instead, the agency issues a certificate registering the work. The agency does not publish a limit on working hours, so ask the international students' office at your institution before you start. Researchers will find more on EURAXESS North Macedonia.

How to find a job abroad?

⇑Useful links

• Study in Europe – North Macedonia – the official country profile on the European Commission's portal,
• UKIM – admission of international students – deadlines, programmes in English and fees,
• UKIM – call for first-cycle studies – documents, nostrification, quotas,
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia – entry rules and visas,
• Ministry of the Interior of North Macedonia – registering a foreigner's stay,
• Employment Service Agency – employment of foreign citizens – work permits and registration of student work,
• CEEPUS – exchanges and scholarships in Central Europe,
• ENIC-NARIC – recognition of qualifications in Europe,
• Eurodesk – free information on studying, traineeships and volunteering in Europe.