DES - Third country national applicants

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Any person with non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationality is considered a third-country national.

Candidat ressortissant de pays tiers

The applicant must have a basic medical education credential obtained in a Member State of the European Union (Switzerland, European Economic Area) referred to in Annex 5.1.1. of Directive 2005/36/EC or an equivalent diploma (cf. diploma obtained before the reference date set in Annex 5.1.1. or a “too recent” diploma not yet included in Annex 5.1.1.; In both cases, a certificate of conformity must be provided and established by the competent authority); or a basic medical education credential obtained in a third country that is recognised under the provisions of the Law of 28 October 2016 on the recognition of professional qualifications, more specifically meeting the criteria set out in Article 24 of this law.

Pursuant to Art. 32 of the University Law, access to studies leading to a DES degree is open to applicants who meet the requirements of Article 1, paragraph 1, letters a), b), d) and e) of the amended law of 29 April 1983 on practising the professions of physician, dental physician and veterinary physician. For more information, please also see Section 10 of the 2020 Law on Specialisation.

All diplomas and/or transcripts must be translated by a sworn translator when issued in a language other than French, German or English.

1. Third-country applicant

with a diploma of basic medical training (1st and 2nd cycle successfully completed),
and with a residence permit for Luxembourg

If you are a third-country applicant with a diploma of basic medical training (1st and 2nd cycle successfully completed) corresponding to at least 180 ECTS credits under the Bologna process and issued by a higher education institution located in another Member State of the European Union or the European Economic Area or in Switzerland, your degree is automatically recognised.

Even if you have not yet received your diploma (or pass certificate) by the application deadline for your chosen degree programme, you may still submit your online application. In all cases, you must do so by the deadline set by the degree programme.
Applicants who have not completed their 2nd cycle of medical studies at the time of application may be deemed eligible by the Education Committee, provided they provide the missing documentation by 30 November of the year of enrollment. They will not be allowed to begin internships until this formal criterion has been fulfilled.

If your application is selected, you will receive a conditional admission letter.
Once you have received your diploma and transcript, you can upload these documents via your admission portal to complete your application. A definitive admission letter will be sent to you along with the invoice for the enrollment fee to finalise enrollment.

As you have a residence permit in Luxembourg, the application periods are similar to those for European applicants.

2. Third-country applicant

with a diploma of basic medical training (1st and 2nd cycle successfully completed),
but without a residence permit for Luxembourg

You must already have your university degree when you submit your application.

If you are admitted, you must

study full-time, pursuant to the law of 29 August 2008 on the free movement of persons and immigration (third-country students are not allowed to study part-time)
reside on Luxembourg territory. For all applications for a residence permit to be made by 1 July or at the latest 3 weeks after the admission date, please consult the specific procedure
- however, if you have been admitted to a multinational degree programme (organised in partnership with foreign universities) and have a Schengen residence permit, you can request a notification for mobility from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

3. Third-country applicant

with a degree issued by a university outside the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland
and with a residence permit for Luxembourg

A copy of your diploma (or pass certificate) is required when submitting your application.

The applicant must have a basic medical education credential obtained in a third country that is recognised under the provisions of the Law of 28 October 2016 on the recognition of professional qualifications, more specifically meeting the criteria set out in Article 24 of this law.
Applicants who have not completed their 2nd cycle of medical studies at the time of application may be deemed eligible by the Education Committee, provided they provide the missing documentation by 30 November of the year of enrollment. They will not be allowed to begin internships until this formal criterion has been fulfilled.

If your application is selected, you will receive a conditional admission letter.
Once you have received proof that your degree has been recorded in register of formal higher education qualifications, you can upload this document via your admission portal to complete your application file. A definitive admission letter will be sent to you along with the invoice for the enrollment fee to finalise enrollment.

As you have a residence permit for Luxembourg, the application periods are similar to those for European candidates.

4. Third-country applicant

with a degree issued by a university outside the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland,
but without a residence permit for Luxembourg.

A copy of your diploma (or pass certificate) is required when submitting your application.

If your application is selected, you will receive a conditional admission letter.

You will have to apply for a residence permit (deadline 1 July of the year of enrolment or 3 weeks after the date of admission at the latest)

For any request for a residence permit, please consult the specific procedure.

Once you have received your residence permit, you can apply – in your country of origin – to the competent Ministry to have your degree recorded in the register of formal higher education qualifications.

On arrival, we invite you to come to the University with your residence permit and the document certifying registration of your degree to finalise your enrolment through payment of the enrolment fee and of health insurance if necessary.

For all other information, please consult the “Information by topic” section.

Proof is now required of proficiency in the programme’s languages of instruction (French and German), attesting to a B2 level (in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - CEFR).

Proof of language proficiency must be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

Secondary and/or university certificate/diploma where the language of instruction corresponds to one of the languages of the chosen UL degree programme. In this case, no language certificate is required.
Certificate of an internationally recognised B2 test not older than three years, such as TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS for English, DELF or DALF for French and GOETHE Zertifikat or TestDaF for German, in the language(s) of instruction of the degree programme.
Any other document proving B2 proficiency in the languages of instruction.