From Riyadh to Bucharest: A Saudi Student's Journey to Medical School

My name is Khalid. I am 24 years old, I grew up in Riyadh, and I am currently in my fourth year of medicine at a state university in Bucharest. This is the story of how I got here.

I want to write it honestly — not as an advertisement, not as a highlight reel. Because when I was in Year 12, trying to figure out whether studying medicine in Romania was a real option or just something I had read about on a forum, I could not find an account that felt real. I am writing the one I needed back then.

Why Medicine in Romania?

I finished Year 12 in Riyadh with strong grades in Biology and Chemistry — above 85% in both. I had applied to two Saudi medical schools and was waitlisted at one. My family was supportive of going abroad but not of the cost of the UK or Ireland, which was running at £38,000 per year in tuition alone for medicine. Germany was free but the programs were in German, and I was not prepared to spend two years learning German before I could even start a degree.

I found out about Romanian medicine through a classmate whose older brother had been in Iasi for two years. He said the degree was real, the teaching was in English, and the tuition was around €8,000 a year. I was skeptical. That skepticism took me about three months of research to work through.

The Research Phase

I spent that summer on forums, university websites, and eventually on calls with Education Track, a Saudi-registered consultancy that works specifically with Arab students applying to European programs. Those calls were the most useful part of the research — not because they sold me anything, but because they answered the questions that the websites could not.

The question that mattered most to me: would my degree be recognized in Saudi Arabia? The answer was yes, with conditions — Group 2 SCFHS classification, mandatory SLE exam, DataFlow verification. That is the same licensing pathway my cousin went through after his UK degree, and he is now a GP in Riyadh. So I knew the road, even if it was not the shortest one.

The Application

I applied to two universities: Carol Davila in Bucharest and Grigore T. Popa in Iasi. Education Track helped me prepare the application file — which included getting my Saudi high school diploma Apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh, having it translated into Romanian by a certified translator, and writing a personal motivation letter.

I was accepted at both. I chose Bucharest because of the hospital network — Carol Davila is attached to some of the largest teaching hospitals in Romania, and I wanted the best clinical exposure possible.

The Visa

This was the most stressful part. I paid my first year of tuition upfront — €10,000 — which the university needed before they could submit my file to the Romanian Ministry of Education for the Letter of Acceptance. The wait was about six weeks. With the letter in hand, I booked my visa appointment at the Romanian Embassy in Riyadh.

I needed to show €3,000 in my bank account, proof of medical insurance (€30,000 minimum coverage), and my accommodation booking. The interview itself was calm — 10 minutes, a few questions about my program and plans after graduation. The visa took three weeks to arrive.

The First Year

I will not romanticize the first semester. The anatomy workload in Year 1 is serious. Romanians who got into the same program are competing hard, and the international cohort — students from Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Morocco — is motivated. The culture shock is real but manageable. Bucharest is a modern European capital. The metro works. The food is affordable. The halal options are limited but exist in areas with large Muslim communities.

By the end of Year 1, I had a social circle of about 12 people, mostly Arab and South Asian students. A few Romanian students who spoke English had joined that circle. My Romanian was at basic survival level — enough for pharmacies and public transport.

Year 3: The Clinics Start

Clinical rotations begin in Year 3 at Carol Davila. This is what makes the degree real. I have spent time in internal medicine, surgery, and pediatrics wards at University Emergency Hospital Bucharest. The cases are genuine, the exposure is broad, and the attending physicians — despite the language barrier with patients — take the time to translate and explain.

I am now in Year 4. I have another two years and an internship ahead of me. After that, I plan to return to Saudi Arabia, pass the SLE, complete my DataFlow, and pursue specialty training.

What I Would Tell My Riyadh Self

• The degree is real and the path home is clear — do the research and stop being paralyzed by uncertainty.

• The first tuition payment is a big number. Plan for it several months in advance.

• Get your documents Apostilled before you apply. It takes longer than you expect.

• Talk to someone who has actually done it before committing. I used Education Track for this and it was worth it.

• Choose your city based on the hospital network, not just the tuition. The clinical years are what define the degree.

• Bring enough money for the first three months to settle without financial stress — the residence permit and setup costs add up.

Ready to Start Your Own Research?

If you are a Saudi student (or a parent researching on behalf of one), Education Track offers a free 30-minute consultation and a free eligibility quiz that tells you which European programs match your profile in under 60 seconds. Both are available at education-track.com.

The European Medical Pathway package ($1,600) covers everything from university matching to visa dossier assembly. But start with the free consultation — that is what I did, and it changed the shape of my next decision.

Disclaimer: This article is a composite narrative based on the experiences of Education Track students and is intended to illustrate a realistic study abroad journey. Individual experiences vary. The information provided is based on data available as of August 2025. Education Track does not guarantee admission or licensing outcomes.