125 FOREIGN STUDENTS ENROLLED AT THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE

BANJA LUKA, NOVEMBER 1 /SRNA/ - A total of 125 foreign students have enrolled in the first year of the English-language study programs at the University of Banja Luka Faculty of Medicine for the 2026/2027 academic year, and interest among applicants from different parts of the world is growing year after year, Radoslav Gajanin, the faculty's acting dean, told SRNA.

Gajanin said that 83 students enrolled in the English-language Medicine program, and 42 enrolled in the new Nursing program, which was launched this academic year.

He announced that the launch of an English-language Dental Medicine study program is also planned for the next academic year, further expanding the range of study programs available to foreign students.

He reminded that classes in the English-language Medicine program began in the 2022/2023 academic year and that around 340 international students have enrolled since then.

"We have recorded a steady increase in the number of interested applicants year after year, and in recent years we have also noticed growing interest from other parts of the world, confirming that the international visibility of our study program is on the rise," Gajanin said.

Students at the Faculty of Medicine in Banja Luka come from India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Sudan, Germany, Slovenia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Tunisia, Iran and Pakistan.

"The first cohort of students enrolled in the English-language Medicine program has completed its fourth year of study, and the first graduates are expected in the coming years," he said.

Gajanin pointed out that the study program has attracted young people seeking quality medical education in Europe, and that studying abroad has become particularly important for some students due to limited opportunities to enroll in medical schools in their home countries.

"In India, for example, the number of places available at medical schools is limited due to the country's large population, so students look for opportunities to study abroad. Many students from India and Bangladesh previously studied in Ukraine, but after the outbreak of the war, they began looking for universities in countries that allow them to live and study in English," Gajanin said.

According to him, the advantages of studying in Banja Luka include an internationally recognized study program, the University's longstanding tradition, student life in the city, as well as the conditions that Republika Srpska offers to foreign nationals.