Universities in Croatia

Croatia has a binary higher education system. Universities run academic study programmes, which only universities may offer, while professional study programmes, aimed at direct entry into the labour market, are taught by polytechnics and also by universities. According to Study in Croatia, the official portal for international students, the country has over 120 higher education institutions and more than 1,850 study programmes. Most universities are public.

Croatia is in the European Union, the eurozone and the Schengen area, which makes it simple for EU students, and its programmes in English are opening the country to students from further away.

How university studies work

All programmes follow the Bologna structure in three cycles: undergraduate (bachelor's), graduate (master's) and postgraduate (doctoral) study. In certain cases, a programme integrates the first two cycles. Workload is measured in ECTS credits, with 60 ECTS for a year of study. Grades run from 5 (izvrstan, excellent) to 1 (nedovoljan, fail), with 2 as the minimum pass.

Universities on SpainExchange include two very different examples:

• The University of Zagreb (Sveučilište u Zagrebu) was founded on 23 September 1669 and is the country's largest university, with more than 63,000 students according to Study in Croatia. Some of its faculties offer full degree programmes in English, including an MD programme at the School of Medicine, and most faculties teach courses in English for exchange students
• The University of Dubrovnik (UNIDU) was founded by the Croatian Parliament on 1 October 2003, building on Croatia's first public polytechnic. It specialises in maritime studies, such as nautical studies, marine engineering and yacht and marina technologies, alongside business economics, tourism, computing and marine ecology, with several bachelor's and double-degree master's programmes taught in English

Admission and recognition

Citizens of EU countries can enrol under the same conditions as Croatian citizens; conditions for other students may differ and are set by each institution. Bachelor's applications for programmes taught in Croatian go through the central online system Postani student!, where applicants can choose up to 10 programmes. Selection uses school grades and the State Matura (the Croatian school-leaving exam) or internationally recognised external exams. Some programmes in Croatian may require the standardised Croatian language test at level B2.

Programmes in English are often handled by the university directly. The University of Dubrovnik, for example, ran applications for 2026-27 from 1 December 2025 to 15 June 2026, asks for IELTS Academic 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 69 from non-native speakers, and interviews every applicant.

A foreign secondary school diploma must be recognised. Applicants send the request to the Agency for Science and Higher Education (AZVO), which is also the Croatian ENIC-NARIC centre, through its Central Applications Office. For master's and doctoral programmes, a foreign degree is assessed either by AZVO or by the university. The University of Zagreb asks for all foreign documents to be translated into Croatian.

Costs and funding

Each institution sets its own tuition fees. Study in Croatia gives these annual ranges for international students: about €1,100 to €10,400 in the humanities and social sciences, about €1,000 to €6,000 in the natural and technical sciences, and €10,000 to €12,000 for medicine, plus application fees of €60 to €300. Average living costs are estimated at €500 to €800 a month, higher in large cities and tourist towns.

Students outside the EU or EEA who need a visa apply at a Croatian embassy or consulate and then for temporary stay for study purposes. This costs €46.45, plus €31.85 for the biometric residence permit, and the permit is usually granted for one year or one academic year. EU citizens staying more than three months only register their stay with the police. Funding comes mainly from home-country or international sources, Croatian government bilateral scholarships, CEEPUS and Erasmus+; the University of Zagreb states that it does not currently offer financial aid to foreign citizens.

How to choose

Decide first between an academic university programme and a professional programme, and check the language of instruction: many full degrees are taught in Croatian, so look for programmes in English if you do not speak it. Compare fees per programme, since they vary widely by field. The city matters too: Zagreb offers the widest choice of subjects in the capital, while Dubrovnik is a smaller coastal city with a maritime and tourism focus.

Frequently asked questions

Can I study at a Croatian university in English?

Yes. Some faculties of the University of Zagreb offer full degrees in English, such as medicine, and the University of Dubrovnik teaches several bachelor's and master's programmes in English.

How much are tuition fees in Croatia?

Fees are set by each institution. Study in Croatia gives about €1,000 to €10,400 a year for most fields and €10,000 to €12,000 for medicine.

Do EU students pay the same as Croatians?

EU citizens can enrol under the same conditions as Croatian citizens. Students from outside the EU may face different conditions, which each institution sets.

How much does it cost to live in Croatia as a student?

Study in Croatia estimates average living costs at €500 to €800 a month, depending on the city and type of accommodation.