Study Pharmacy in Europe: Degree Length, Entry Requirements and Fees
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
Pharmacy is a regulated health profession like medicine, but it is noticeably easier to enter in most countries. Our catalogue lists 140 pharmacy programmes at 107 universities in 6 countries.
How hard is it to get in?
- Spain. 26 programmes. At public universities the last admitted student had between 9.78 and 11.78 out of 14, well below the scores needed for medicine. Pharmacy in Spain.
- Portugal. 10 programmes, closing between 121.5 and 153 out of 200. Pharmacy in Portugal.
- Italy. 69 programmes in pharmacy and pharmaceutical chemistry. Many have locally limited places with the university's own test, often a TOLC. Pharmacy in Italy.
- Germany. Pharmacy is one of the four subjects allocated nationally through hochschulstart.de. Pharmacy in Germany.
- Czechia. Faculty entrance exams, usually in chemistry and biology; 2 programmes are taught in English. Pharmacy in Czechia.
- Switzerland. A bachelor's and a master's degree at a handful of universities. Pharmacy in Switzerland.
In France pharmacy is entered through the same first-year health tracks as medicine, so it has no separate listing in our catalogue.
Length and structure
The EU standard for pharmacists is at least five years of training including a traineeship in a pharmacy. Spain, Portugal, Italy and Czechia offer a single five-year degree. Germany splits it into four years at university and one practical year, with state examinations. Switzerland uses three years of bachelor plus two of master.
What it costs
Typical fees for EU students at public universities in our catalogue: €1,061 a year in Spain, €697 a year in Portugal, €2,401 a year in Italy before income-based reductions, and no tuition in Germany. Non-EU students typically pay €2,160 a year in Spain and €7,000 a year in Portugal.
Language
10 programmes are taught in English. Community pharmacy is a job of talking to customers, so the traineeship and later registration require the local language.
Recognition
Pharmacist qualifications that meet the EU standard are recognised automatically across the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. Registration bodies can still check language skills.
Where to look next
Official sources
- hochschulstart.de
- CISIA: TOLC tests used by Italian universities
- DGES
- EU regulated professions database
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.