Study Physiotherapy in Europe: Where to Apply and What It Takes
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
Physiotherapy is popular and has limited places, because every student needs supervised clinical hours. Our catalogue lists 178 programmes at 173 institutions in 6 countries.
Admission by country
- Spain. 52 four-year degrees. At public universities the last admitted student had between 9.9 and 12.46 out of 14. Physiotherapy in Spain.
- Portugal. 25 four-year degrees, closing between 143.8 and 158.3 out of 200. Physiotherapy in Portugal.
- Italy. 73 three-year degrees with nationally limited places and the health professions admission test. It is usually the most contested of the health professions courses. Physiotherapy in Italy.
- Germany. Most physiotherapists train at vocational schools. Only 9 degree programmes are in our catalogue. Physiotherapy in Germany.
- Switzerland. Three-year bachelor's degrees at universities of applied sciences, with an aptitude assessment. Physiotherapy in Switzerland.
- Czechia. 13 three-year bachelor's programmes, 3 of them in English. Physiotherapy in Czechia.
French physiotherapy schools recruit after a first university year and are not in our catalogue.
What it costs
Typical fees for EU students at public institutions: €975 a year in Spain, €697 a year in Portugal and €2,626 a year in Italy before income-based reductions. Spain has many private programmes with fees several times higher, so check the type of university on each programme page.
Recognition is not automatic
Unlike doctors, nurses and dentists, physiotherapists are not covered by automatic recognition in the EU. The profession is regulated in most countries, and a foreign degree is assessed case by case under the general system: the authority compares your training with its own and can ask for an aptitude test or a supervised adaptation period. A three-year degree and a four-year degree are not treated as equal everywhere. If you already know where you want to work, check that country's rules before you choose where to study.
Language
7 programmes are taught in English. Clinical placements are with patients, so you need the local language.
Where to look next
Official sources
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.