Studying in North Macedonia

What a year costs

Tuition at UKIM. UKIM's page for foreign applicants (dated 23 August 2025) lists these programmes taught entirely in English, with these fees:

• Software Engineering and Information Systems: €2,000
• Political Studies: €2,000
• Metallurgical Digital Engineering: €2,500
• Clothing Design and Engineering: €2,500
• Veterinary Medicine: €4,000
• General Medicine: €5,000
• Dental Medicine: €5,000

The page does not say whether these fees are per year, per semester or for the whole programme. Ask the university to confirm in writing before you pay anything. UKIM also charges a student activity fee of 750 denars, and asks for a payment slip for the tuition fee "for the respective semester" at enrolment.

Living costs. No official student living cost figure is published by a North Macedonian government body. Budget from your own research on rents in Skopje.

The visa

The order matters. A foreign student staying longer than three months needs temporary residence as a student, approved by the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade says you submit the long-stay (D) visa documents "upon receiving a decision on granting temporary residence by the Ministry of Interior". So: admission, then residence approval, then the D visa, then travel.

The D visa fee is €70 (€35 for children aged 6 to 12). You apply to the North Macedonian embassy or consulate responsible for your country, no more than six months and at least 15 days before you travel. Whether you need a visa to enter at all depends on your nationality.

Documents. A university in Skopje (UTMS) lists what students typically need for temporary residence: a passport valid at least three months beyond your planned stay, the acceptance letter, the study programme showing its length, proof of the language of instruction, proof of financial means or other legal support for living costs, proof of accommodation, health insurance, a criminal record certificate from home and a photograph. All documents must be translated into Macedonian by a court translator and certified. UKIM adds that you need adequate travel medical insurance covering your stay and medical repatriation.

The money. The Law on Foreigners (Article 12) says the means of subsistence are assessed by the length and purpose of the stay, and that the Government sets the amount. We could not find the current Government decision, so we cannot give you a figure. Ask the embassy what amount and what evidence it expects before you apply.

Fees for the residence permit are set under the Law on Administrative Fees. We could not find the current amount.

Working while you study

The Law on Employment and Work of Foreigners (Article 14) lets foreigners residing in North Macedonia for study do short-term or auxiliary work without a work permit, up to 10 working hours a week, provided the work is registered with the Employment Service Agency. The employer pays social insurance for that period. The Employment Service Agency confirms that it registers "work performed by foreign citizens residing in Republic of North Macedonia for study purposes" without a work permit.

This figure comes from the English translation of the law annexed to a 2023 Council of Europe report. Law firms in Skopje report amendments to the rules on residence and employment of foreigners in force from 26 September 2025, and we could not confirm from an official source whether this limit changed. Check with the Employment Service Agency before you take a job.

After you graduate

We found no post-study permit to look for work in the official sources we checked. To stay after your degree you would need a job and a work-based residence permit.

Language

Macedonian is the official language, and programmes not listed as English-taught should be assumed to need it until the university tells you otherwise. UKIM offers the English-taught programmes listed above. Your documents for the residence application must be translated into Macedonian.

When to apply

For 2025/26, UKIM took applications from foreign students from 19 August to 29 September 2025, by email to its foreign students office, with original documents delivered to the Rectorate in Skopje. Its general enrolment ran from 29 August to 30 September. Expect similar late-summer dates, and check the page for your year.

Then allow time for the Ministry of Interior's decision on temporary residence, followed by the D visa, which you must apply for at least 15 days before travelling.

What to watch out for

Residence approval comes before the visa. Do not book flights on the strength of an admission letter alone.

Translation and certification. Every document needs a certified Macedonian translation. Build in time and cost.

Tuition period. Confirm whether UKIM's quoted fee is annual before you commit.

No job-search period. Plan on leaving or having a job lined up when your studies end.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it, and ask the embassy for the proof of funds amount, because we could not verify it.