Social | International Program in Medicine

We know how hard it can be to leave home.

Moving to another city — or even another country — and starting to call a new place home can feel exciting and scary, overwhelming and beautiful, sometimes all at once.

At the University of Crete, we want you to make the most of your student years —to feel that you belong.
That’s why university life here is more than your studies. It’s also about your wellbeing, your friendships, your interests and everything that happens outside the classroom.

💙 Psychological & Counselling Support Centre
🏃 University Sports Centre
⚖️ Gender Equality Committee
🤜 Student Ombudsman
💃 University clubs for learning, dancing, playing and socialising
✊ Political and social groups
🌍 Welcome Office for international students
…and much more.

We got a little taste of what student life at the @uocrete can look like, during the university’s Welcome Day for first-year students: with traditional Cretan dancing, treats, gifts, conversations, new faces and a beautiful Cretan sun shining down on all of you. ☀️

So here’s to the beginning of your new life.
Welcome to the University of Crete. We’re very happy to have you here. 💙
For more information and everything you need to know as a first-year student, visit freshers.uoc.gr.

#UniversityOfCrete #UoC #Freshers #StudentLife #WelcomeToUoC

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We know how hard it can be to leave home.

Moving to another city —...

The new Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre has just opened!

Alex is coughing. His future doctor gently touches his arm and asks how he feels: “I’ve had a cough these days”. “Any other symptoms?” the doctor asks, reaching for the stethoscope.

Meet Alex, the AI-powered patient helping train the doctors of tomorrow. It feels like a real consultation, but Alex is a high-fidelity patient simulator; one of the highlights of the new Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre at the University of Crete Medical School. The new centre is a state-of-the-art facility bringing AI, virtual reality and high-fidelity simulation into medical education.

Students can practise clinical procedures, explore the human body through VR and work through complex clinical scenarios — learning through repetition, practice and even mistakes, all in a safe environment.

The Centre -of course- doesn’t replace clinical training with real patients. It complements it, helping students build confidence and skills before they enter the clinical setting.

A major investment in medical education, made possible through years of collaboration and teamwork across the Medical School — including the long-standing work of its Committee for Innovation in Education.

The future of medical training is already here. And what about Alex?

He’ll be waiting for the next medical student. 🩺

#UniversityOfCrete #MedicalSchool #MedicalEducation #Simulation

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The new Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre has just opened!

Alex is coughing. His future...

☕️🥐 A great first day at the UoC!

There was coffee and kalitsounia, welcome speeches and plenty of useful information. But most of all, there was laughter, new connections, emotional families and excited first-year medical students from all over the world! 🌍

On Thursday, 17 September, we welcomed our new iMed students and their families to the @uocrete for our Welcome Day.
We heard warm and inspiring words from our teachers and staff as our new students took their first steps into university life and became part of the iMed community.

As Professor Tsatsanis, Head of the iMed Programme, put it beautifully: “You are here to learn and become excellent doctors. We are here to help you learn and become compassionate physicians and members of society!”

A lovely reminder of what we want university to be about: learning, supporting one another and growing together.

Welcome to the iMed family, Class of 2032! 🩺💙

#iMed #UniversityOfCrete #WelcomeDay #ClassOf2032

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☕️🥐 A great first day at the UoC!

There was coffee and kalitsounia, welcome speeches...

📣 Join us tonight at the Researchers’ night of the @uocrete!
Check out all the cool and fascinating activities we’ve prepared for all.
See you in a few hours at the University campus in Voutes, Heraklion and at the Gallos campus in Rethymno.

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📣 Join us tonight at the Researchers’ night of the @uocrete!
Check out all the...

$🔬 The @uocrete ’s first “Researchers’ Night” is coming! 🧪 Science leaves the laboratories and meets the community, for a day. 📅 Friday, September 25, 2026 🕕 18:00–22:00 🎟️ Free admission 📍 Rethymno: Gallou University Campus – New Library 📍 Heraklion: Voutes University Campus – Medical School For one evening, the medical school becomes a meeting point: a real party between science and society. Researchers will share their work, talk with visitors and invite you to experiment, explore and discover how research and technology shape the world around us! 🤖 Artificial Intelligence & Virtual Reality\ 🧠 The Brain\ 🧬 DNA & Biotechnology\ 🧪 Chemistry\ 🌊 The Sea & Climate Change\ 🗣️ Language, Education & Society\ …and many more activities! 🎯 **Treasure Hunt in Rethymno** 🔐 **Escape Room in Heraklion** 🎶 Music, food, and surprises will complete this big celebration. ✨Come to the University of Crete to experiment, play, and discover science in a different way! The Researchers’ Night is being held as part of the European project @steps.eu.project – Science for Growth – Empowering Minds, coordinated by the University of Crete in collaboration with the Technical University of Crete with funding from the European Union through Horizon Europe – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). #ResearchNight #UniversityOfCrete #Research #Science$

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🔬 The @uocrete ’s first “Researchers’ Night” is coming!

🧪 Science leaves the laboratories and...

🎉 Welcome class of 2026!
Every year, we warmly welcome our new year students with a trip on our island! Families and members of staff joined us on Friday the 18th of September, for a day trip to Spinalonga.
Spinalonga is a small, rocky island located in the Gulf of Elounda in the northeastern part of Crete. This barren islet carries a massive, layered history that has made it one of the most visited sites in Crete. Spinalonga is famous for two distinct historical eras: its time as an 16th-century Venetian fortress and its bittersweet legacy as Europe’s last active leper colony.
Our first year students got to know each other better while enjoying a fun day out.
Welcome class of 2026! We are excited to begin our journey together.

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🎉 Welcome class of 2026!
Every year, we warmly welcome our new year students with...

A major international distinction for Professor Efstathios Detorakis

We are delighted to congratulate Dr Efstathios Detorakis, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Crete, on his election as a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (FRCOphth) in the UK.

This prestigious distinction is awarded by election to ophthalmologists who have made an outstanding contribution to the field, through their work in research, clinical practice and education.

A remarkable recognition of Professor Detorakis’ long-standing contribution to Ophthalmology - and a proud moment for the University of Crete and its Medical School.

#UniversityOfCrete #MedicalSchool #Ophthalmology #RoyalCollegeOfOphthalmologists #MedicalResearch

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A major international distinction for Professor Efstathios Detorakis

We are delighted to congratulate Dr Efstathios...

FORTH at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair 🚀

A few more days left to visit the Thessaloniki International Fair.
From 5–13 September 2026, the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) is at the 90th TIF, bringing cutting-edge research, technology and innovation to the heart of the city.

📍You can find the foundation’s info in Pavilion 7, at the Ministry of Development / General Secretariat for Research and Innovation stand.

Join the fair and explore technologies that turn scientific ideas into real-world applications — from Space 🚀 and Artificial Intelligence 🤖 to Robotics 🦾, Photonics, Microelectronics and smart technologies.

🚀 More cool FORTH stuff to be explored there: Institutes of Electronic Structure and Lasers, Chemical Engineering Sciences, Computer Science and Astrophysics, alongside projects from the Skinakas Observatory, the Science and Technology Park of Crete, PRAXI Network, the Hellenic Network of Molecular Oncology and four FORTH spin-off companies.

✨ Science meets society. Ideas become innovation. And the future is already here.

#FORTH #TIF2026 #Research #Innovation #TechnologyThessaloniki

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FORTH at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair 🚀

A few more days left to visit...

Our dear Evi from the Student Office is making space on her board for you! 🌍💌

All the postcards, little souvenirs and messages that our students and teachers send us from all over the world, have found a home here - a colourful reminder of the people and places that make our community so international.
And now, as a new academic year begins, the board is getting ready for a few more stories from around the world.

✨ The entire team is getting ready to welcome the new student of the International Porogram in Medicine, at the University of Crete 💙

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Our dear Evi from the Student Office is making space on her board for you!...

Photo dump from our student exchange in Boston 📸

This summer, two of our 3rd year students spent a month in the United States, at a summer laboratory training program! They got this great opportunity through the long-standing @bostonu and @uocrete exchange program.

Established back in 2000, the merit-based BU–UoC exchange has supported generations of students from Greece and the United States in gaining valuable experience through clinical and research exchanges.
✨ Constantina Hadjikosti worked in the laboratory of Professor Nader Rifai at @bostonchildrens Hospital, affiliated with @harvard University
✨ Vasiliki Mysteriou worked in the laboratory of Professor Tobias Schatton at @brighamandwomens Hospital, affiliated with Harvard University.
From the University of Crete to leading research institutions in Boston, these experiences offer our students the chance to learn, explore, and grow within some of the world’s most exciting biomedical research environments.

We are proud to see our iMed students taking their next steps in research. 🧬🌍

#iMed #UniversityOfCrete #UoC #SchoolOfMedicine

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Photo dump from our student exchange in Boston 📸

This summer, two of our 3rd...

📚✨ Good luck, iMed students! ✨📚
Exam season is here, and we’re wishing all our students the very best of luck!
Remember to trust yourselves, stay focused and take a moment to breathe when you need it. You’ve worked hard, and now it’s time to show what you know. 💪🌟

You’ve got this. Good luck with your exams!

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📚✨ Good luck, iMed students! ✨📚
Exam season is here, and we’re wishing all our...

A warm welcome to our new students at the University of Crete 🎓

The Rector of the University of Crete, Professor Georgios M. Kontakis addressed this year’s incoming students with a message for the new chapter in their lives.

Here are a few words from his welcome:
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the University of Crete and congratulate you on your admission. [...] The years ahead will be filled with new experiences, demands and creative challenges. [...] We encourage you to make the most of every opportunity that university life will offer you, both through your studies and through your participation in the activities and initiatives of our university community. [...] We wish you a creative and meaningful student experience, the courage to set ambitious goals, to believe in yourselves and to make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Welcome to the University of Crete! 💙

#UniversityOfCrete #WelcomeToUoC #NewStudents #StudentLife StudyInCrete

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A warm welcome to our new students at the University of Crete 🎓

The Rector...

🇨🇳 Learn Chinese at the University of Crete!

For the second year running, the University of Crete is offering Chinese Language courses: everyone is welcome, including University staff and members of the wider community.

However, the courses are free for all active UoC undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students. 🎓

Whether you’re completely new to Chinese or ready to continue from where you left off, there’s a course for you.

📍 Courses in Heraklion and Rethymno
📅 Classes start 19 October 2026
🗣️ Taught in English by qualified instructors
🌏 Learn the language and discover more about Chinese culture

Interested? Apply by the 25th of September 2026.

For more information: welcomeoffice@uoc.gr

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🇨🇳 Learn Chinese at the University of Crete!

For the second year running, the University...

Summer destination: Kedrodasos 🌊🌿

Looking for somewhere a little quieter than the famous beaches of Crete?

Head west, towards Kedrodasos - a beautiful stretch of sand, turquoise water and ancient juniper trees - just a short distance from the renowned Elafonisi beach.

It's a long drive from Heraklion and a walk to reach the beach - but you will be rewarded. There are no big beach clubs or busy promenades here. Just dunes, trees, sea and plenty of space to slow down for a while.

🧴🍉 👙 Pack water, sunscreen and everything you need for the day, leave the beach as you found it and take your time.

📍 Kedrodasos, southwest Crete

#UniversityOfCrete #StudyInCrete #Kedrodasos #Crete #CretanSummer #StudentLife

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Summer destination: Kedrodasos 🌊🌿

Looking for somewhere a little quieter than the famous beaches of...

15th of August in Greece 🇬🇷🌿

Dekapentavgoustos means the 15th of August, in Greek- and it’s a very special day for Greeks.
It is the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, one of the most important celebrations in the Greek Orthodox calendar. Also, it’s all about the name “Maria” -the most common Greek name.

Across Greece, churches and villages hold services, festivities and traditional glentia to mark the occasion. It’s also a bank holiday -almost everything is shut.
In Crete, Dekapentavgoustos often means music, long tables, local food, dancing and entire villages coming together with festivities that can carry on well into the night.

Kalo Dekapentavgousto!

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15th of August in Greece 🇬🇷🌿

Dekapentavgoustos means the 15th of August, in Greek- and...

A new chapter begins. 🎓🩺

On Friday, 31 July, the Medical School of the University of Crete celebrated its summer graduation ceremony, bringing together graduates, families, faculty and members of the wider university community at the School’s outdoor amphitheatre.

A day of celebration, achievement and new beginnings, as our newest doctors, postgraduate graduates and PhD graduates took the next step in their academic and professional journeys!
We are proud to celebrate every one of them and wish them courage, curiosity and, above all, a lifelong commitment to caring for people.

The numbers behind the celebration:
🎓 93 new medical graduates
📜 46 Master’s degrees awarded
🎓 13 PhD degrees awarded
🩺 3,186 Medical School graduates to date
👩‍⚕️ 858 students currently enrolled

Congratulations to the Class of 2026 — and wherever your journey takes you, you’ll always be part of the family called “University of Crete”.

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A new chapter begins. 🎓🩺

On Friday, 31 July, the Medical School of the University...

Dance, food, village life: if you’re in Crete this August, do yourself a favour and go to a glenti. 💃🎻

A glenti is more than a village festival—it’s one of the best ways to experience authentic Cretan culture.
Throughout August, villages across the island come alive with live music, traditional dancing, incredible local food and tables full of people who are always happy to welcome one more guest.
You don’t need to know the steps. You don’t need to speak Greek. Just bring your appetite, your curiosity, and a willingness to join in.
By the end of the night, you might be dancing a pentozali with complete strangers who suddenly feel like old friends.

Find out where all the glentia of the summer are happening in Crete and enjoy!

📸 this photo was taken by amazing @elena.katti 🙏 🙏 during the @festival.hameziou last summer!

#UniversityOfCrete #StudyInCrete #CretanCulture #Glenti #LifeInCrete StudentLife VisitCrete SummerInCrete InternationalStudents

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Dance, food, village life: if you’re in Crete this August, do yourself a favour and...

Why does studying in Crete feel different?
*Because medicine is only part of the experience

✨You start your day with a lecture…
and end it watching the sun set over the Mediterranean.

✨Wild, beautiful and vibrant.
Crete is one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful islands where nature, history and student life come together.

✨People from over 30 countries meet here.
And some of them will become your lifelong friends.

✨Living the Cretan way.
You’ll discover that living on Crete means slowing down just enough to enjoy the journey.

✨A walk through the olive groves. A coffee after class.
A swim before dinner. A hike at the tallest mountain. Sometimes it’s the little moments that shape your university years.

✨Be here. Travel everywhere.
Take your studies abroad through 600+ Erasmus+ and international partnerships.

✨Meet the locals.
Dance in a circle. Discover the island’s thousand old history. Learn by chatting in the kafeneio.

✨Great challenges. Amazing academia.
The inspiring academics who choose to live in Crete, believe that curiosity is just as important as knowledge.

✨Research is in our DNA
World-class researchers are part of the University of Crete which values innovation and discovery.

✨Some universities give you a degree.
The University of Crete will give you a place you’ll never forget.

#UniversityOfCrete #StudyInCrete #StudentLife #InternationalStudents #StudyInGreece

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Why does studying in Crete feel different?
*Because medicine is only part of the experience...

Learning by doing at the Suturing Workshop 🩺✨🧵
Every year, medical students at the University of Crete have the opportunity to develop essential surgical skills through the annual Suturing Workshop, organised by HelMSIC under the scientific supervision of our professor Chris Tsitsipanis.

Held in the Anatomy Laboratory’s Dissection Hall, the workshop has been running for almost a decade, with experienced trainers from a range of surgical specialties guiding students through the fundamentals of wound closure and suturing techniques in a hands-on learning environment.

A big thank you to everyone involved in continuing this valuable tradition and helping prepare the next generation of doctors.

#HelMSIC #SuturingWorkshop #MedicalEducation #FutureDoctors #HandsOnLearning

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Learning by doing at the Suturing Workshop 🩺✨🧵
Every year, medical students at the University...

🌍 Join iMed to study alongside future doctors from 30 different countries!

Our students come from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, Switzerland, Syria, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Zimbabwe, and many more, creating a diverse international community.

🫂Different cultures, perspectives and experiences come together in one classroom, creating an environment where you’ll learn just as much from your classmates as you do from your lecturers!
Develop the cultural competence that’s essential for today’s healthcare professionals.

🤲🏽 No matter where you’re from, you’ll find a welcoming, inclusive community where you can thrive—both academically and personally. At one of the world’s most inspiring study destinations: Crete, Greece.

#UniversityOfCrete #InternationalStudents #StudyMedicine #GlobalCommunity #FutureDoctors StudyInGreece

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🌍 Join iMed to study alongside future doctors from 30 different countries!

Our students come...

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