Exchange Exams 2026 | Information
Do you want to live abroad for a month? Do you wish to be trained in medical research? Would you like to be part of a clinic that operates in a different Health System? Would you enjoy getting to know a new country and its culture?
What are the opportunities available?
HelMSIC, an organization that operates under IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations), organizes the Professional and Research Exchange Program which provides medical students with the chance to spend one month in a foreign country, while undergoing clinical or research practice alike.
Who can participate?
Every medical student can participate in the Exchange Program by sitting for a C1 level English exam, for which they can submit their application at the end of this article! Medical students on any year of their studies can request to participate in a Research Exchange, whereas medical students on their 3rd year and on can request a Professional Exchange contract. However, there are multiple other ways in which one can have a place in the Exchange Program, other than going on an Exchange.
When and how are the Exams going to take place?
The Exchange Exams will take place on Friday, October 30th at 18:00, with the students’ physical presence at their university’s theater halls and through HelMSIC’s platform: https://exchanges.ifmsa.gr/student/login. More information regarding the process of signing up on the platform and the use of it for the Exams can be found in the “How can I participate” section.
What is the participation fee for the Exams?
The fee needed to sit for the Exams is 5€.
Frequently Asked Questions…
How can I participate?
1st and 2nd year medical students can only try to pursue a Research Exchange contract.
Students on their 3rd year of studies or older can request a Research or Professional Exchange contract or even both types.
Every single medical student can participate in the Exchange Program by signing up to be a Contact Person or a Host and therefore supporting or hosting foreign Incoming students alike.
Take these steps in order to participate:
- Sign up on our platform until 17/10, 23:59.
exchanges.ifmsa.gr/student/register
In order to create an account on the platform, you will have to fill out your personal information and upload a photo of your Student ID, in which the first year of your enrollment in Medical School must be visible.
*Please note that accounts created after the stated deadline will not be approved for participation in the Exchange Exams of 2026.
** Please note that students with a preexisting account on the platform from last year’s exams do not have to repeat this step, if they still have access to said account.
2.After you create your account, your information will be reviewed by our team and you will then be granted access to the platform. In case of mistaken or not clearly visible information, you will be given time to correct everything by 19/10.
The sooner you go through with your sign-up, the sooner your request will be reviewed so that you can be ready to take the next step!
- Request to participate in the Exchange Exams through our platform until 22/10.
- Firstly, make sure you have read the instructions on the home page of our platform and the Exchange Conditions of the country you are interested to have a Professional or Research Exchange in.
- Pay the participation fee (5€) through a transaction to HelMSIC’s Piraeus Bank account and download the Proof of Transaction in pdf form. Please note:
- In order to be able to download the Proof of Transaction in pdf form, you will have to make the transaction through your browser and not through your Bank’s application.
- The participant is expected to cover all extra transaction charges applied by the Bank in addition to the participation fee. The extra charge is 4 € for Revolut users and 1.4 € for any other Bank user. If a student uses Piraeus Bank to make the transaction, there are no extra charges applied by the Bank.
- This year you can use cash to pay the participation fee by visiting HelMSIC’s office at your own Medical School. The available days and hours of visit will be announced through the HelMSIC Facebook account of your Local Committee.
Bank Account Information
Bank: Piraeus Bank
Beneficiary: Ελληνική Επιτροπή Διεθνών Σχέσεων Φοιτητών Ιατρικής
Account Number: 5273 – 044481 – 591
ΙΒΑΝ: GR40 0172 2730 0052 7304 4481 591
BIC: PIRBGRAA
Fill out the Exchange Exams and contracts form here
Here you can find the contracts available for the April 2027 – March 2028 season for both Exchange types.
- After the submission of your participation request, the proof of transaction you have uploaded will be reviewed. In case of a mistake, you will have the chance to repeat/complement the transaction until 27/10.
- You will meet us at the lecture theater assigned at your Medical School on October 30th to sit for the exam. You will log into the platform using your password and you will seek after a Research or Professional Exchange contract!
You must bring with you:
- Your laptop or tablet
- Your Student ID.
The participants will sit for a C1(advanced) level English exam that consists of 100 multiple choice questions, which aim to test for vocabulary, grammar and English medical terminology knowledge.
Other questions:
What follows after?
The tests are reviewed automatically through the platform system. The final grade is a result of the Exam grade and the points collected through the Contact Persons and Hosts Point System. The final grade is then used to assign the contracts to the succeeding students.
How is my final grade calculated?
The Exchange Exams are responsible for 70% of your final grade, whereas the remaining 30% is a result of the points collected by being a Contact Person or a Host for the last season. In addition, some extra points are rewarded to each student based on their year of studies.
You can have a more thorough look at the Points System here.
This Exchange Program is one of bilateral nature, which means that students from Greece have their Exchange abroad and students from the host country have their exchange in the Medical Schools of Greece in return!
What does a Contact Person do?
A Contact Person interacts with the Incoming student during their stay in Greece, leads them through the experience of the Exchange, picks them up from the airport/station when they arrive in Greece, gets them to meet their supervising teacher and guides them through the city. In other words, the Contract Person is a medical student in Greece who helps other medical students from around the globe learn about the city of their Exchange, all while collecting valuable knowledge, unique experiences, multicultural friendships and extra points for their next Exchange.
What does a host do?
A medical student from Greece has the chance to host an Incoming student. Through this experience they can dive into a whole new culture, practice their English skills and try out living with a roommate. On the other side, this way the Incoming student gets to know Greek hospitability firsthand and to feel welcome in our country.
I secured a position! What should I do next?
Congratulations! A month-long exchange in a foreign country is waiting for you! But before you get there, there are some steps you need to take first:
- Accept your position and pay the Exchange fee.
After you earn a contract you will be informed about the Host Country and the steps that follow via our platform. First, you will have to confirm your participation in the Program and pay the fee. By paying the fee, you get lodging and boarding (1-2 meals a day) for the entirety of the month of the Exchange. The fee is 300€, which includes a 10€ escrow that is returned to you after the successful completion of your Exchange.
- Sign the Private Agreement and attend the Pre Exchange Training 1.
To secure stability and common understanding up to the point of the realization of the Exchange, you will have to sign a Private Agreement in acceptance to the terms and conditions of your Exchange. In the meantime, you can attend a training course which aims to help you understand and better prepare the experience that awaits you! It will include information about the application process and the needed documents.
- Submit the Application Form and the Card of Documents
To be accepted into the Host University of the foreign country you need to send out an Application Form up to 4 months before the expected start of your Exchange. This Application Form includes your clinical departments/research programs of preference and the month/dates you want to apply for. The AF is accompanied by a Card of Documents which includes an English language certificate, proof of enrollment etc. You can look through the Exchange Conditions of your country of interest on the IFMSA Database, and it is very important that you do. There you can find more about the terms and conditions of your Exchange and about the necessary documents.
- Receive the Card of Acceptance
The Card of Acceptance is sent out by the Host Country at least 10 weeks before your Exchange and includes all vital information, such as the city, university, boarding and lodging places and the Contact Person’s information you have been assigned to.
- Attend the Pre Exchange Training 2
It is a peer-education training course which takes place in April and aims to guide students through the last steps preceding their Exchange. Cultural differences, cultural shock, communication conduct rules and proper behavior differences in the Host Country are also discussed.
- Send out your Card of Confirmation
The medical student must confirm their visit to the Host Country at least 1 month before the Exchange by sending out their Card of Confirmation. This card includes information regarding the arrival and departure dates of the student.
- The moment is here!
You too can now live through the unique experience of an Exchange.
- Review & Feedback
It is important that you fill out the Evaluation Form on the IFMSA Database after your return to Greece, to provide us with necessary feedback concerning your experience in the Host Country. It is only through your feedback that we can provide students with a steadily improving Program that offers not just more but also better opportunities of international mobility to the students of Greece.
Our Local Officers will be at your service to guide you through every step of the preparations for your Exchange, to remind you of the necessary actions and to answer your questions when they arise.
What if I didn’t manage to get an Exchange contract? Maybe you haven’t gotten one yet! It is common for some students who succeed to reject their contract or cancel their Exchange later on. In a case like this, students who did not secure a contract at first can apply for the open position! Every student who does not get a contract at first goes on a potential substitute student list. You will be informed about available contracts via our platform, so do not forget to check your account frequently for any news.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation of Exchange
Each Organization is responsible for the Incoming students who perform their Exchange in their country, which means that the Host Country is responsible for the Exchange of the students of Greece who visit it. In case the Exchange of the student is cancelled due to internal issues of the Host Country Organization, the said country will inform HelMSIC or the student, who will then be reimbursed for the full amount of the fee by HelMSIC. If the student is unable to visit the Host Country due to border restrictions, the full amount of the fee is to be returned. If for any other reason the student themselves wants to cancel their Exchange, the rules agreed to upon the signing of the Private Agreement will be enforced. Those will be announced in the following weeks.
The student is entitled to cancelling their Exchange at any point during the procedure, but they will not be able to apply for any other Exchange contract in this season.
You can email us at info@helmsic.gr if you have any questions.
You can find some more Frequently Asked Questions here.
Why should I go on an Exchange?
- By going on a Research Exchange you can collect research experience on a specific field and also be trained in basic, pre-clinical or clinical researching methods!
- Through a Professional Exchange you will gain clinical experience in a specialty of your interest, while also becoming familiar with the Health System of a different Country!
- Lastly, going on any type of an Exchange will improve your cultural competence and help you navigate multicultural work environments. At the same time you get to know another culture!!
So, what are you waiting for?
Where are you going on an Exchange this year?
Before making a choice, you should look through the Explore Page of every country here . Make sure you have read and comprehended the Exchange Conditions of the country you are interested in, while taking into account the type of the Exchange you wish to have (Research or Professional). Lastly, you can take a look at the months your Local Committee will be hosting Incoming students this season. For these periods, you can choose to become a Contact Person or a Host and provide these students with the beautiful experience you too wish to have in another country!
