Zaporozhye State Medical University is a selfgoverning (autonomous) state higher educational institution of the IV-th (the top) level of accreditation. Its history comes back to the Higher Women Courses organized in Odessa in 1903. In 1921 the Courses were reorganized into the Chemical Pharmaceutical Institute. In 1935 it was reformed in the State Pharmaceutical Institute. In 1941 the life of the Institute was interrupted by the Great Patriotic war up to 1944.

In 1959 the pharmaceutical Institute was transferred from Odessa to Zaporozhye and in 1964 the medical department was opened.

In 1968 Zaporozhye Pharmaceutical Institute was renamed into Zaporojzhye medical institute. In 1996 it got the status of Zaporozhye State Medical University . For 44 years it has changed into one of the leading Medical Universities of Ukraine . It became the training center for medical and pharmaceutical specialists for Ukraine and for foreign countries. More than 30.000 specialists have graduated from ZSMU since then.

At present more than 5 thousand native students and near 500 foreign students from different countries are being trained at the University.