Studying MBBS Outside India: Know The Details

Russia

Russia has over 50 universities where Indian students can take admission to MBBS and which are recognised by higher medical bodies like the WHO. Some of them are:-

• Lobachevsky University
• Far Eastern Federal University
• Kursk State Medical University
• Kazan Federal University

To take admission to a Russian university, one should qualify the NEET exam and secure a minimum of 50% marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Russia gets about 5000 students from India every year, which is the biggest chunk of the students applying abroad for MBBS. The fee in Russian universities varies from 20 lakhs to Rs 40 lakhs for the complete course.

Low-Budget Universities In Russia

Students who have a limited budget for their MBBS studies, which is between Rs 16 lakh and Rs 20 lakh, may consider Lobachevsky University or the Kyrgyz Russian Slavic University. Here, within this amount, they should be able to manage the tuition fee and medical insurance. The food in these countries is not as costly, and one can manage on about Rs 8000 to Rs 12000 per month. Indian food is available in many hostels. If not, then the raw material for making Indian food is easily available near these medical colleges.

Also Read | Private Medical Colleges With Low Fees: A State-Wise List

China

China also has over 40 universities for MBBS, where Indians can take admission. However, due to the pandemic, the number of students going to China to pursue higher education saw a drop. Hopefully, China will soon open its doors to all the students in this academic year. Some of the universities in China are:-

• Zhejiang University
• Huazhong Univ of Science and Technology (HUST)
• Xi’an Jiaotong University
• Nanjing Medical University

One should have qualified NEET and gotten at least 60% marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology to get admission to MBBS at a university in China. A few universities may accept 50% too. Chinese universities are the most sought-after because of the high quality of education. The annual fee of Chinese universities, including hostel, is between Rs 4.5 lakh and Rs 6.5 lakh, which is way less than that of medical colleges in India. The course duration is 6 years.

Georgia

Georgia is another sought-after country because of its good quality education and the security of its students. This European country is fairly decent in all aspects except that it demands a very high fee, which is around Rs 35 lakh to Rs 45 lakh for a year. Over 3000 students from India go to Georgia every year. Many students from Georgian universities can clear the USMLE (licensing exam to practice and study in the USA) exam too because of the quality education they receive. Some of the good universities for MBBS in Georgia are:-

• David Tavildiani Medical University
• Petro Shotabze Tbilisi State Medical Academy
• European University
• East European University

Kyrgyzstan And Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are two other destinations that provide low-cost medical education to international students. Over 3000 students from India go to each of these two countries also. Most of these MBBS courses vary from 5 years and 8 months to 6 years of duration, including the internship. Some of the university students who may target these two countries are:-

• Kazakh National Medical University in Kazakhstan
• South Kazakh Medical Academy in Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyz Russian Slavic University (has a collaboration with Russia, students get a dual degree)

Ukraine

Another very important and big option is Ukraine. Due to the ongoing political situation, students and their parents may not be very keen on the possibility of Ukraine being a study abroad destination. However, it is expected that some of the colleges in Western Ukraine will start physical classes very soon. Currently, in Ukraine, some of the medical colleges are offering online medical classes, while some are offering physical medical education. The fee for MBBS courses in Ukraine varies from Rs 23 lakh to Rs 35 lakh. Some universities in Ukraine are:-

• Bukovinian State Medical University
• Kharkiv International Medical University
• Kharkiv National Medical University

FMGE Coaching for Indians

Some Ukrainian universities also give FMGE coaching to Indian students. This training is given by the visiting professors from India. Hence, it becomes easier for Indian students to clear FMGE after coming back to India.

Temporary Residence Permit

Also, it is easy to get a temporary residence permit after completing MBBS in Ukraine, Russia, and other countries. A little bit of the local language is also taught to the students so that they can interact with the patients during the internship.

Bangladesh And Nepal

For students who do not want to go too far away from India, Bangladesh and Nepal may be good prospective study destination options. Not just that, these are close to India, but their curriculum is quite similar to what is taught in India for MBBS. The fee for MBBS in Bangladesh is about Rs 35 lakh, and that in Nepal is between Rs 45 lakh and Rs 55 lakh. The only problem with Bangladesh is that it doesn’t accept a study gap of more than one year.

Clearing NEET Is a Prerequisite

Clearing the NEET exam is a prerequisite for admission to any overseas university for pursuing MBBS. Without having cleared the NEET, the overseas degree will not be valid in India. If Indian students take an overseas degree without clearing the NEET, then they are ineligible to practice medicine in India; however, they can practise in foreign countries like the UK and USA by clearing the licensing exams, including the PLAB (the UK licensing exam) or USMLE (USA licensing exam).

How Does Low-Budget MBBS Become Possible?

One question that may lurk in the minds of many is how these foreign countries provide MBBS courses at drastically lower costs than India. The simple answer to this is the low population of these countries and the higher number of MBBS seats available. Therefore, almost everyone who has cleared the NEET can take admission to any one of these universities based on their budget. Another good thing about these universities is that the student-teacher ratio is only 15- 25 students to a teacher, as compared to the 80-100 students to a teacher in India.

Many Foreign Countries Offer MBBS At Much Lower Costs Than India

Possible Pitfalls

Let us now also take a look at what might be the drawbacks of pursuing MBBS outside India.

• After completing MBBS and an internship from a recognised college outside India, one has to take the FMGE exam. Not many students can clear this exam on the first go. This increases the tenure of the process.
• The temperature in Russia, Ukraine, and some other countries we spoke about may drop to as low as -17 degrees.
• Some of these countries experience summer for only three months.
• Very few people in these countries speak English, which creates a language barrier for Indian students.
• Clinical exposure during the pursuit of MBBS in some countries is very low, compared to that in India, most likely because of the low population and resulting low influx of patients.

Also Read | NEET Rank Below 100000? These Colleges Will Still Give You MBBS Seat

Choosing The Right Country For MBBS

While choosing a foreign country and university for MBBS, students should check multiple factors, including the following:-

• Choose government universities, as they are well-established and have hospitals associated with them. Don’t rely on private universities without checking the details.
• 100% of the studies should be in the English language. Some of the Russian universities are bilingual. Students should not apply to bilingual universities.
• All departments should have relevant medical equipment. Try to gather information about this from various sources.
• Discuss fees and other details in advance with the consultants. Check the country’s relationship with India and the availability of an Indian embassy in that country.
• Check for separate boys’ and girls’ hostels and for the availability of Indian food.
• Make sure that your consultant is genuine.
• As per the new NMC guidelines, MBBS degrees from the Philippines are under the scanner, as they are not of 54 months. Therefore, be very careful when any consultant talks to you about MBBS in the Philippines.

Studying MBBS from outside India has its own pros and cons. Hence, you must be very careful and evaluate all relevant factors before you make a decision.