MBBS in Russia for Indian students
Medical study in Russia is a six-year course that Indian students usually call MBBS. It can lead to practice in India only if the specific programme meets the NMC's 2021 regulations, above all that the whole course is taught in English. SG Global Education in Patna helps you verify a Russian university before you pay.
Last reviewed on by SG Global Education, Patna.
What the course is
Russian medical universities award a physician's qualification in General Medicine after six years. Many are long-established public universities with large teaching hospitals, and they have admitted Indian students for decades.
The main risk: language
Some programmes are taught in English throughout. Others are bilingual, with the early years in English and the clinical years partly or wholly in Russian. The NMC's regulations require English as the medium of instruction, so a bilingual programme can leave a graduate unable to register in India. Get the medium of instruction for all six years confirmed in writing by the university, not by an agent.
You will need working Russian to talk to patients in the clinical years whatever the official medium is.
Other things to plan for
- A student visa and annual registration formalities.
- Long, severe winters, and a diet very different from home.
- How fees can be remitted. Ask the university which payment channels are currently working.
- Travel advisories from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Moscow.
What to get in writing from the university
- Total course length in months, and that it is completed in one institution.
- That a 12-month internship is done in that same institution, and where.
- That teaching and examinations are in English for the whole course.
- That the degree makes you eligible for a licence to practise in that country.
- The fee for each year, in which currency, and what it includes.
There is no "NMC-approved" list of foreign universities. The National Medical Commission does not approve, recognise or rank foreign medical colleges. It lays down conditions in the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021. The responsibility for checking that a course meets them rests with the student.
Read the full rules for MBBS abroad, or compare with a private MBBS seat in India.
Questions people ask us
Is MBBS from Russia valid in India?
It is valid for registration only if the programme meets the NMC's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021, including English as the medium of instruction and a 12-month internship in the same institution, and the graduate passes the screening test in India.
How long is MBBS in Russia?
Six years for the General Medicine programme.
Is the course in Russia taught in English?
Some programmes are fully in English and others are bilingual. Because the NMC requires English as the medium of instruction, ask the university to confirm the medium for every year of the course in writing.
Do I need NEET to study in Russia?
Yes, if you intend to practise in India. You must qualify NEET-UG before taking admission.
Before you pay a seat-booking fee abroad, call
Tell us the university you have been offered and we will go through the NMC conditions with you, one by one.
- Name of the university and the city
- Course length and internship as written in the offer
- Medium of instruction stated in writing
- Your NEET-UG year and score
Official sources to check
Rules, dates and fees change every year. Confirm anything on this page against the authority that publishes it.