The number of Indian students travelling abroad to pursue medicine has increased exponentially. A limited number of government medical seats and high tuition fees charged by private intuitions in India have pushed a large fraction of MBBS aspirants to pursue medical studies overseas. Countries abroad are providing medical aspirants state-of-the-art universities, low tuition fees, an English environment, and above all a holistic approach to education for the Indian students taking the decision of studying MBBS abroad. 

It has come to the notice of the Medical Council of India (MCI) how some agents are providing fabricated, false and misleading information to Indian students who want to pursue medical studies such as MBBS or its equivalent course abroad. To bring an end to such malicious practice the MCI – Medical Council of India has taken out a list of foreign universities/institutions as approved/recognized by the Indian Embassy/High Commission of India concerned in respective countries for the benefit of Indian nationals planning to travel overseas to study MBBS.

As far as the status of recognition of a particular university/institution is involved, any primary medical qualification which is confirmed by the Indian Embassy concerned to be a recognized qualification for enrolment as a medical practitioner in the country in which the institution awarding such qualification is situated, can be considered to be a recognized medical qualification by the Medical Council of India for the purposes of issuance of Eligibility Certificate and further entitle a candidate to appear in the Screening Test and grant of provisional/permanent registration by the concerned State Medical Council.

Candidates are at large advised to always refer to the official website of the university for information pertaining to the course fee structure, course duration, and all other important information should be obtained from the university directly and not from any unverified source. Aspirants are also reminded that the Medical Council of India has not authorized any agent or broker for admission of students into any medical courses abroad.

The list contains a total of over 483 universities that have been recognized by various Indian Embassies and sent to MCI. If your university does not feature in the list you can always contact the Indian Embassy/High Commission and verify the same. For now, we have listed a few universities that have have been approved for Medical study among the top study abroad destinations.  For the comprehensive list click on the downloadable link.

MCI recognized universities (country-wise)

The list below is a small reproduction of the list of universities approved by MCI. Candidates looking for the entire list can download the same.

Ukraine

Located in Eastern Europe, Ukraine is one of the most sought after study abroad destinations for medical studies. The country is home to top government medical universities offering MBBS, MD, and other medical/ medicine-related degrees to students. Top medical universities in Ukraine are all recognized by major organizations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

MCI recognized Universities in Ukraine

• Bukovinian State Medical University
• Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University
• Dnipropetrovsk State Medical Academy
• I.Horbachevsky Ternopil State Medical University
• Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University
• Kharkiv National Medical University
• Kyiv Medical University of UAFM, Kyiv
• National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya
• O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University
• Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University, Ukraine

Russia

High quality of medical education combined with low tuition fees is one of the prime reasons for students to pursue MBBS from Russia. All Russian Medical Universities are recognized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Medical Council of India (MCI) and 12 of these universities teach MBBS in the English medium.

MCI recognized Universities in Russia

• Belgorod National Research University (BelSu)
• Stavropol State Medical University
• Altai State Medical University
• Astrakhan State Medical University
• Chechen State University
• Chuvash State University
• Crimean Federal University
• Dagestan State Medical University

• Bashkir State Medical University
• The Orenburg State Medical University

Nepal

Another preferred destination for Indian students wanting to pursue medical studies is Nepal. The close proximity and relaxed immigration policies have made this landlocked country a major hub among Indian students wanting to study MBBS abroad. 

MCI recognized Universities in Nepal

• B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan
• Kathmandu University
• Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal
• U. Manipal Academy
• U. Tribhuvan

China

According to the Ministry of Education (MoE) of the People's Republic of China, only 45 universities in China are qualified to teach MBBS degrees in English and admit international students (including India). So, if Indian students want to pursue MBBS in English then they have to take admission in any one of these educational institutions else they have to pursue medical studies in the Chinese language. 

MCI recognized Universities in Nepal

• Jilin University
• China Medical University
• Dalian Medical University
• Capital Medical University
• Tianjin Medical University
• Shandong University
• Fudan University
• Xinjiang Medical University
• Nanjing Medical University
• Jiangsu University

Bangladesh

Indian students who want to pursue their medical studies from Bangladesh can apply for direct admissions under the SAARC Countries quota – that allows students from India to study the program at a very normal fee. Students can apply to universities in Bangladesh directly if they do now want to go through the SAARC program.

MCI recognized Universities in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh University of Professionals
• Gono Bishwabiddalay, Bangladesh
• Shah Jalal Uni. of Science & Technology, Sylhet
• University of Chittagong
• University of Dhaka
• University of Rajshahi
• University of Science & Technology, Chittagong