Every year a large number of Punjab students who narrowly miss an Indian government medical seat look abroad. It can be a sound decision — but only if the university complies with India's rules, because the whole point is to come back and practise here. A degree that does not satisfy the National Medical Commission is an expensive dead end.
Here is what the NMC actually requires in 2026, and what has changed.
NEET is mandatory — no exceptions
You must qualify NEET to pursue MBBS abroad if you intend to practise in India. Any consultant telling you a country will accept you without NEET is either misinformed or setting you up to fail eligibility later, when it is too late and the fees are paid.
The 54 + 12 rule
Under the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate regulations, your course must include:
- ✓At least 54 months (4.5 years) of academic study — the medical course itself
- ✓Plus 12 months of compulsory internship — completed at the same foreign institution
- ✓A total of roughly 5.5 years, in English medium
- ✓No splitting your study or internship across different countries or institutions
That last point ends a practice some agents used to sell — starting in one country and transferring to another. Do not do it.
There is no NMC 'approved list' any more
This trips up almost every family. The NMC does not publish a static list of approved foreign universities. It publishes rules, and the responsibility to verify that your chosen university complies sits with you, not with the agent who recommended it.
Practically, ask the university in writing: is the course 54 months plus a 12-month internship at this same institution, taught entirely in English, with the degree recognised for practice in the host country? Keep those answers. An agent's verbal assurance is worth nothing when the NMC assesses your file years later.
FMGE is being replaced by NExT
Foreign medical graduates currently sit the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination to practise in India. FMGE is being phased out and replaced by the National Exit Test. The critical difference: NExT is the same exam taken by graduates of AIIMS Delhi and every Indian medical college.
Read that again before choosing a cheap university. Historically FMGE pass rates for foreign graduates have been low, and NExT raises the bar to the domestic standard. The quality of teaching you receive abroad now matters far more than it did.
Where students actually go
Countries that broadly comply with the 54+12 English-medium structure include Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Two useful data points when comparing:
- ✓Russia has the largest established Indian student community and among the lowest fees — total course costs commonly start around ₹19 lakh.
- ✓Georgia has recorded the highest FMGE pass rate among common destinations, at roughly 35.65% — which is the single most relevant number if your goal is to practise in India.
Notice that even the best-performing destination shows a pass rate around a third. That is the honest reality of this route, and it should inform how seriously you take university selection and your own study discipline.
The online-study trap
Students who completed part of their course online — a legacy of the pandemic years and of some universities offering remote components — must undergo compensatory physical onsite training. If any part of your programme is delivered remotely, assume it will create a problem later. Insist on full in-person study.
Questions to ask before paying anything
- ✓Is the course exactly 54 months plus a 12-month internship at this same university?
- ✓Is the entire programme taught in English, including clinical training?
- ✓Is the degree recognised for medical practice in the host country itself?
- ✓What are your graduates' FMGE or NExT outcomes over the last three years?
- ✓Is any component delivered online?
- ✓What is the total cost including hostel, food and the internship year?
An honest word on whether this route suits you
MBBS abroad works for students who are academically serious and clear-eyed about the exam they must pass to come home. It works badly for students sold on a brochure and a low fee. If your NEET score was close and you are disciplined, it is a legitimate path. If you are looking for the cheapest possible medical degree, the numbers above should give you pause. See our Russia page for the universities we actually work with.
We will tell you honestly whether this route fits your NEET score and your family budget — book a free assessment.
The total cost is not the tuition figure
Advertised fees rarely include everything. Ask for a written total covering tuition for all years, hostel and food, the internship year, medical insurance, visa and travel, and any coaching for the licensing exam afterwards. Compare universities on that number, not on the headline.
Also budget for the exam you must pass on returning, and for the possibility of a second attempt. A realistic plan accounts for it; an optimistic one does not.
What happens if the university does not comply
If your programme does not meet the NMC structure — the duration, the internship at the same institution, the English medium requirement — you may complete the degree and still be unable to sit the licensing exam or register to practise in India. The money and years are not recoverable. This is why the verification questions above are not bureaucratic box-ticking; they are the whole decision.
Talk to current students, not just agents
Ask the university or your consultant to connect you with two or three Indian students currently in their third or fourth year there. Ask them about clinical exposure, whether teaching is genuinely in English throughout, hostel conditions, and how many of their seniors passed the licensing exam. Ten minutes of that conversation is worth more than any brochure.