AdvertisementIndian students currently enrolled for an MBBS course at Kyrgyzstan’s International Medical University.
(Special Arrangement) Indian students currently enrolled for an MBBS course at Kyrgyzstan’s International Medical University.
(Special Arrangement) Indian students currently enrolled for an MBBS course at the University of Kragujevac in Serbia.
(Special Arrangement)Nearly 4,000 of the 18,000 medical students were in their final semesters when they were evacuated from Ukraine in 2022.
Mariam Khorava, manager, International Students Recruitment, Alte University, Tbilisi, Georgia, says, “Around two dozen Indian students have enrolled under the transfer programme from Ukraine.
The son of a dairy owner from Punjab and the daughter of a Chandigarh police personnel have never met. Yet, they were bound by similar circumstances: their dreams to study medicine in Ukraine were derailed due to the war with Russia, which has been on since February 24, 2022.
While Gurdaspur district resident Vasu Saini, 22, ended up transferring from his Ukraine university to one in Georgia in November 2023 to complete his remaining five semesters, Chandigarh-based Shagun Rana, 19, a fresher, decided to pursue her MBBS degree from Serbia instead.
The new favourites
With the war showing no signs of ending even after two years, both evacuated medical students and new aspirants have started opting for “safer” but “affordable” countries like Kyrgyzstan in central Asia, Serbia in south-east Europe and the transcontinental Georgia to continue their education. Even with expenses like tuition fee, visa, air tickets, house rent and food, students say pursuing an MBBS from these countries is cheaper than a private college in India.
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Indian students currently enrolled for an MBBS course at Kyrgyzstan’s International Medical University. (Special Arrangement) Indian students currently enrolled for an MBBS course at Kyrgyzstan’s International Medical University. (Special Arrangement)
Vasu, who went to Ukraine in 2019, was evacuated along with nearly 20,000 Indians, including 18,000 medical students, under the Indian government’s Operation Ganga between February 26, 2022, and March 11, 2022.
He said, “I was at home (Dina Nagar) for a year after the evacuation. I tried to return to Ukraine to complete my degree, but in vain. So I transferred to Alte University in Tbilisi, Georgia, to complete my degree, even though the cost of education there is higher compared to Ukraine.”
Shagun, who had just cleared her National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) when the war started, says, “Going to Ukraine to study medicine was off the table after the Russia-Ukraine war started.”
A first-year medical student at Serbia’s Kragujevac University now, Shagun says she paid €5,000 (about Rs 5 lakh) as the fee for her first year. “An MBBS degree costs around Rs 1 crore in India (for 5.5 years in a private college). Serbia was relatively more affordable compared to Georgia and Poland. It is difficult to find vegetarian food here, but my parents are happy that it is a peaceful country,” she says.
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Indian students currently enrolled for an MBBS course at the University of Kragujevac in Serbia. (Special Arrangement) Indian students currently enrolled for an MBBS course at the University of Kragujevac in Serbia. (Special Arrangement)
Nearly 4,000 of the 18,000 medical students were in their final semesters when they were evacuated from Ukraine in 2022. As a one-time exception, India allowed them to complete their internship at home, provided they cleared the mandatory foreign medical graduate exam. Those in their first and second semesters either reappeared for NEET or opted for alternative career paths. Though some in their last two semesters eventually managed to finish their courses from Ukraine itself, those in their third and fourth years transferred to other nations after India relaxed transfer regulations for them in November 2023. Now even new medical aspirants are opting for “safer” countries to pursue their degrees.
Amreek Singh Dhillon, owner, Excel Education Services and Sun Education, an educational consultancy firm in Mohali, says “Nearly 70% of the evacuated students transferred to other countries. At least 300-350 students (both transfers and new admissions) are in Serbia, around 1,500-2,000 in Kyrgyzstan and nearly 1,000 in Georgia.”
Some of the Indian medical students who transferred to Georgia from Ukraine. Some of the Indian medical students who transferred to Georgia from Ukraine.
For these countries, the influx of Indian students was an unexpected consequence of the ongoing war. Professor Vladimir Jakovljevic, dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia, told The Indian Express, “We never had programmes in English before the war. We have admitted 146 Indian students for the first time this year.”
These new destinations have helped ease the anxiety felt by parents over the thought of their children going to study in Ukraine, say both Atul Sharma from Bengaluru, a fifth-year student at Serbia’s Nis University, and Ravi Kumar from Bihar, a fifth-year student at Kyrgyzstan’s International Medical University (IMU).
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Ravi says, “I returned to Ukraine despite the war to complete my course but my parents started having anxiety attacks. For the sake of their mental health, I transferred to IMU.”
Indian students currently enrolled for an MBBS course at Serbia’s Nis University. (Special Arrangement) Indian students currently enrolled for an MBBS course at Serbia’s Nis University. (Special Arrangement)
However, aspirants say education is a little more expensive in these countries, compared to Ukraine, where they paid around $4,000-6,000 (nearly Rs 3-5 lakh) annually for a six-year course. The degree is cheaper to pursue in Serbia, than in Poland and Georgia. The annual tuition fee in Serbia is nearly €5,000-7,000 (around Rs 5-6 lakh), say students.
Dal makhni in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is another favourite, since the annual fee here is lower than Serbia’s — around $2,500-4,500 (nearly Rs 3-4 lakh). Kyrgyzstan also has other “advantages”, including a shorter course (five years), an easier visa process and a relaxed admission criteria. For instance, IMU Kyrgyzstan only requires a 50% score in Class 12 (with science and English) and a valid NEET score. Kyrgyzstan’s MBBS programme is recognised by the Medical Council of India (MCI), says Zhumaliev Barsbek, head, International Department, IMU.
“We did not have Indian students at IMU in 2020 and 2021. The first intake was in 2022, with 18 new students and 302 transfers. We admitted 333 Indian students for the 2023-24 session. Most are transfers, especially from Ukraine, but 54 are new admissions. Given the sudden surge in Indian students, we have opened a new hostel for them and our mess now offers Indian food like rajma rice, curry rice, dal makhni, roti, etc.,” Barsbek told The Indian Express.
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Indian medical students wanted to go to Ukraine to pursue their medical degree, but ended up going to Georgia due to the Russia-Ukraine war. (Express Photo by Anju Agnihotri Chaba) Indian medical students wanted to go to Ukraine to pursue their medical degree, but ended up going to Georgia due to the Russia-Ukraine war. (Express Photo by Anju Agnihotri Chaba)
Explained | What makes Ukraine a study destination for Indians and others
Students are also opting for Georgia, the costliest of the lot. Darpan Parashar, president, Business Chamber, Georgia, says there were only around 8,000 Indian students in Georgia’s medical universities in 2021. The Embassy of Georgia in New Delhi said over 20,000 Indians students are currently enrolled in medical courses across 21 universities there.
Mariam Khorava, manager, International Students Recruitment, Alte University, Tbilisi, Georgia, says, “Around two dozen Indian students have enrolled under the transfer programme from Ukraine. More admissions are expected.”
Vasu, who transferred to Georgia, says, “Academic standards in Georgia are stricter and living expenses higher. In Ukraine, my total expenses, including living and tuition, would have come to Rs 30 lakh for a six-year course. In Georgia, I will pay the same for the remaining five semesters.”
