Every academic year, thousands of students migrate to Russia to pursue their higher education. Currently, there are about 5,000 Indian students studying at various medical, engineering, and arts and science universities in Russia.

In the last three years, there has been a 10 to 15 percent increase in the number of Indian students signing up for higher education programmes in Russian universities. Of the various streams, medicine is the most preferred course.

Addressing the media today, Michael J. Gorbatov, Vice Consul of the Consulate General of Russia, said, “There are 57 Government Medical Universities in Russia which are recognised by the Medical Council of India. These institutions are also listed in the Directory of Medical Schools of the World Health Organization (WHO). Russian medical universities offer Doctor of Medicine (M.D) degree which is equivalent to Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S) degree in India.”

He also said that 85 percent of Indian students chose to study medicine in Russia. The duration of medicine programme with English as the medium of instruction in Russia is four years. The fees of the programme depend on the city the student chooses. The fees can be anywhere between US$3,500 to US$6,000.

The next academic year begins in September. There are about 400 medical seats that are available in various institutions across Russia. Of these, up to 20 seats are offered on 100 percent scholarship this year. Study Abroad Educational Consultants is the authorised Indian representative for the Russian universities.

“The standard of education in Russia is regarded as one of the most advanced and sophisticated. However, the cost of higher education is relatively cheaper because it is highly subsidized by the Government of Russian Federation. Russia is well known across the world for its developments in the aviation industry. Currently, more than 2,00,000 students from 200 countries are pursuing their graduate and post-graduate programmes in aviation, aerospace instrumentation, and ship building,” C. Ravi Chandran, Managing Director of Study Abroad, said.