Top destinations to study medicine abroad
Dreaming of becoming a doctor? There are fine destinations all over the Globe that welcome Indian students to study medicine. This article will guide you for making your decision, and some tips for making the most of your time.
An increasing number of medical aspirants are leaving for foreign countries as the cost of pursuing education in medical colleges of India touches a new high year after year. From around 2500 in 2004, the number of students leaving India to study medicine abroad has crossed over 9000. Interestingly, China is the biggest share with over 6000 students from India to study medicine. One of the major factor behind this is the affordable cost of education as most Universities in the country.
The low cost factor scores high for another two countries, namely, Russia and Ukraine. Russia is known for its quality training in medicine and also affordable as there is no donation involved in the admission process. 
Choosing a destination
International colleges offer diverse experiences you can not get at home. Travel to a new country is an exciting opportunity to meet a new cultures, sample new cuisines, meet new friends with different views, physicians deal with new all kinds of people every day. But before all these there are some thing you need to think about when considering an International college:Top medical destinations in the World
It is mandatory that the country which the student is exploring for studying medicine, is recognized as a good study abroad destination by the WHO, IMED, European Union, MCI and other International medical boards. This is ensure that any future employment opportunity is not impaired due to non-recognition. Also the country should have vast scope for healthcare industry in terms of innovation, technological advancement in hospitals, patient-care management, etc. Thus, the most popular and good study abroad destinations for undergraduate medical studies are China, Russia, Ukraine, USA, UK, Australia and Germany.China
It is one of the best destinations for Indian Medical aspirants planning to study abroad. China has over 6000 Indian students pursuing medicine in its various universities. Till 2014, 52 medical institutions in China accept International students in their programme with English is the mode of main language in all the 52 institutions. According to MCI, over 6000 seats are up for admission to international students with institutions like China medical University, Dalian medical university, etc.
The admission process for medicine studies in China start in October and duration is similar to India which is 5 years.
Degrees offered in: MBBS, BDS, MD.
Eligibility: 10+2 or Higher Secondary equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English.
Duration: 5 years for MBBS
Average fee: The average fee for most Chinese medical colleges is Rs. 1.6 to Rs. 2.6 lakhs annually.
Best Institutions:Russia
One of the most popular destination for Medical aspirants from India, Russia has over 5000 Indian students pursuing medicine in its various medical and technical institutions. 99% of the Indian students in Russia are pursuing Medicine. Now as per the demand, many Russian medical colleges have started offering these programmes in English. Currently, Russia has over 50 medical colleges. The admission process for medicine studies in Russia start in September and there are two seasons in a single academic year i.e. from September to January and from February to June.
You can pursue a general medicine degree in 6 years while a dental degree takes 5 years to complete. Russia is famous for low cost of education. The course fee can be anywhere between Rs. 6 to Rs. 11 lakhs.
Russia also offers an MD degree covering a duration of 6 years and an additional 1 year for Russian language. The Russian MD degree is equivalent to an MBBS degree in India.
Degrees offered in: MBBS, BDS, MD and Sports Medicine.
Eligibility: 10+2 or Higher Secondary equivalent with 50% in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English.
Duration: 5-6 years
Average fee: The average fee for complete an MBBS degree is Rs. 8 to Rs. 11 lakhs annually
Best Institutions:
Checkout IndiaStudyChannel's comprehensive guide for study abroad in Russia which will help you find complete information on best universities, admission procedure, visa application process, fees and cost of living, etc.Ukraine
Ukraine has over 5000 Indian students pursuing medicine in its various institutions. Ukraine's medical degree is accepted all over Europe except UK. Most of the medical colleges in Ukraine use English as the medium of instruction. Ukraine is popular for cheap tuition fee along with its affordable cost of living. Annual cost is something around Rs. 3,00,000. Medical graduates from the country are usually known to go to practice medicine anywhere in the continent.
Degrees offered in: Doctor of Medicine (MD) equivalent to MBBS.
Eligibility: 10+2 or Higher Secondary equivalent with 50% in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Duration: 5-6 years
Average fee: The average fee for complete an MBBS degree is ERO 2600 to ERO 3700 annually
Best Institutions:USA
USA is the home to some of the best medical colleges in the World. Despite having a large number of medical colleges, only around 75 of them offer admission to International students. Out of the 1777 applicants in 2013 only about 346 got accepted. Most colleges require students to apply through AMCAS. While the prerequisites may vary for different colleges. But majority require MCAT or DAT score for admission.
Degrees offered in: Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Programmes.
Eligibility: 4 years bachelors degree with Biology, general chemistry and organic chemistry. IELTS/TOEFL.
Duration: 4 years followed by 3 to 7 years of residency.
Average fee: $50,000 - $75,000 annually
Best InstitutionsUK
USA is the home to some of the best medical institutes in the World such as the University of Oxford, Cambridge University and Imperial College London, etc. Despite having a large number of medical colleges, only around 7.5 percent of their total entry allows to enroll International students. Likewise, Oxford University received 241 International applications in 2014, out of that only 32 applicants were shortlisted and only 5 received final offer from the University. Applications to medical colleges are generally accepted through UCAS. Aspirants are also allow for separate medical entrance exams- BMAT or UKCAT
Degrees offered in: MBChB or MBBS and MD
Eligibility: 10+2 or Higher Secondary equivalent with Chemistry or Biology. also, students must need AAA grades and IELTS score.
Duration: 3 years
Average fee: Average fee is nearly ERO 25,000 - ERO 36,000 annually
Best InstitutionsGermany
Germany hosts many medical schools which provide ample scope for medical education as well as research. Currently, there are more than 7000 international medical students in Germany. It is best known for ots University hospitals which provides medical training, research and patient care within the same institute. Medicine academic degree in Germany is earned after 5 to 7 years of study and the human medicine course is of 6 years.
Degrees offered in: Diploma/Magister/Staatsexamen
Eligibility: Abitur, 10+2 or Higher Secondary equivalent with Chemistry or Biology. also, German language proficiency.
Duration: 6 years
Average fee: Higher education does not require tuition fee but there are living cost involved.
Best Institutions