All India Russian Education Fair 2024 Opens in Chennai – 8000 MBBS Seats are on Offer for Indian Students

The All-India Russian Education Fair for the academic year 2024-2025 will take place on 11th and 12th May at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Chennai. Featuring the direct participation of as many as eight leading higher educational institutions, all belonging to the Russian government, the fair offers as many as 8,000 MBBS seats for the Indian students, up from 5,000 seats last year. The rise in the number of seats reflects the growing demand for medical education in Russia, the only foreign country at present to fully comply with the National Medical Commission of India’s latest norms set for medical education overseas.

Spot admissions for MBBS and other programs can be made at the fair, which is scheduled to take place also in many locations in Tamil Nadu. It will be held in Madurai on May 14 at The Madurai Residency Hotel; Trichy on May 15 at Femina Hotel; Salem on May 16 at GRT Hotel Zibe, and Coimbatore on May 17 at The Grand Regent. There is no entry fee for the fair. For details about the programs and fair, students can call: 9282 221 221.

The MBBS courses in Russia are designed to provide students with a strong foundation in theoretical knowledge and practical skills, preparing them to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. As the courses are highly-subsidised by the government, they are also the most affordable, with the total fee, starting from as low as Rs. 3 lakh per annum.

Indian students who have cleared National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and who have a minimum of 50% marks in the relevant core subjects/degrees (in the case of SC/ST and OBC students, the minimum marks is only 40%), can apply for MBBS courses in Russia. Tamil medium students can also apply. There are no pre-qualifying exams like CET, IELTS, etc. for admissions to universities in Russia.

The education fair 2024 also features the participation of science, technology, and engineering education institutions that offer programs in emerging and cutting-edge domains such as bio-technology, artificial intelligence, and data science. The universities participating in the Education Fair include: Volgograd State Medical University, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kazan State Medical University, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Moscow Aviation Institute and Moscow State Regional University.

The press meet, organised to announce the launch of the fair, was addressed by Mr. Oleg Avdeev, Consul General, Consulate General the Russian Federation in Chennai, South India, Mr. Alexander Dodonov, Vice Consul & Director, Russian Centre of Science and Culture, Chennai and Mr. Ravi Chandran. C, Managing Director, Study Abroad Educational Consultants, the authorised Indian representative for Russian Universities. Mr. Timur Akhmetov, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of General Pathology Department – Kazan State Medical University, and Ms. Elena Sarapultseva, Professor of Bio-technology Department – National Research Nuclear University, were among the higher officials who were present during the press meet, representing academia.

In his address, Mr. Oleg Avdeev said, “Russian universities have a long-standing reputation of providing high-quality medical education in the world. Students from India have been admitted to Russian universities for the last 60 years. Russia continues to be the top choice for Indian students seeking medical education abroad, as Russian universities proactively adhere to the changing norms and guidelines of India’s National Medical Commission (NMC) to ensure that their MBBS programs are well recognised in India. Every year thousands of Indian students step into Russia to get prestigious, globally recognised and affordable education. With a comprehensive curriculum, experienced faculty, and advanced facilities, Russian universities offer a robust learning environment for Indian students pursuing medical education in the country.

Talking about scholarship programs, Mr. Alexander Dodonov said, “As in the past, the Russian Government’s annual 100% scholarship programs will award grants to 200 Indian students this year as well. This will enable them to pursue Bachelor’s, Master’s, Specialist, and Postgraduate Programs in Russia’s leading universities free of cost. The cost of higher education is relatively cheaper because it is highly subsidised by the Government of the Russian Federation. Our universities also provide assistance as many have special adaptation programs and support systems for Indian students.”

Mr. Ravi Chandran commented that there are more than 300,000 international students from 200 different countries enrolled in the 600-odd government universities across Russia. By and large, medicine is the most popular area of study among Indian students who choose to pursue their higher education in Russia. Currently, there are about 25,000 Indian students studying medicine in about 30 Russian universities that offer M.D, a degree equivalent to MBBS in India. All the Russian universities adhere to NMC guidelines – including the latest one issued by it in November, 2021 relating to the duration of the MBBS program and internship, curriculum, medium of instruction (English), among others. The institutions have made sure that the safety of Indian students and their education are not impacted by the external geopolitical situations.”

For more details and spot admissions students can attend All India Russian Education Fair 2024. They can furnish valid credentials supporting their eligibility to pursue Bachelor’s / Post-graduate degree programs for 2024-25 academic year, scheduled to start from September, 2024.