MBBS Abroad: Over 1,000 students may lose year, money as Tashkent Medical University puts admission on hold

MBBS Abroad Controversy: “We have been waiting for months — but there are no answers, only promises”, said an Indian student who was hoping to join Tashkent State Medical University (TSMU) this September 2025. With the admission deadline for September-intake approaching, over 1,000 students who applied for MBBS at TSMU, Uzbekistan, fear both “wasted year” and loss of “hard-earned money”.

TSMU, formerly known as Tashkent Medical Academy (TMA), usually begins the admission process for MBBS courses in the month of September. However, the university informed that the applications for foreign students would not occur in June-July 2025 due to “ongoing organisational changes”.

According to the last notification dated August 5, the academic year for this year will commence after September 20 and the process of issuing Telexes for student visas has already started.

But, the absence of a clear admission timeline for a new academic year has caused widespread concerns among aspirants. TSMU attracts students from countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to its affordable MBBS education and relatively lower living cost.

As the registration process is nearing completion, students and parents are increasingly worried and anxious about the future, since no official admission schedule has been announced for international students.

Also read TSMU resumes MBBS admission 2025 for foreign students after merger, backlash, blacklisting

Déjà vu: Students fear losing ‘money, future’

With the delay in admission, many are getting a sense of déjà vu. Last year, several students who paid fees for the September admission cycle were denied entry - a decision that sparked significant discontent.

“Last year, we paid fees expecting to join in September, but we were not admitted. Now, we fear the same situation will repeat this year,” a parent, who already arranged tuition fees and living costs for their child in Uzbekistan said.

In January 2024, the Embassy of India, Tashkent issued an advisory for those intending to pursue medical education from Uzbekistan, as the institute recorded a growing number of over 6,000 Indian students studying on campus.

Also read NEET UG must for foreign MBBS graduates to obtain eligibility certificate; NMC regulations explained

NMC warns against taking admission in TMU

In Uzbekistan, MBBS is available for graduate students and the duration of the course for foreign students is 6 years. However, licensing practice for medical workers has not been established.

Besides admission delays, students have also expressed concerns about the academic quality of the university.

Based on the reports from the Embassy in Mexico and Eurasia divisions of the ministry of external affairs, the National Medical Commission ( NMC ), in July, blacklisted four foreign universities citing serious gaps in infrastructure claims, excessive fees, and denial of fee refunds. Chirchik branch of Tashkent State Medical University, Uzbekistan, is among the four.

MBBS fee refund, harassment issues

A recent report by an Uzbek newspaper highlighted issues with the academic standards at TSMU, particularly noting the limited English proficiency of some Uzbek faculty members.

“Teachers can barely speak English. I’m not exaggerating — at times it feels like they’re reading from Google Translate,” an Indian student reportedly said.

The NMC banned the Chirchik branch of TSMU stating that it failed to comply with the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) regulations. The statutory body not only blacklisted the colleges for denying refund of fees, but also for instances of harassment of Indian students.

According to the FMGL regulations, foreign medical colleges should align with the Indian standards of course duration, medium of instruction, syllabus, curriculum, clinical training, and internship arrangement to be recognised by the NMC.

Those who pursue MBBS in foreign medical colleges that do not comply with the Indian standards, will not be allowed to practice medicine in India.

Also read FMGE June 2025 pass rate slides to 18.61%; nearly 30,000 foreign MBBS graduates fail to qualify

Low performance in FMGE

Simply completing an MBBS degree in a foreign institute recognised by the NMC will not guarantee permission to practice medicine in India. Such students will have to qualify the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), a screening test conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) for medical registration in the country.

TSMU records a significantly lower pass percentage - below 10% - in the FMGE compared to other institutions. Admission selection in other major medical universities in Uzbekistan, such as Bukhara State Medical Institute and Samarkand State Medical University, is almost near closure for the September cycle.

This further limits options for students awaiting update from TSMU, as seats in other competitive institutions are no longer available.

Students and parents who have budgeted this year’s education, say “pursuing studies this year may become impossible”. “Notably, these other universities report significantly higher FMGE pass percentages, making them more attractive options,” a parent added.

Why do students still aim for Uzbekistan?

MBBS is the most sought-after course after Class 12 in India. Over the past several years, over 20 lakh students have been appearing for the single-largest medical entrance exam - NEET - for MBBS admissions, with a record high of 23 lakh candidates last year.

With the MBBS fees increasing every year, studying medicine in India is often seen as an option only for the“rich” – unless you manage to get a seat in a government medical college. Of the 1.15 lakh MBBS seats available in India, only a little over 50,000 seats under the government quota have affordable fees, the remaining seats in private colleges charge fees ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore.

More than 12 lakh qualified students are competing for 1.15 lakh seats this year - making it one of the toughest entrance exams in the country. It also means that only one in 10 will successfully secure a MBBS seat in their desired college.

Students getting admission in govt-run institutes or private medical colleges are required to pay a bond amount in some states - often running in lakhs – as a penalty if they choose to opt out of course midway or decide to not do the compulsory internship.

Several state governments have published the college-wise MBBS fees , as per the NMC directives. In some states, the MBBS course under the management quota can cost nearly Rs 1.82 crore for a five-and-a-half-year course.

The same course is offered for the duration of six years in Uzbekistan, but due to the difference in currency value, the undergraduate medical course will only cost up to Rs 22 lakh.

As per the Embassy of India Tashkent advisory dated September 2, 2024, the university charges USD 3,000 as annual tuition fees. Axis Institute of International Education, Neo Institute of Medical Science and Technology Ltd are the recognised Indian Student Agency or educational consultants (ECs).

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Agents, university maintain ‘silence’

Thousands of students in India rely on such educational consultants to facilitate their application, transfer of tuition fee, applying for visa for students, purchase of air tickets and more. They also help arrange boarding and lodging on campus or around the university, and obtaining long-term residential permits in the foreign countries.

The Embassy, however, advises students to directly transfer the tuition fee to the authorized bank account of the university, without involving a third party. It also instructs them to verify the details of EC, its representatives, and their identification numbers issued by the Government of India – to ensure traceability in case of a dispute.

“TSMU has not responded to queries from students or agents. No updates regarding admissions have been published on the university’s official website or social media channels,” a student awaiting a response from the university said.

“Agents keep saying everything will be fine and admissions will start soon, but there’s no assurance,” another parent said. Some also expressed mistrust in agents, who have not been able to provide clear information, and called the updates so far “misleading.”

Students and parents now wait anxiously, hoping for clarity before it’s too late.