An MBBS in Russia for Pakistani students leads to a licence in Pakistan only if the university is on the PMDC recognised list, you register with the PMDC before admission, and after graduation you finish a one-year house job and pass the National Registration Examination. MDCAT is no longer required for study abroad since October 2026. English-medium tuition costs about 1.3 to 4.1 million PKR a year as of November 2026.
Yes, if the university is on the PMDC list of recognised foreign institutions and you follow the PMDC rules from the day you apply. The list published on pmdc.pk includes about 70 Russian medical universities and faculties, among them Kazan State Medical University, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov, Ural State Medical University and the medical faculty of Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN).
The file on the PMDC website is dated March 2023, and the PMDC has changed its recognition rules since then. In October 2025 it said that only graduates of PMDC-recognised foreign institutions get provisional registration for a house job directly; graduates of other institutions must pass the NRE first. In a public notice of 31 July 2026 it added that only graduates of institutions recognised by the US Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) may sit the NRE at all. So before you pay, check the university on the PMDC list and its World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS) entry with an ECFMG note.
The PMDC wants students registered with it online before they take admission abroad. In May 2026 its accreditation sub-committee set these conditions for Pakistani students joining foreign medical colleges, as reported by Pakistani media:
The MDCAT condition (at least 50%) was part of the same package but was removed on 14 September 2026. The Associated Press of Pakistan reported the notice on 5 October 2026. Reports on that notice say it mentions only the MDCAT, so treat the other conditions as still in force and ask the PMDC in writing if you are unsure. MDCAT is still required for medical colleges inside Pakistan.
A Russian degree in General Medicine takes six years. After it, the PMDC Registration Regulations 2023 set the route to a licence in Pakistan:
The provisional registration fee for a foreign graduate is 10,000 PKR (≈ $36).
English-medium General Medicine at universities on the PMDC list costs about 374,000–1,200,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,640–$14,900) in tuition. Moscow is the most expensive. Fees below come from the universities' own websites; three are for 2026/27, two are the latest published (2024/25) and may have risen.
| University (all on the PMDC list) | Tuition per year | Fee year |
|---|---|---|
| Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (Moscow) | 1,200,000 RUB (≈ $14,900) | 2026/27 |
| Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU), Faculty of Medicine | 588,600 RUB (≈ $7,300) | 2026/27 |
| Kazan State Medical University (Kazan) | 475,000 RUB (≈ $5,890) | 2024/25 |
| North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov (St Petersburg) | 440,000 RUB (≈ $5,460) | 2024/25 |
| Rostov State Medical University (Rostov-on-Don) | 373,900 RUB (≈ $4,640) | 2026/27 |
Fees often rise each year, so ask for all six years in writing. On top of tuition, plan for a hostel (Kazan State Medical University charged 13,920 RUB a year (≈ $173) in 2024/25), food and transport (15,000–18,000 RUB a month (≈ $186–$223) in a regional city), compulsory health insurance (about 3,800–8,000 RUB a year (≈ $47–$99)), a yearly medical examination, and visa fees. From 26 July 2026 a multiple-entry visa costs 6,000 RUB (≈ $74) in state duty. For a full budget, see the cost of studying in Russia guide.
Yes, the Russian government scholarship (the state quota) is open to Pakistani citizens and covers tuition for the whole course, including a preparatory year of Russian. You pay for travel, insurance and living costs yourself, and the hostel at a reduced rate. Russia offers 30,000 quota places a year to all countries, and the Russian Embassy in Islamabad said the number for Pakistan was tripled for 2026/27.
You apply free of charge on the official portal education-in-russia.com. In Pakistan the Russian House in Islamabad (the Russian Centre for Science and Culture, part of Rossotrudnichestvo) runs the selection. For 2027/28 the deadline for applicants outside the CIS is 15 January 2027. One important difference: quota places are taught in Russian, not English. Read the full rules in our Russian government scholarship guide.
You need a study visa issued on the basis of an invitation from your university. The invitation is made by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and usually takes 25 to 45 days. With it you apply at the Russian Embassy in Islamabad or the Consulate General in Karachi. Expect to show a passport valid for at least 18 months, the visa.kdmid.ru form, a photo and an HIV test certificate. The first visa is single-entry for 90 days; your university then extends it to a multiple-entry visa. Since 1 September 2026 foreign students must pass a medical examination within 30 days of arrival. The steps are in our Russian student visa guide.
Cards issued in Pakistan will not work in Russia, because Visa and Mastercard stopped operating there in 2022 and most Russian banks are cut off from SWIFT. Universities such as the Higher School of Economics and Vladivostok State University tell new students to open a Russian card on the Mir system. You need your passport, its notarised Russian translation, your migration card and registration.
Until your account is open, arrive with enough cash for the first weeks in US dollars, which you change at a Russian bank. Ask your university's international office in advance how it accepts tuition payments from Pakistan, and get the answer in writing. Never pay tuition to a personal account.
Russia has a large Muslim population, especially in Tatarstan (Kazan) and Bashkortostan (Ufa), and both have medical universities on the PMDC list. Halal food is easy to find there. In Moscow, students describe halal cafés next to the Moscow Cathedral Mosque and free iftar there during Ramadan. In smaller cities you will mostly cook in the hostel kitchen.
Winter is long and dark, with -30°C possible in northern cities. English is rarely spoken outside the university, and patients in clinical years speak Russian, so the PMDC's language-course condition is useful in practice. Racism exists; students describe staring and occasional rude remarks rather than common violence. Our guide on whether Russia is safe for international students goes into detail.
The PMDC rules are the same for both countries: recognised list, online registration, 6,200 hours, house job and NRE. When you compare MBBS in China for Pakistani students with Russia, look at fees, flights and the language of clinical training. A Pakistani student in Yekaterinburg says travel between Russia and Pakistan was easier and cheaper for him than for friends in China.
Choose a fully English-medium programme. If money is tight, a bilingual one is the second option, but avoid pure Russian-medium study unless you already speak the language. Do not trust an agent blindly: check the city and whether the university is federal or state. Lectures alone are not enough; medicine here needs a lot of self-study.
— a Pakistani MBBS student in Yekaterinburg who transferred there from another Russian university (video)
His hostel room is shared by two students and comes with a bed, desk, wardrobe and small fridge; heating runs all winter and hot water is available all day. He paid 5,000 RUB a semester (≈ $62). Muslim students carry a water bottle into the toilet because there are no hand sprays, and the sports courts are for football and volleyball, not cricket.
— a Pakistani student showing his university hostel (video)
Attendance is 100%. Every missed class has to be made up with the teacher (otrabotka) before you get credit, and he ended up doing these during exam week. He met occasional staring because of his skin colour, but saw it as isolated, not general hostility.
— an Indian second-year student at Samara State Medical University (video)
No, not since the PMDC decision of 14 September 2026, announced on 5 October 2026. You still need online PMDC registration before admission, and the 60% FSc condition has not been withdrawn. MDCAT stays compulsory for medical colleges in Pakistan.
It can be, if the university is on the PMDC recognised list and you met PMDC conditions during your studies. After graduation you need provisional registration, a one-year house job and the National Registration Examination before full registration.
Tuition is about 374,000–1,200,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,640–$14,900), as of November 2026. Living costs add about 15,000–18,000 RUB a month (≈ $186–$223) in a regional city.
Yes, many PMDC-listed universities teach General Medicine in English, but you will still learn Russian for daily life and for patients. The PMDC also asks for a host-country language course where teaching is not fully in English.
Yes, medicine is among the fields you can choose, but quota places are taught in Russian after a preparatory year. Apply free on education-in-russia.com; for 2027/28 the deadline is 15 January 2027 for applicants outside the CIS.
Yes, a one-year house job after provisional registration is required. A one-year internship or residency in an approved hospital abroad can also be accepted if it comes after PMDC provisional registration, according to the Registration Regulations 2023.
Last updated: 1 November 2026. Fees and regulations change; check the official sources above before you apply.
MBBS in Kazakhstan costs about US$4,000 to US$6,700 a year in tuition at public medical universities, for example 3,000,000 KZT at Astana Medical University in 2026/27. Students admitted since 2023 study a 6-year programme with a 12-month internship, which fits the NMC rules on paper. Check the price list, the English requirement and your hostel before you pay.
MBBS in Kyrgyzstan fees at accredited universities start at about US$3,000 a year for tuition, and from US$3,500 at the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, as of November 2026. Since 2026 only universities that passed state accreditation may enrol students. Before you apply, check accreditation, the 12-month internship the NMC requires, and the safety situation in Bishkek.
The NExT exam has not replaced FMGE yet: as of November 2026, no NExT has been held and the National Medical Commission has published no official start date. Foreign medical graduates still take FMGE, and their degree must meet the NMC FMGL Regulations 2021, which decide whether a course in Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan counts in India.
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