MBBS in Uzbekistan: fees, universities, student views
MBBS in Uzbekistan costs about 3,200 to 3,500 USD a year in tuition at state medical universities, as of November 2026, paid in Uzbek som at the day's exchange rate. The General Medicine programme lasts six years, is taught in English for international students, and admission is by interview in biology and chemistry. Check your home regulator's rules before you pay.
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How much does MBBS in Uzbekistan cost in 2026?
Tuition for MBBS in Uzbekistan at state medical universities is usually from about 3,200 USD a year to 3,500 USD a year for international students, as of November 2026. In Uzbekistan the programme is called General Medicine (Davolash ishi in Uzbek), and graduates receive the qualification of doctor. Each university sets its own fee for foreigners, and Bukhara State Medical Institute states on its website that the contract fee is decided by the rector and that citizens of different countries pay different amounts.
Fees are fixed in US dollars, but you pay in Uzbek som. The Fergana Medical Institute of Public Health says the contract money is paid in som at the exchange rate on the day of payment, and the Samarkand State Medical University contract says the same about the Central Bank rate. Bukhara's fee order adds that a fee fixed in dollars from the first year stays the same until the end of the course.
University
City
Programme length
Fee a year
Tashkent State Medical University (TSMU)
Tashkent
6 years
about 3,500 USD a year from year 2, as students report; confirm in your contract
Samarkand State Medical University (SamSMU)
Samarkand
6 years
Set in the individual contract; ask the admissions office for the current figure
Bukhara State Medical Institute (BSMI)
Bukhara
6 years
3,200 USD a year (2024/2025 order)
Fergana Medical Institute of Public Health
Fergana
6 years
3,500 USD a year (non-CIS students, 2025/2026); 2,200 USD a year for CIS citizens
Tuition is not your whole bill. Students also pay for the hostel, food, visa extensions, local registration and medical insurance. Ask the university for a written list of every payment for each year before you sign, and check that the fee in the contract matches the fee on the university's own website.
Which universities offer MBBS in Uzbekistan in English?
Most international medical students in Uzbekistan study at four state institutions: Tashkent State Medical University, Samarkand State Medical University, Bukhara State Medical Institute and the Fergana Medical Institute of Public Health. All of them admit foreigners through an interview, and Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara run English-medium groups alongside Uzbek and Russian ones.
Tashkent State Medical University
Tashkent State Medical University (TSMU) was created by Presidential Decree No. PP-149 of 22 April 2025 on the basis of three institutions: the Tashkent Medical Academy, the Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute and the Tashkent State Stomatological Institute. Its admissions office issues a provisional admission letter within 2 working days after the interview, and the letter carries a QR code you can check at check.ijro.uz. Read more in our guide to Tashkent Medical Academy.
Samarkand State Medical University
Samarkand State Medical University (SamSMU) admits foreigners on the basis of an oral interview in biology, chemistry and the language of teaching, and asks applicants to register on the official Study in Uzbekistan portal. The university reports that it holds an ECAQA international institutional accreditation certificate. Teaching is in Uzbek, Russian and English.
Bukhara State Medical Institute
Bukhara State Medical Institute named after Abu Ali ibn Sino (BSMI) was founded in 1990. Applicants sit an interview in biology, chemistry and English or Russian, must be at least 17 years old on 31 December of the year of entry, and send documents to admissions@bsmi.uz or through the online form. The HIV test, medical check-up and chest X-ray are done after arrival.
Fergana Medical Institute of Public Health
The Fergana Medical Institute of Public Health publishes a separate fee table for foreign students, with one rate for CIS citizens and a higher rate for everyone else. The same rate applies to General Medicine, Pediatrics, Dentistry and Pharmacy.
Is an MBBS from Uzbekistan recognised in your home country?
An Uzbek medical degree lets you practise in your home country only if your national medical regulator accepts it, so recognition depends on where you are from, not on Uzbekistan. Before you apply, check that the university is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, read your regulator's current rules for foreign graduates, and keep your syllabus, transcripts and internship records for the licensing exam at home.
For students from India
For Indian students: the National Medical Commission (NMC) Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations, 2021 require at least 54 months of study at one institution, a 12-month internship at the same foreign university, clinical training that is not split between countries, English as the medium of instruction, the subjects listed in the regulations, and the right to a licence to practise in the country that awards the degree. You also need a qualifying NEET score.
On 1 April 2026 the NMC issued an alert note on admissions to medical institutions in Uzbekistan. It passes on concerns from the Embassy of India in Tashkent about intake beyond capacity, clinical training not being in English, and agents' malpractice, it names specific institutions, and it asks students to exercise extreme caution. In August 2026 the Embassy and the Haryana Medical Council explained that the alert is precautionary and is not a ban on admissions. Read the full alert note before you pay any fee, and ask the university in writing how it meets each FMGL requirement, including the language used with patients.
After graduation you take the licensing exam for foreign medical graduates (FMGE until it is replaced by NExT). See our guide to the NExT exam for foreign medical graduates.
How do you get admission to MBBS in Uzbekistan?
Admission is by document review and an interview, not by a national entrance test. The steps below follow the published procedures of Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.
Apply: send your school-leaving certificate with marks, passport and a photo to the university's admissions office. Indian applicants add their NEET scorecard.
Interview: answer questions in biology, chemistry and the language of teaching, online or in person.
Offer: receive an admission letter. At Tashkent State Medical University the first-semester fee is due within 7 calendar days of the provisional admission letter, and only to the official university bank account.
Visa: apply for a study visa at an Uzbek embassy or consulate with the university's invitation.
Arrival: bring the originals. The Samarkand contract lists notarised passport copies translated into Uzbek and Russian, the school certificate with an Uzbek translation, a medical certificate, an HIV-negative certificate, 12 photos sized 3.5 × 4.5 cm and emergency medical insurance. Tashkent asks for a health certificate with vaccination against varicella, rubella and measles and a normal chest X-ray.
At Samarkand, later tuition is paid each semester: by 1 September for the first semester and by 1 February for the second. One student says applications usually run from April to July for a September start.
What does it cost to live in Uzbekistan as a student?
Day-to-day living costs in Uzbekistan are low by international standards. Medical students from India and Egypt interviewed by Kun.uz in 2024 said they spent about 100 USD a month, while a student from South Korea spent about 300 USD a month. Your real figure depends on the city, the hostel or flat, and how often you cook.
Budget separately for the hostel and meals, yearly visa extension and registration, medical insurance and flights home. Students who move to a private flat in later years also pay for their own address registration, so ask the international office how this works in your city.
How do you get a student visa and register on arrival?
You need a study visa issued by an Uzbek embassy or consulate on the basis of your university's invitation; a tourist e-visa is not a study visa. The university helps with the invitation and, after arrival, with visa extensions.
Every foreigner must register their address with the local authorities within 3 days of arrival, according to the US Department of State, and the registration must stay valid without gaps. Bukhara State Medical Institute tells new students to come to its registration office within one day of arrival with their passport and the visa application. If you live in a hostel, the university registers you; if you rent a flat, you need the owner's documents. Fines for gaps are set by Uzbek law and change, so check the current amount with your university.
Is Uzbekistan safe, and what is the climate like?
Uzbekistan is one of the calmer countries in the region: the US Department of State keeps it at Level 1, "Exercise normal precautions", as of January 2026. Violent crime is rare but can happen in big cities at night, and unmarked private taxis are considered unsafe, especially for women, so use registered taxi apps. Do not give your card PIN to anyone in a shop.
The climate is arid and continental. According to the World Bank Climate Knowledge Portal, July averages 27.2°C with daily highs near 35°C in many cities, and winter months average -1°C to -3°C. Summers are long and dry, so plan for heat in June and July and for real winter clothes from December to February.
What students say about MBBS in Uzbekistan
We watched student videos about MBBS in Uzbekistan. Here is what they say, in our own words.
She arrived unsure about studying abroad and missed home food badly in her first year. What surprised her most was how safe the city felt: as a young woman she walks alone late at night without worrying.
— an Indian second-year MBBS student in Tashkent (video)
Her first year was easy because the hostel and paperwork were arranged for her. The real test came in second year, when she moved into a flat and had to handle local registration, cooking and documents herself. She warns that living at an address without valid registration can bring a fine she puts at about 500 USD one-off.
— an Indian second-year MBBS student in Tashkent (video)
Lectures and exams for her group are in English, and a compulsory Uzbek course in the first year teaches enough to talk with patients. She likes the four clear seasons, with snow and frosts down to -10°C in winter.
— an Indian second-year MBBS student in Tashkent (video)
He pays 3,200 USD a year in tuition in two instalments of 1,600 USD one-off and estimates the whole six-year course, with hostel, food, visa, flights and processing, at about 30,00,000–32,00,000 INR in total (≈ $31,700–$33,800).
New students felt homesick for three or four days, then classes took over. He says local people and classmates are friendly, Indian students have not faced religious or ethnic discrimination, and vegetarians can eat in the canteen or cook in the shared hostel kitchens.
The students and the official sources mostly agree. The Tashkent student describes the course as five years plus one year of internship; universities list it as a six-year programme, and both mean the same total. The registration fine she quotes is her own figure; the official amount is set in Uzbek law and can change, so check it with your international office.
Frequently asked questions
How long is MBBS in Uzbekistan?
General Medicine in Uzbekistan is a six-year programme. The final years include clinical rotations and the internship, which students often describe as five years of study plus one year of internship.
Is MBBS in Uzbekistan taught in English?
Yes, the main state medical universities run English-medium groups for international students. Students also take Uzbek language classes, usually in the first year, so they can talk to patients during clinical training.
What is the fee at Samarkand State Medical University?
Samarkand State Medical University sets the fee for foreign students in an individual contract under a tariff approved by the Ministry of Health. Ask the international department (international.department@sammu.uz) for the current figure in writing before you pay.
What is the fee at Bukhara State Medical Institute?
Bukhara State Medical Institute's published order lists 3,200 USD a year for General Medicine. The fee is decided by the rector and can differ by citizenship, so confirm it in your contract.
Do I pay tuition in dollars or in som?
Fees are set in US dollars but paid in Uzbek som at the exchange rate on the day of payment. Keep the bank receipt and, if you exchanged currency, the exchange certificate.
When does the academic year start in Uzbekistan?
The academic year starts in September. One student says applications usually run from April to July, so start collecting documents in spring.
