Volgograd State Medical University (VolgSMU) is a state medical university in Volgograd, southern Russia, founded in 1935 and run by the Russian Ministry of Health. Its six-year General Medicine (MBBS) course in English costs 480,000 RUB a year for students entering in 2026/27, plus a hostel from 60,000 RUB a year. The 2026 late intake accepts documents until 20 November 2026.
Volgograd State Medical University (VolgSMU) is a state medical university in Volgograd, a city on the Volga River in southern Russia. It opened on 17 August 1935 as the Stalingrad Medical Institute, became the Volgograd Medical Academy in July 1993 and took its current name on 2 February 2003. Like most Russian medical universities, it reports to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
Foreign students have studied here since 1962, according to the university's history. The main building, which also houses the Dean's Office for Foreign Students, stands on Pavshikh Bortsov Square in the city centre.
General Medicine taught in English costs 480,000 RUB a year (≈ $5,880) for students who enter in 2026/27. VolgSMU order No. 174-KO of 28 January 2026 sets one annual fee for years 1 to 6, paid in roubles.
| Programme (entry 2026/27) | Length | Fee a year |
|---|---|---|
| General Medicine in English | 6 years | 480,000 RUB a year (≈ $5,880) |
| General Medicine in Russian | 6 years | 350,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,290) |
| Dentistry in English | 5 years | 600,000 RUB a year (≈ $7,350) |
| Pharmacy in English | 5 years | 355,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,350) |
| Preparatory course, medical-biological profile, in Russian | 1 year | 165,000 RUB a year (≈ $2,020) |
| Preparatory course, medical-biological profile, in English | 1 year | 255,000 RUB a year (≈ $3,120) |
At the 2026/27 rate, six years of English-medium General Medicine add up to 2,880,000 RUB in total (≈ $35,300) in tuition. Earlier intakes pay under a separate order, so ask whether your contract fixes the fee for later years.
The fee excludes the hostel, medical insurance, the yearly medical check and any intermediary's commission, and there is no stipend. English-medium students can take an extra 108-hour professional Russian course for 25,000 RUB one-off (≈ $306), and a make-up class (for example after a missed session) is charged at 580 RUB (≈ $7) an hour in English or 390 RUB (≈ $5) an hour in Russian.
Yes, the fee order lists General Medicine taught in English for years 1 to 6. You will still need Russian with patients in hospitals, which is why the professional Russian course exists. The Russian-medium track is cheaper but usually starts with a preparatory year.
You send scanned documents, sit the university's entrance tests, sign a paid contract and pay at least one semester before enrolment. For the 2026 late intake, documents are accepted from 24 August to 20 November 2026, tests end on 25 November and the enrolment order is due on 30 November 2026.
The university's list of required documents:
Citizens of Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Lebanon and Morocco also add a certificate of recognition of foreign education.
VolgSMU asks Indian citizens for a scan of their NEET result. India's National Medical Commission (NMC) Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 also require at least 54 months of study, a 12-month internship at the same university, English throughout, and licence eligibility in the country of study. Ask the university in writing how the course meets each condition.
Check the current visa procedure on the website of the Embassy of Russia in India.
The electronic invitation comes by email after enrolment and needs no paper original; the migration office takes at least 30 calendar days to issue it. Your passport must be valid for at least 20 months on the day you arrive in Russia. Email your ticket before travelling and report to the dean's office within three days of crossing the border.
After arrival you register at the foreign students' dispatch service (room 1-05) within three working days. Within 90 days you pass a medical check at the VolgSMU Family Medicine Clinic (repeated yearly) and give fingerprints. A voluntary medical insurance policy is compulsory. Visa extension papers are due at least 50 days before your visa expires.
The hostel costs between 60,000 RUB a year (≈ $735) and 105,000 RUB a year (≈ $1,290) depending on the building and floor, according to the same order No. 174-KO.
| Hostel | Fee a year |
|---|---|
| Hostel No. 1, 18 KIM Street, 2nd floor | 80,000 RUB a year (≈ $980) |
| Hostel No. 1, 18 KIM Street, 3rd to 5th floors | 60,000 RUB a year (≈ $735) |
| Hostel No. 4, 8 Hiroshima Street | 105,000 RUB a year (≈ $1,290) |
Students call Hostel No. 1 the KIM hostel and Hostel No. 4 the Hiroshima hostel, after their streets. Renting a flat is allowed with written permission, and the owner must register you at that address within three days. Travel to another Russian city also needs the dean's office's permission.
Food, transport and winter clothes come on top. The university publishes no figures for these, so ask current students about monthly spending.
Volgograd is a large city stretched along the Volga, known for the Battle of Stalingrad memorials on Mamayev Kurgan. The climate is continental and dry: summers are long and hot, winters cold with snow, so budget for a proper winter coat and boots.
Two country-wide issues apply here as in any Russian city: foreign bank cards do not work, so students open a Russian bank account, and racist incidents do happen, so keep to well-lit streets at night and carry your passport and registration.
VolgSMU is a state university with a Russian licence and state accreditation, which you can check yourself in the register of Russia's Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor). Recognition at home is decided by your own medical regulator, so check its current rules and the World Directory of Medical Schools listing.
An Indian medical student on a solo trip says Volgograd is easy for students: the main building, the KIM hostel and shops are close together, walking distance from the railway station.
— an Indian MBBS student from another Russian university, travel vlog (video)
The same vlogger shows the hostel study room: a quiet hall with medical textbooks in English and Russian, including PLAB guides, pathology books by Indian authors and anatomy atlases.
— an Indian MBBS student from another Russian university, travel vlog (video)
A VolgSMU student filming the main building in 2021 says the electronic student card opens the turnstiles; forget it and you go back home and may miss class.
— a male Indian student at VolgSMU, 2021 campus tour (video)
He also explains that if you miss a class, for example through illness, you write an application at the Dean's Office for Foreign Students and then attend a make-up session, which is usually paid through the accounts office.
— a male Indian student at VolgSMU, 2021 campus tour (video)
Where students and the official source differ: one video says VolgSMU was set up in 1935 out of an earlier medical academy. The university's own history gives the order the other way round: it opened in 1935 as the Stalingrad Medical Institute, became an academy in 1993 and a university in 2003. The paid make-up class he mentions matches the 2026/27 order.
For students entering in 2026/27, General Medicine in English costs 480,000 RUB a year (≈ $5,880) and the Russian-medium course costs 350,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,290). Hostel and insurance are extra.
Foreign applicants take Chemistry, Biology and Physics, plus English or Russian depending on the language of study. For the 2026 late intake the tests end on 25 November 2026.
Indian citizens must send a NEET result with their documents, and India's NMC also requires it for a foreign degree to count at home. Applicants from other countries do not need NEET.
Yes, but you need written permission, you give the rental contract to the dean's office, and the flat owner must register you at that address within three days.
Last updated: 3 November 2026. Fees and regulations change; check the official sources above before you apply.
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