Dagestan State Medical University (DSMU) in Makhachkala teaches General Medicine in English and Russian over 6 years, and its other degrees in Russian. As of November 2026 the first year in English costs 420,000 RUB a year, the hostel is 2,500 RUB a month, and you sit chemistry and biology exams in Makhachkala in July or October.
Dagestan State Medical University (DSMU, in Russian ДГМУ) is a state medical university run by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. It sits in Makhachkala, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan, on the Caspian Sea coast in the south of Russia. The institute opened on 7 November 1932 as the Dagestan State Medical Institute, according to the university's history page.
The international department says DSMU has more than 6,000 students in five specialities and hundreds of foreign students from over 40 countries (dgmu.ru). It is listed on the official Study in Russia portal (DSMU page).
Only General Medicine (Лечебное дело, code 31.05.01) is taught in English as well as Russian. The university's signed 2026 list of programmes and languages (PDF) gives these degree programmes:
| Programme | Duration | Language of teaching |
|---|---|---|
| General Medicine (31.05.01) | 6 years | Russian; English |
| Paediatrics (31.05.02) | 6 years | Russian |
| Dentistry (31.05.03) | 5 years | Russian |
| Medical and Preventive Care (32.05.01) | 6 years | Russian |
| Pharmacy (33.05.01) | 5 years | Russian |
All five are one-tier "specialist" degrees, and foreign citizens study only on paid places. The 2026/27 price list also shows first-year English-medium rates for Dentistry, Paediatrics, Pharmacy and Medical and Preventive Care, so if you want one of these in English, ask the international department in writing whether an English group will run in your year.
Tuition for foreign students in 2026/27 is set by rector's order No. 161-K of 22 May 2026, published on the official site (PDF). These are first-year fees:
| Programme | Fee a year |
|---|---|
| General Medicine, English | 420,000 RUB a year (≈ $5,140) |
| General Medicine, English, after the DSMU preparatory department | 400,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,900) |
| General Medicine, Russian | 350,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,280) |
| Paediatrics, Russian | 350,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,280) |
| Dentistry, Russian | 350,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,280) |
| Pharmacy, Russian | 200,000 RUB a year (≈ $2,450) |
| Medical and Preventive Care, Russian | 200,000 RUB a year (≈ $2,450) |
| Preparatory department | 120,000 RUB a year (≈ $1,470) |
Fees are set every academic year. For the English General Medicine track the same order sets 2026/27 fees of 380,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,650) for year 2 and 280,000 RUB a year (≈ $3,430) for year 3, and refers years 4 to 6 to their existing contracts. Ask how later-year fees are fixed in your contract. Older videos often quote lower numbers; use the current order.
You apply directly by email to the international department, which first checks your school results. The steps on the official admission page are:
Univenter is an official partner of Dagestan State Medical University and accepts applications to it.
Foreign documents must be legalised unless a treaty says otherwise. Within 30 days of entry you give fingerprints and pass a medical check, and medical insurance is compulsory.
DSMU asks applicants from India for their NEET result together with the school certificate (admission page).
India's National Medical Commission (NMC) Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 require a course of at least 54 months, a 12-month internship at the same foreign institution, teaching in English throughout, and eligibility for a medical licence in the country where you studied.
On language, the university's own documents state the following. Its 2026 list of programmes gives the language of General Medicine as "Russian; English" (PDF). Its 2026 entrance exam rules describe the English track as study "with the use of an intermediary language" (document). Ask the university in writing how your course and internship meet each NMC condition, and check the Embassy of Russia in India site for the visa procedure.
Yes. DSMU has had a preparatory faculty for foreign citizens since 1986. It teaches Russian, biology, chemistry and physics in groups of 5 to 10 (dgmu.ru). The first two months are Russian only, 30 hours a week. The 2026/27 fee is 120,000 RUB a year (≈ $1,470). Exams passed at the preparatory department do not replace the university entrance exams (conditions).
Hostel places for foreign citizens in hostels No. 4 and 5 cost 2,500 RUB a month (≈ $31) in 2026/27, according to the same fee order. The hostel guide describes furnished rooms for 1 to 3 people in blocks with a shared kitchen and bathroom, Wi-Fi, a laundry and 24-hour security (PDF). DSMU publishes no figure for food, transport and insurance.
Makhachkala is a large city on the Caspian Sea. Summers are long and hot, and winters are milder than in central Russia. Dagestan is home to dozens of ethnic groups, and local life follows Muslim traditions.
Makhachkala is a regional capital where international students, many of them from India, study and live every year. Daily life follows the usual rules for any foreign student in Russia: keep your passport and migration card with you, because police document checks are routine, and avoid street demonstrations. For travel advice, follow your own government. The Embassy of India in Moscow has issued region-specific warnings only for the regions bordering Ukraine (Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk, August 2024), not for Dagestan; check its current notices before you travel and register with your embassy after you arrive.
Our first-hand source is an interview with the head of DSMU's international department.
The main admission closes on 31 October. There is no February intake for new first-year students; in January only students transferring from other Russian universities are taken.
— DSMU's head of foreign students, in an interview with a student vlogger (video)
Rooms take two or three students, and the hostel usually places students from the same country together, for example Indian students with Indian students.
— DSMU's head of foreign students, in an interview with a student vlogger (video)
Students get their textbooks free from the university library, and many also use e-books, so you do not have to buy books on top of tuition.
— DSMU's head of foreign students, in an interview with a student vlogger (video)
Foreign students may work in their free time, but jobs during class hours lead to unexcused absences, and too many of them end in expulsion.
— DSMU's head of foreign students, in an interview with a student vlogger (video)
The international department has become easy to reach; when a student needed medical help late at night, the office arranged it.
— A sixth-year international student at DSMU who hosted the interview (video)
General Medicine, which foreign applicants call MBBS or MD, is listed with Russian and English as languages of teaching. Other programmes are listed in Russian only, and patients speak Russian.
The first year of General Medicine in English costs 420,000 RUB a year (≈ $5,140) and in Russian 350,000 RUB a year (≈ $4,280). The hostel is 2,500 RUB a month (≈ $31).
No new first-year intake starts in February, according to the head of the international department. The 2026 entrance exams run in July and October.
No. The official admission page asks you to email your passport and school certificate to the international department directly and wait for its agreement.
Last updated: 3 November 2026. Fees and regulations change; check the official sources above before you apply.
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