Studying for MBBS Outside India
When you want to get an MBBS degree, the foremost question to answer is whether doing it in India is better than doing it outside India. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, and in this article we will try to find the best answer.
Every year a large number of students appear for the entrance examinations for getting entry into an MBBS course. But from 2017 there have been several changes made to the system. Here are the highlights of the examination system in India:
- A common entrance test called NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is conducted across the country. All state level examinations have been withdrawn and replaced by this unified NEET. The competition gets tougher this way because the candidate is measured against other applicants from all over the country, instead of a particular state like earlier.
- AIIMS and JIPMER do not accept NEET results, and have their separate entrance tests.
- Till last year, the question papers were only in English and Hindi. This year, Urdu is set to be introduced. This means that all applicants from non-Hindi speaking states will need a minimum proficiency in English.
- The test consists of 180 multiple choice questions (of which only one answer is correct) in the following subjects - Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology. The test is of 3 hours duration, so each question needs to be answered in 1 minute or less. The 180 questions are distributed in 4 modules of 45 questions each, one module for each of the 4 subjects.
- All questions carry negative marking. A correct answer would fetch 4 marks, but a wrong answer would get you -1.
- Pass marks are 50% for general category candidates, 45% for general category candidates with physical disability, and 40% for all other categories. A single merit list for the whole country would be published.
- In India there are less than 54000 MBBS seats across all colleges, with approximately half in Government colleges and the other half in private colleges.
- There is a cap of 15% on seats reserved for certain categories like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Castes and Physically Handicapped.
- As per data released for the 2016 NEET, there were more than 7 lakhs applicants.
- From 2016 onwards, private colleges are also mandated to take in students only through NEET qualification, which has stopped the possibility of students applying through Management Quota.
- Since private colleges are now allowed to function as professional institutes instead of non-profit organizations, there is a possibility of fees being hiked.
What This Means For Applicants
If we take the 2016 number of 7 lakh applicants, and compare it to the 54000 available seats, it is clear that:
- Less than 4% of the applicants (about 25000 or so) will get an opportunity to join the government colleges, and another 4% will get a chance to join the private colleges.
- The remaining 92% of applicants, say around 6.5 lakhs, will not be able to study MBBS in India. They would need to reappear for NEET the next year.
- As per present regulations, there is no alternative way (like management quota) to join an MBBS course if your rank is not within these top 8% in NEET.
- The students who are within top 8% but not within top 4% of applicants would need to join private medical colleges with a tuition fees of approximately 70 lakh rupees.
The options for a student who didn't qualify
Why should you choose to do MBBS outside India?
Conclusion
Most applicants might prefer studying for an MBBS in India, but with such limited seats, high number of applicants, and no other alternative route for getting a seat, it is worth their while to consider if they would get a chance at all. And keeping both options open is also tricky, because by the time you find out that you are not part of the elite 8% of applicants who would get admission into an Indian university, it would be too late to apply to foreign universities as their applications process would have closed by them. So you need to think over it and take a decision while there is still time. After reading this article, we are sure that you will see the wisdom of not taking a chance with your career and instead, aim for an MBBS outside India.
- Wait another year and appear for NEET the next year after losing one academic year, with no guarantee that he would succeed the next year
- Surrender his dream of becoming a doctor and change his stream of study
- Keep his dream alive by enrolling for an MBBS course in a country outside India, without losing a year.
- The costs are not as high as they seem. Many countries which offer a course in MBBS have a cost of living significantly lower than in India. They also have options of working part time to meet living expenses.
- As mentioned above, students who do their MBBS in a private college in India would need to have at least 70 lakhs for the course. In comparison, a sum of 15 lakhs (including bank loans) is enough if you wish to do your MBBS outside India.
- Registration under the Indian medical system is complicated, and a student would need to appear for MCI clearance test. On the other hand, for doing an MBBS abroad, you only need to check if that institute is part of the MCI list of recognized institutes outside India which also are recognized by WHO.
- The workload in MBBS outside India would easily be handled by Indian students. Most countries have a yearlong bridge/foundation course to prepare the enrolled students, and actual coursework starts only from the second year.
- MBBS courses in some countries allow direct enrolment into MBBS with an aggregate score of 50% in Physics, Chemistry and Biology in Standard 12. Some other countries have an entrance test after the first year, and they also have arrangements for preparation. So the applicant will get a year to prepare.
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