Most of you will be traveling abroad
for the first time. And will stay in a hostel for the first time
too. You will be away from your parents, friends and familiar
environment. You are excited at the prospect of traveling abroad,
but at the same time probably intimidated by and apprehensive
about the education standards, living conditions, language problems,
food, safety, security & so on.
This section will take you step by step through the various aspects
of living & studying in Russia in a question & answer
format, and provide answers to the many queries going through
your mind. In case you need any further information, please feel
free to contact any of our offices in India. Our counselors will
be happy to assist you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is the duration of the undergraduate medical
course in Russia? What is the degree awarded?
A. The duration of the undergraduate medical course in Russia
is 6 years (English Medium), or 7 years (Russian Medium). The
Degree awarded is MD (Physician). Unlike the MBBS which is a Bachelor
Degree (Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery), the Degree
of MD (Physician) is a Master Degree in general medicine (Doctor
of Medicine, Physician). Just as in the USA, UK, Australia and
other Western Countries, the first medical degree awarded in Russia
too is the Master Degree. It is not a post graduate degree and
is not to be confused with the Post Graduate Degree of MD / MS
awarded in India and a few other countries.
Q. Is the Russian undergraduate medical degree recognized
in India?
A. Yes. The Degree awarded by those medical universities in Russia
which are approved under the provisions of the Indian Medical
Council Act 1956, are recognized in India. According to the Regulations
framed by the Medical Council of India (MCI), an Indian citizen
desirous of joining an undergraduate medical course in any foreign
country shall first obtain an eligibility certificate from the
MCI before joining the course. After successful completion of
the course, the student shall have to qualify a screening test
conducted by the National Board of Examinations in order to get
registration from the MCI.
Q. What are the criteria to be satisfied to get
the Eligibility Certificate from the MCI? Will A J Trust help
the student get the Eligibility Certificate
A. The student has to satisfy the following conditions
in order to qualify for the Eligibility Certificate:
a) The candidate should be not less than 17 years of age on or
before 31st December of the year of admission to the course
b) The candidate should have passed the 2nd PUC / 12th Std / HSC
exam with the subjects of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English
individually and have obtained a minimum of 50% marks in the aggregate
in Physics, Chemistry and Biology (40% for SC/ST and OBC).
The application form for the Eligibility Certificate can be downloaded
from the website of MCI, or can be collected from us. We can guide
the student in filling up the form, but the responsibility of
satisfying the criteria of the MCI and obtaining the certificate
from them rests with the student
Q. How often is the Screening Test conducted? What are
the subjects included in the Test?
A. The Screening Test is conducted twice every year by the National
Board of Examinations. There are three papers of multiple choice
questions in Pre- Clinical, Para-Clinical and Clinical Medicine
and its allied subjects including Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The language of the test is English. The test for each paper will
be of three hours duration. The minimum pass marks in each paper
separately is 50%., which is applicable to all categories of candidates
without exception. A candidate should pass all three papers in
the same attempt. There are no restrictions on the number of attempts
to appear in the test.
A J Trust will assist their 5th and 6th year students in Russian
medical universities with study material and coaching classes to
prepare for the Screening Test. Additionally, students returning
to India during their summer vacations are encouraged to participate
in the free medical camps conducted by the Trust in various States
of India. In this way, students get exposure to various tropical,
lifestyle and hereditary diseases. This experience serves them very
well in writing the Screening Test.
Q. What are the advantages of choosing a Russian medical
university for study?
A. There are many advantages in choosing to study in Russia such
as:
* There is no entrance exam like the CET etc. Admissions are made
on first come first served basis.
* Russian universities do not charge any capitation fees, nor
do they take any donation.
*The annual tuition fees and the total cost of study in Russia
is very reasonable and much less in comparison to a private medical
college in India
* The medium of instruction is English.
* International students are taught in batches of 9 to 12 in a
class.
*Russian medical universities are well established and many are
listed among the top medical universities in the world.
* The teaching faculty is all highly qualified
* All Universities are equipped with the most modern diagnostic
and teaching aids.
Q. Will A J Trust arrange for the Passport &
visa for the student?
A. We can guide the student regarding the procedures
and documentation required, but it is the responsibility of the
student to apply for and obtain the passport. The government of
India has simplified the application process and the student will
have no problem in getting a passport as long as the documentation
is in order.
It is our responsibility to get the visa invitation letter from
the university for the student. We also undertake to get the visa
stamped on the passport by the Russian embassy. The student is
not generally expected to appear for a personal interview at the
embassy for the visa. At the discretion of the visa issuing authority,
the student may be asked to make a personal appearance for an
interview.
Q. Is it necessary to learn the Russian language
even for the English Medium course?
A. Yes. The Russian language is taught as part of
the curriculum in order to prepare the student to be able to converse
with the local patients and hospital staff as they do not speak
English. Moreover, knowledge of the local language is always an
asset for communication with shopkeepers and others or while taking
the local transport
Q. What is the duration of the postgraduate medical
course in Russia? What is the
degree awarded?
A. Post Graduate higher education in Russia is of
3 basic types:
a) Short term specialization: This is a 1 year duration certificate
course.
b) Ordinatura: This is a 2 to 5 years duration Post Graduate Residency
course. It is a full time education and leads to acquiring of
deep theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The 2 year course
can be considered to be equivalent to the Indian post graduate
degree courses MD and MS, while the 5 year course can be considered
to be equivalent to the Indian super specialty degree courses
DM and MCh.
c) Aspirantura: The Aspirantura prepares the student for a research
or an academic career. There are two levels of Aspirantura: The
first level is the degree of 'Kandidat Nauk', or Candidate of
Sciences, requiring 3 years of study, roughly equivalent to the
PhD of other countries. The second and highest level is the degree
of 'Doctor Nauk', or Doctor of Sciences, for which the duration
is not fixed. It follows the Kandidat Nauk and is awarded after
preparation and a public defence of a dissertation. It does not
always have an equivalent in other countries. The average time
between obtaining Kandidat and Doctor degrees is roughly 10 years.
For MBBS & BDS graduates from India, the duration of the PG
education in Russia was 3½ years, comprising a 6 month
accelerated Russian Language course and a 1 year equivalency programme
followed by the regular 2 year PG course. However, the Russian
Government has recently relaxed the requirement of the equivalency
programme & permitted universities to award the PG Degree
after 2½ years of study including the Russian Language
course. Some universities have already implemented this decision
while the others are in the process of doing so.
Q. Is the Russian Postgraduate Medical Degree recognized
in India or elsewhere in the world?
A. Universities in Russia awarding postgraduate
degrees are listed in the 'World Directory of Medical Schools'
published by the World Health Organisation. This means that their
degrees are recognized worldwide. Students from these universities
can write screening exams like the USMLE of USA, PLAB of UK, AMC
of Australia etc, and on passing, are eligible to work in the
respective countries. Some countries in the Gulf, Maldives and
a few others directly recognize the Russian degrees & students
can take up appointments in these countries without writing any
screening exams. The MCI does not have a system in place presently
for recognition of a Postgraduate degree from any country in the
world. The student can however legally suffix the foreign PG qualification
to his / her name, engage in private practice or work in any private
hospital in India as per the PG qualification, but will not be
able to work in a government hospital or in an academic position.
The good news however is that there is a move by the Government
of India to recognize PG degrees from foreign universities. Once
this becomes a reality, the additional qualification will be noted
in the Indian Medical Register, and Indian Government jobs and
the Teaching profession in India will also open up for the students
who have acquired PG qualifications from Russia.
Q. How are the Fees to be paid to the university?
Are the fees liable to change during the duration of the course?
A. The payment of Tuition Fees for the first year
of study shall be made prior to the student's departure for Russia,
in accordance with the instructions issued by the university.
Such instructions may require the fees to be either wire transferred
directly to the university, or paid in Indian Rupees in India
to A J Trust Educational Consultancy who will do the further needful.
For subsequent years, the fees may be paid in India in Indian
Rupees to A J Trust Educational Consultancy or directly at the
university cash counter within 7 days of the commencement of classes.
The fees are payable to the university in Rubles at the rate of
exchange ruling on the date of payment, as fixed by the Central
Bank of Russia , or in some cases as set by the university itself.
Russian universities do not accept fees in any currency other
than the local currency namely Roubles. The Dollar / Euro rates
quoted are normally for the information and guidance of the student
only. It is generally understood that the tuition fees as mentioned
in the Admission Letter do not change for the duration of the
course, except in some extraordinary circumstances. Utilities
such as gas, cold & hot water, heating and power to the hostels
are supplied and maintained by the local municipal administration.
In case there is some change in the tariff of these supplies to
the hostel, the hostel fees could be subject to some marginal
changes.
Q. Can a student get a scholarship / assistantship,
or take up part time work to earn some money for education expenses?
A. Education in Russia is highly subsidized by the
Government and hence no scholarships or assistantships are available
to International students. According to the Federal Law governing
foreign students in the Russian Federation, students can work
only during their free time i.e. after classes or during their
holidays. Their employer must be licensed to hire foreign citizens.
The student is liable for expulsion from the university should
he / she have poor attendance or poor academic achievement. Jobs
for International students are generally low paid & may be
only a way to earn some pocket money rather than to cover any
part of the tuition fees. It is strongly recommended that the
students do not take up any work at least during the first 2 to
3 years, since they do not speak Russian fluently enough. It is
important however for the student to remember that the main aim
in coming to Russia is to acquire an additional educational qualification,
& it is therefore advisable to concentrate on studies rather
than take up any part time assignments.
