Does the NMC approve medical universities in China?

The National Medical Commission (India) does not endorse any list of foreign medical institutions or universities for MBBS or equivalent courses, including in China. This position applies to Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India and is stated on the Commission's information desk page. What the Commission sets out instead are the eligibility conditions in regulation 4 of the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021, which its May 2025 advisory restates.

What the National Medical Commission (India) says about foreign university lists

The Commission's information desk page states that the erstwhile Medical Council of India had provided a list of foreign Medical Institutions/Universities for MBBS or equivalent course based upon information received from Indian embassies. However, the 2018 notification to the Screening Test Regulations states that all Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India who obtained a primary medical qualification from any medical institution outside India must qualify the prescribed screening test for registration in India. The page then clarifies that the National Medical Commission does not endorse any list of Foreign Medical Institutions/Universities for MBBS or equivalent course.

The public is advised, before taking admission in a university outside India, to obtain confirmation of the fee structure and course details (such as content, duration and internship) directly from the university or institution concerned. For background on the Ministry of Education's own list, this site's recognised universities section keeps the 2023–2024 edition.

Who the rule applies to

The screening test requirement applies to "An Indian citizen or a person who has been granted Overseas Citizenship of India" possessing a primary medical qualification from a medical institution outside India, who seeks provisional or permanent registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council on or after 15 March 2002.

For the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 conditions below, note that under regulation 5 those regulations do not apply to foreign medical graduates who had acquired their foreign medical degree, or were already pursuing their education in a foreign institution, before the regulations came into force on 18 November 2021 (per Q2 and Q4 of the Commission's FAQ on the regulations). Those persons are governed by the earlier applicable regulations.

What the National Medical Commission (India) sets instead: the FMGL 2021 conditions

Regulation 4 of the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 (Gazette of India, 18 November 2021) sets the conditions for permanent registration. No foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration unless he has:

• regulation 4(a)(i): undergone a course leading to a foreign medical degree with a minimum duration of fifty-four months;
• regulation 4(a)(ii): undergone an internship for a minimum duration of twelve months in the same foreign medical institution;
• regulation 4(a)(iii): received a foreign medical degree with medium of instructions in English; and
• regulation 4(a)(iv): studied the mandatory subjects specified in Schedule-I;
• regulation 4(b): registered with the respective professional regulatory body competent to grant a licence to practise medicine in the country in which the degree is awarded, at par with the licence given to a citizen of that country;
• regulation 4(c): undergone supervised internship in India for a minimum term of twelve months, after applying to the Commission; and
• regulation 4(d): cleared the National Exit Test or such other mandated test conducted by the Commission.

The Commission's May 2025 advisory (Advisory U-14021/UGMEB-2025 of 19 May 2025) restates these for students intending to pursue medical education in foreign countries: minimum 54 months in a single institution; 12-month internship at the same foreign university; clinical training not done in parts or across different countries; medium of instruction in English; the mandatory subjects in Schedule-I; and registration with the professional regulatory body in the country where the degree is awarded. The advisory adds that no foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration unless he or she has also undergone the supervised 12-month internship in India after applying to the Commission.

What the advisories warn

The May 2025 advisory, section 4, states that students graduating from non-compliant institutions will be held ineligible for licensing exams (FMGE) in India, and that the onus of this disqualification lies solely with the student, as per the Commission's regulations.

The July 2025 alert note (Alert Note No. U-15021/1/2024-UGMEB) adds two pieces of advice:

• Paragraph 4: failure to follow the advisory may result in ineligibility for medical registration in India; prospective students and their parents are advised to read the 19 May 2025 advisory on the National Medical Commission (India) website.
• Paragraph 5: students governed by the FMGL Regulations 2021 are advised they may face disqualification from registration in India for non-compliance, and should consider and evaluate whether their current university meets the FMGL Regulations 2021. They are advised to stay in touch with National Medical Commission (India) updates and to consult the Indian Embassy of the concerned country for updates on recognition or blacklisting of institutions, and to take corrective measures, since the FMGL Regulations are applied at the time of screening or registration.

Related questions

Does the National Medical Commission (India) require NEET to study medicine in China?

The information desk page's eligibility criteria state that Indian Citizens or Overseas Citizens of India intending to obtain a primary medical qualification from any medical institution outside India, on or after May 2018, shall have to mandatorily qualify the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for admission to MBBS. The NEET result is valid for three years from the date of declaration of the result.

Sources

• For Students to Study Abroad (Information Desk page) — National Medical Commission, India
• National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 — National Medical Commission, India
• Advisory U-14021/UGMEB-2025 of 19 May 2025 — National Medical Commission, India (Undergraduate Medical Education Board)
• Alert Note No. U-15021/1/2024-UGMEB of July 2025 — National Medical Commission, India (Undergraduate Medical Education Board)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): FMGs covered by FMGL Regulations, 2021 — National Medical Commission, India (Undergraduate Medical Education Board)

Checked 11 October 2026. This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or professional-licensing advice, is not published by the bodies named, promises no admission, examination or registration outcome, and the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.