Do Nepali students need to pass the MEC entrance exam before MBBS in China?

Yes. For Nepali students, Nepal's rule requires it: section 16(2) of the National Medical Education Act 2018 says any person going from Nepal to study higher education in another country shall have passed the entrance examination. The Medical Education Commission's 2024 MBBS accreditation standard repeats this for medical study: a student going abroad to study a medical course must get an eligibility certificate from MEC and must have passed the bachelor level Medical Entrance Examinations. This site's pre-departure requirements section lists what each home regulator asks before leaving.

What the National Medical Education Act 2018 requires

Section 16(2), first clause, of the National Medical Education Act, 2018 (2075) — an English translation published by the Medical Education Commission — states that any person going from Nepal to study higher education in another country shall have passed the entrance examination pursuant to sub-section (1).

The clause applies to Nepali students leaving Nepal for any higher-education study abroad, including an MBBS programme in mainland China.

Section 16(5) of the Act lists exceptions which this page does not reproduce.

What the 2024 MBBS accreditation standard adds

Section 6.1 of the Accreditation Standards for MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) 2024 (Medical Education Commission, Nepal) ends with a sentence on study abroad: students going to foreign countries to study a medical course must get the eligibility certificate from MEC and must have passed the bachelor level Medical Entrance Examinations.

How to get the eligibility certificate

The MEC Eligibility Certificate portal (eligibility.mec.gov.np) landing page tells applicants to register or log in and to read the instructions before proceeding. The portal's instructions govern the certificate.

Related questions

Is a licensing examination mentioned in the MEC standard?

The Accreditation Standards for MBBS 2024 include a "Licensing Examination" sentence: there is a provision of licensing examination by the respective council after acquiring the academic degree.

Sources

• National Medical Education Act, 2018 (2075), English translation published by the Medical Education Commission — Medical Education Commission (MEC), Nepal
• Accreditation Standards for MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) 2024 — Medical Education Commission (MEC), Nepal
• MEC Eligibility Certificate (online application portal, landing page) — Medical Education Commission (MEC), Nepal

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.