MBBS Aspirant's Rs 30 Lakh Dreams Shattered Over NEET UG Rule for Foreign Medical Graduates

Jun, 10 2025

No NEET, No Registration: Costly Lesson for Indian MBBS Students Abroad

Imagine spending around Rs 30 lakh and years of your life on dreams of becoming a doctor—only to be stopped cold at the finish line. That’s exactly what happened to an Indian student who successfully completed an MBBS program overseas, but was denied registration with the National Medical Commission (NMC) after returning home. The reason? Lack of a valid NEET UG scorecard.

This isn’t just a one-off case. As more Indian students head abroad for medical education, the hurdles they face back home are mounting—especially after a sweeping rule change in June 2019. Before that, getting an eligibility certificate from the Medical Council of India was the main requirement. But now, the system has flipped. NEET UG, the entrance test for Indian medical colleges, is a must even if you’ve never set foot in an Indian classroom. Miss that, and you can forget about registering as a doctor here, no matter how much you’ve spent.

NEET UG: The Dealbreaker Many Students Overlook

Students and families are pouring their savings into MBBS degrees in countries ranging from Russia and Ukraine to China and the Philippines. It sounds like a smart move—get a medical degree at a lower cost and skip the cutthroat competition in Indian colleges. But there’s a catch. Since mid-2019, the NMC expects every Indian citizen aiming to become a doctor—even if trained abroad—to clear NEET UG before signing up for any MBBS program. This score isn’t just a piece of paper; it’s now the literal ticket for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) registration. Without it, all those years and lakhs of rupees spent are as good as wasted for medical practice back home.

Most people don’t realize how strictly these rules are enforced. Even if you ace your foreign university exams, the NEET UG scorecard is now mandatory for NMC registration. The unfortunate student at the heart of this story only realized the importance of the rule after returning to India. The authorities simply turned them away during the registration process, highlighting that nothing except a qualifying NEET score works as an 'eligibility certificate' now. And this isn’t just a bureaucratic checkbox—it can be devastating, giving families a harsh jolt after years of expectation.

So, what changed in 2019? The National Medical Commission made it compulsory for all Indian citizens seeking MBBS degrees abroad to qualify NEET UG, regardless of where or when they plan to study. The rule was meant to ensure a standard minimum entry requirement so that only eligible candidates pursue medicine. But, some overseas colleges and agents aren’t upfront about this requirement, leaving students in the dark until it’s too late.

To put it bluntly, this is the reality now: Indian students who want to return and practice as doctors must clear NEET before leaving for overseas medical programs. If you don’t, your medical degree—even with a fat price tag—won’t open any doors back home. It’s a lesson learned the hard way, and as this recent example shows, the stakes couldn’t be higher.