Why do Indian medical students flock to Iran to study?

The Federal caught up with some of the students to ask what prompted them to pursue an MBBS in Iran. According to 2023 data, around 1,700 Indian students study in Iran; most are in the medical field, while others are in engineering.

Affordable MBBS

Most of them said that the medical courses were affordable in Iran, and the country offered a safe environment, friendly culture and a simple curriculum. In India, however, they have to contend with the heavily competitive NEET exam, and steep tuition fees of private medical college hospitals.

In NEET-UG 2025, 22 lakh students appeared for the medical exam for just over 1.1 lakh MBBS seats. Of the total seats, only about 58,000 seats are in government medical colleges. With tuition fees at private medical colleges shooting upto Rs 1 crore, students find Iran a more affordable option.

The annual tuition fee in Iran ranges from $4000-$6000, and this includes the accommodation facilities.

Also read: Students back from Iran stare at bleak future; seek govt's help

Explaining why she decided to pursue a medical degree in Iran, Sobia Sajad, one of the students who recently landed in Delhi, after being evacuated from Iran, said, "I tried to get a medical seat in India for the past three years and I got admission in mediocre private colleges who were asking for Rs 70-80 lakhs. I could not afford it but I did not want to give up on my dream. Safety is a concern in India, which is not the case in Iran. It is top notch there. Naturally, students find all these factors to their advantage." Not everyone can afford to do an MBBS in India, she stressed.

Easy admission process

Besides affordability, the easy admission process to recognised universities equipped with modern equipment and technology in Iran also attract students from India in droves, said the students from Iran.

Also read: 'We heard blasts': Indian student recalls horror and fear after evacuation from Iran

Farwah Zainab, a third-year medical student at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran too pointed out that not everyone is able to bag a seat in Indian government colleges.

“In Iran, we can get a seat in recognised medical universities without any entrance exam for admission. The universities have strong medical infrastructure, we also enjoy a decent cost of living, a safe and culturally familiar environment. Moreover, the Multiple Choice Question-based question pattern in exams, prepares us for future entrance exams like NEET PG and others," shared Zainab.

However, the medical course in Iran is longer than in India taking around six years to complete.

Major disruption

However, it is another matter that the Iran-Israel conflict has suddenly disrupted their studies and the students are anxious about their future.

Also read: Israel-Iran conflict LIVE: After ceasefire, Iran executes 3 men accused of spying for Israel

According to Sobia, students have been told by their college authorities to consider the current period as a vacation. Further plans will also be notified to them, they said, she added.

"It was examination time now, after which we would have left Iran for about one and half months in August and September. We just hope that the situation normalises because we don't want to suffer like the students from Ukraine,” said Sobia.

The Ukraine story

A similar situation cropped up due to the aftermath of the lingering Ukraine-Russia war. At that time, Indian students who were forced to return to India were not allowed to pursue their medical degree or internship in India. The National Medical Commission (NMC), however, had provided a one-time "Academic Mobility Program", allowing students to migrate to other universities outside India but not within the country.

The students from war-torn Iran are now worried about what lies ahead for them.

The wait

Despite the ‘ceasefire’, the students are anxious about whether the situation will stabilise anytime soon. While some of the universities contacted the students and assured them of their support, they are yet to receive any official communication from the education department.

Zara Anim, a medical student, who was recently evacuated from Iran said that the university has remained in constant communication with her and they have been told that exams have been deferred.

"We are waiting for official announcements regarding the revised schedule and format. The situation is still tense there, but all the decisions are taken by the Ministry of Education regarding exams since all the universities in Iran are public universities,” Anim pointed out.

It would have been our semester break after a month or two anyway, she added. “Now, we are waiting for a reply from both the ministry of Health and Education, and our universities for their final decision,” she shared.

Foreign Medical Graduate exam

When students return to India after completing their course abroad, it is mandatory for them to appear for the Foreign Medical Graduate examination. They have to clear this exam before they can start practising in India.

However, nearly 35,000-40,000 students appear for this exam and only 30 per cent of these candidates qualify for the exam.

Despite the course being longer in Iran, many of these students recommended Iran's MBBS degree course since the syllabus is also similar to the one in India.

Dr Mohammad Momin Khan, Vice President, (Jammu & Kashmir), All India Medical Students' Association also told The Federal that the medical syllabus though is of longer duration in Iran, it is similar to the one in India.

“For this reason, it is easier for the medical students from Iran to pass the Foreign Medical Graduate examination as they are trained well. This means they can return to India to practise medicine,” Dr Khan said, adding that he hoped this situation in Iran does not continue for long and affect the future of these students.