The uncertainty surrounding the re-examination of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test has begun affecting another set of aspirations — those planning to pursue medical education abroad.
The NEET examination for medical admissions was conducted across the country on May 3. In the days that followed, educational counselling centres reported a steady rise in enquiries from students seeking admission to foreign medical universities. Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan continued to remain popular among students from Tamil Nadu, while this year also saw renewed interest in medical colleges in China despite tighter recognition from Indian government.
Indian students who have cleared National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and who have a minimum of 50 per cent marks in the relevant core subjects/degrees (in the case of SC/ST and OBC students, the minimum marks are only 40%), can apply for MBBS courses in Russia.
While for admission in China’s medical universities, Indian students are required to pass the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG). Most universities require at least 50% to 60% in Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB) in Class 12 and an age group between 17 and 25 years.
Admission firms expected overseas admissions to rise this year as more students approached them for guidance. However, the alleged leak of the NEET question paper and the subsequent cancellation of the examination disrupted those plans. NTA later announced that a re-examination would be conducted on June 21, leading to uncertainty regarding admission among students and parents.
Private medical counselling centres now say enquiries have sharply reduced and that the admission cycle for foreign universities could be delayed by nearly two months. According to counsellors, the biggest concern is the delay in NEET results, since qualification in the examination is mandatory even for students planning to study medicine abroad.
They pointed out that if results are announced by the second week of July, admissions could proceed smoothly. A longer delay, however, may affect visa timelines, as several countries require between three and eight weeks for processing.
Russian universities, counsellors said, have already postponed entrance examinations for Indian medical aspirants from July to August and are expected to continue admissions until October. Nearly 3,500-4,000 students from Tamil Nadu join Russian medical universities every year.
Meanwhile, repeated uncertainty surrounding examinations is severely affecting students mentally. Students often experience stress, anger and self-doubt after the cancellation and re-examination in such conditions.
