What makes Ukraine preferred destination for Indian students

The first and foremost reason for choosing Ukraine as the destination for medical studies is the tuition fees. It is much cheaper than Indian private colleges. 

The Indian government's Operation Ganga is currently evacuating Indian nationals, including a sizeable strength of students who are there to study medicine. Prior to the launch of the operation, more than 4,000 Indians had already arrived in parts of the country as the tension continued to escalate between Russia and Ukraine. 

According to the External Affairs ministry, around 15,000 citizens are stranded in the war-ravaged country. Out of this, more than 1000 have been evacuated by Air India flights. Air India has carried out five sorties after Russia announced its military operation in Ukraine. 

Amongst the Indians in Ukraine, around 80-90 percent are students, who went there to pursue courses in medicine. Let us understand why Indian students prefer Ukraine for pursuing medical studies 

College fees 

As per the Ukrainian Education and Science ministry, there are more than 18,000 students in its country from India. The first and foremost reason for choosing Ukraine as the destination for medical studies is the tuition fees. It is much cheaper than Indian private colleges. 

According to an education consultant, the students prefer Ukraine for the MBBS course is due to the low fees structure and lesser competition. The Ukrainian colleges are recognized by the World Health Council and even by the Indian Medical Council.  

In Indian private colleges, a medical student has to spend around Rs 50 lakh to get his/her four-year MBBS course, including annual course fees of Rs 10-12 lakh. In Ukraine, the annual for the MBBS course is Rs 4-5 lakh. 

Competition 

In India, students need to crack the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test with a high percentile. Only then cab admission be granted. 

In Ukraine, the students are just required to qualify NEET. There is no criteria for a high score to get admission into Ukrainian colleges.

Infrastructure 

Besides the fact that medical courses are globally-recognized, the college infrastructure is also a reason for preferring Ukraine for medicine courses. 

No IELTS or TOEFL is required to get admission into Ukrainian colleges. The medium of teaching is English. 

There are chances that the students may get Permanent Residence and settlement in Europe after completion of their study program. There is also a provision of having three months' Summer Jobs during vacation in countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden and other European Union countries. 

There are also bilateral Student Exchange Programs with Universities in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Canada, Austria, Russia, Romania among others.