Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Bylova
Acting Rector of Northern State Medical University, Candidate of Medical Sciences and Associate Professor, as listed on the university's own leadership pages.
Northern State Medical University
A Ministry of Health medical university on the White Sea coast, teaching medicine in Arkhangelsk since 1932 and describing itself as the only medical university in the European Russian Arctic.
1,500+ Students trust us
Russia
Country
Arkhangelsk
City
₹3.96 lakh
Tuition per year, 2026-27
Russian
Medium of instruction
For Indian Students
Can Indian students study MBBS at Northern State Medical University?
Short answer: Yes, Indian students can study MBBS (General Medicine) at Northern State Medical University, taught in Russian after a one-year preparatory course. No, the degree does not meet the NMC rules, because the course is not taught in English, so it does not lead to the FMGE or an Indian licence.
Admission for Indian students
Admission runs through the university's own portal and a documentary assessment. Indian applicants submit a NEET certificate or a signed statement acknowledging that a foreign medical degree without a NEET qualification will not allow registration in India, and need a qualifying NEET UG result and the NMC Eligibility Certificate before going abroad.
Why the degree does not meet the NMC rules
The NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 ask for at least 54 months of study, a 12-month internship in the same foreign institution and English-medium teaching for the whole course. The six years clear the 54-month minimum, but the university's own English-language fee page states the language of General Medicine as Russian, and a one-year preparatory department takes students to B1 Russian before the degree begins. The course has also had no separate internship year after graduation since 2016.
Who this degree suits
It suits a student ready to study entirely in Russian who plans to practise outside India. The course ends in the state Primary Accreditation examination, which licenses the graduate to practise in Russia, and the university's WDOMS listing lets graduates apply for ECFMG Certification and sit the USMLE. If India is your goal, plan an English-medium programme with our counsellors instead.
Introduction
Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk
- Study programme:General Medicine (Lechebnoe Delo, code 31.05.01), six-year Specialist degree
- Language:Russian, with a one-year preparatory course to B1 level
- Duration:6 years, ending in the state Primary Accreditation examination
- University type:Federal state university, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation
- Per academic year fees:₹3.96 lakh (RUB 350,000), 2026-27, paid in two semester instalments
- Entrance examination:Admission by document assessment through the university portal
- Hostel:₹3,400 to ₹14,500 a month (RUB 3,000 to RUB 12,800), published by the university
- Recognition:Listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS)
Large group of international medical students in white coats on the stairs of a Northern State Medical University building
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Recognition & Prestige
Rankings & Recognition
Northern State Medical University appears in the RAEX Three University Missions international ranking, where it moved from the 87 to 112 band in 2022 to the 78 to 112 band in 2025. It does not appear in RAEX's top 100 Russian universities, in QS or in Times Higher Education.
78 to 112
RAEX Three University Missions ranking band, 2025
Northern State Medical University is a Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, holding Russian state accreditation. Clinical training runs across 27 state medical organisations in Arkhangelsk and a further 378 across the Arkhangelsk Region and beyond. The university is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. For India, the NMC's FMGL 2021 rules require English-medium teaching throughout, and this programme is taught in Russian, so this degree does not meet the NMC rules for an Indian licence.
Accreditations and Recognition
WDOMS
Northern State Medical University is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools
Complete Information About Northern State Medical University
Get complete information about Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, including tuition, living costs, admission and recognition for Indian students.
Success stories
Student Success Stories
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Academic Excellence
Why Study Medicine at Northern State Medical University
Northern State Medical University offers a six-year state medical degree at RUB 350,000 a year, with dormitory places from RUB 3,000 a month, in a city where it has taught international students for more than thirty years. The Russian medium and the Arctic winter are part of the same decision.
Published Fees, Down to the Rouble
Low Dormitory Rates
A Wide Clinical Base
Thirty Years of International Students
Arctic Medicine
A Structured Language Route
Not a Route to an Indian Licence
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How to Apply
Admission Process for General Medicine
Admission to General Medicine runs through the university's own online portal and a documentary assessment. Applications go through the entrant portal at account.nsmu.ru or the Russian Gosuslugi portal. Indian applicants submit either a NEET certificate or a signed statement acknowledging that a foreign medical degree without a NEET qualification will not allow them to register and practise in India. A qualifying NEET UG result and the NMC Eligibility Certificate remain Indian requirements completed before going abroad.
Admission Timeline
- 1Before applyingQualify NEET UG and obtain the NMC Eligibility Certificate
Indian citizens need a qualifying NEET UG result before joining a medical course abroad, valid for three years from its declaration, and the NMC Eligibility Certificate before starting the course.
- 2On applicationRegister on the entrant portal
Apply through account.nsmu.ru or the Russian Gosuslugi portal, with all documents uploaded as machine-readable scans.
- 3With the applicationSubmit translated documents
Passport and secondary-education certificate, each with a notarised Russian translation, with a medical certificate confirming no contraindications to study, fluorography, and HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C results, all with notarised translations.
- 4With the applicationMedical insurance and NEET documentation
A medical insurance policy valid in Russia and, for Indian applicants, the NEET certificate or the signed acknowledgement.
- 5After acceptanceInvitation letter and student visa
The university issues an invitation letter through the Russian migration authority for the student visa application at a Russian consular centre in India.
- 6Within 90 days of arrivalFingerprinting and registration
Fingerprinting and photographing are completed within 90 days of arrival, alongside migration registration and the visa and migration-card formalities.
Eligibility Criteria
Academic Qualification
The applicant submits a secondary-education certificate with a notarised Russian translation and the medical documentation listed below. Under Indian NMC rules an Indian applicant also needs Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English at Class 12, with at least 50% aggregate in Physics, Chemistry and Biology for the general category, 40% for SC, ST and OBC candidates and 45% for general-category candidates with benchmark disabilities, together with a qualifying NEET UG result.
Subjects:
PhysicsChemistryBiologyEnglish
Age Requirement
Under Indian NMC rules the candidate must be 17 years old by 31 December of the admission year, with no upper age limit. The university sets no separate age condition.
- Minimum 17 yearsAge to be completed by 31 December of the admission year, under Indian NMC rules
Requirements
The requirements are documentary and medical, and two of them need arranging in India before departure.
Notarised Russian Translations
The passport and the secondary-education certificate each need a notarised Russian translation, as do the medical certificate and every test result. Arrange these in India before applying.
Medical Documentation
A medical certificate confirming no contraindications to study, fluorography results, and HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C test results, all with notarised translations, plus medical insurance valid in Russia.
Entrance Examination
Admission rests on the documentary assessment through the university portal rather than on category-wise minimum marks.
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Application route | Entrant portal at account.nsmu.ru or the Russian Gosuslugi portal, with documents uploaded as machine-readable scans |
| Documentary assessment | Passport and secondary-education certificate with notarised Russian translations, medical certificate, fluorography, HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C results, and medical insurance valid in Russia |
| Indian applicants | NEET certificate, or a signed statement acknowledging that a foreign medical degree without a NEET qualification will not allow registration and practice in India |
Required Documents
To apply, students need to submit essential academic and identification documents:
- Passport with a notarised Russian translation
- Secondary-education certificate with a notarised Russian translation
- Medical certificate, fluorography, and HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C results with notarised translations
- NEET certificate or the signed acknowledgement, plus the NMC Eligibility Certificate for Indian nationals
- + More
Admission Guidance & Document Checklist
Get the complete document checklist or admission guidance from our experts.
Programme Structure
MBBS Curriculum & Internship Structure
General Medicine (code 31.05.01, Lechebnoe Delo) is a six-year integrated Specialist degree leading to the professional title of Doctor, taught in Russian after a one-year preparatory course. Clinical rotations and practical training run through the later years, and there has been no separate internship year after graduation since 2016: the course ends in the state Primary Accreditation examination, which licenses the graduate to practise in Russia.
General Medicine Course
Total Duration:
6 Years, after a one-year preparatory course, ending in the state Primary Accreditation examination
Degree:
Specialist in General Medicine (Vrach, equivalent to MBBS)
Curriculum Phases at Northern State Medical University
Preparatory year
Russian Language Foundation
37 theoretical weeks and 2,160 academic hours from A1 through A2 to B1 on the TORFL scale, at RUB 130,000 (about ₹1.47 lakh):
Russian as a Foreign LanguageSubject terminologyScientific style of speechYears 1 to 3
Preclinical Foundations and Propaedeutics
The healthy human body, the mechanisms of disease and the first patient examination teaching, under the Russian federal standard:
Human AnatomyHistology and EmbryologyNormal PhysiologyBiochemistryMedical BiologyPathological AnatomyPathophysiologyPharmacologyMicrobiologyPropaedeutics of Internal DiseasesGeneral SurgeryYears 4 to 5
Clinical Disciplines
Teaching across the clinical specialties, with rotations through the university's clinical bases in Arkhangelsk:
Internal MedicineSurgeryObstetrics and GynaecologyPaediatricsNeurologyPsychiatryDermatovenereologyInfectious DiseasesOncologyOphthalmologyOtorhinolaryngologyTraumatologyForensic MedicineYear 6
Final Clinical Year and Primary Accreditation
Supervised practice, concluding in the state Primary Accreditation examination that licenses practice in Russia:
Internal MedicineSurgeryObstetrics and GynaecologyEmergency MedicinePolyclinic PracticePublic Health
Clinical Rotations
Clinical training runs across the university's network of clinical bases in Arkhangelsk and the wider region:
| Clinical base | Detail |
|---|---|
| State medical organisations in Arkhangelsk | 27 organisations within the city, used for the main body of clinical teaching |
| Medical organisations across the region and beyond | A further 378 state and private medical organisations, giving 405 clinical bases in total |
| Arctic and circumpolar medicine | An agreement with the Nenets Autonomous District, signed in August 2026, on developing Arctic medicine |
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Clinical Network
Clinical Bases and International Cooperation
Northern State Medical University publishes no student exchange programme for its international track. It publishes the scale of its clinical network and the direction of its international partnerships, which has shifted since 2022.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Clinical bases in Arkhangelsk | 27 state medical organisations within the city |
| Clinical bases beyond the city | 378 state and private medical organisations across the Arkhangelsk Region and beyond |
| Arctic medicine partnership | Agreement signed with the Nenets Autonomous District in August 2026 on developing Arctic medicine |
| International direction | Representative offices opened in India and the Middle East since 2022, with partnerships focused on India, China, the Middle East and Southeast Asia |
| Barents research history | A long-running Russian and Norwegian research collaboration on occupational and environmental health in the Barents region |
Explore the Clinical Training Network
The table above sets out the scale of the university's clinical base and the direction of its international partnerships.
Legacy
The People Behind Northern State Medical University
The university has taught medicine in Arkhangelsk since 1932, and its graduates now work in more than sixty countries.
Faculty
Northern State Medical University teaches around 5,000 students across nine faculties and 42 departments, from its main building at 51 Troitsky Avenue in Arkhangelsk. Clinical teaching runs across 405 clinical bases, 27 of them within the city. The university is led by Acting Rector Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Bylova.
Academic Expertise
Nine faculties across 42 departments
405 clinical bases, 27 within Arkhangelsk
Arctic and circumpolar medicine as a research specialism
Federal state university under the Ministry of Health
Student Support & Mentorship
Preparatory department of 2,160 academic hours to B1 Russian
More than thirty years of international students
University-run visa support and migration registration
Published dormitory rates by building and room type
About University
History Information
Founded on 16 December 1932
Academy Status in 1994
University Status on 9 October 2000
The Arctic University Today
Get all information about Northern State Medical University in our free brochure
Read on to find out how you can fulfil your dream of studying medicine at Northern State Medical University.
Role in medicine
Role in medical education
Medical Education for the Russian North
Arctic and Circumpolar Medicine
Thirty Years of International Students
Get all information about Northern State Medical University in our free brochure
Read on to find out how you can fulfil your dream of studying medicine at Northern State Medical University.
Cost of living
Living Cost in Arkhangelsk
University accommodation in Arkhangelsk is inexpensive, and the university publishes its rates to the rouble. The rows below are monthly approximations in rupees; heating and winter clothing are real extra costs in a northern city.
Monthly Living Cost
| Cost Component | Approximate Amount |
|---|---|
| Accommodation (university dormitory or hostel, RUB 3,000 to RUB 12,800) | ₹3,400 to ₹14,500 |
| Food | ₹20,300 to ₹31,600 |
| Transport | ₹1,100 to ₹2,300 |
| Other expenses (utilities, internet, SIM, leisure) | ₹3,400 to ₹9,000 |
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Average monthly living cost
₹28,200 to ₹57,400
Housing
Accommodation
Northern State Medical University publishes its accommodation rates to the rouble, from RUB 3,000 to RUB 12,800 a month depending on the building and the room.
Dormitories 1, 2 and 3
Hostels 1 and 2
Hostel 3, Rooms by Type
Additional Charges
How Payment Works
Winter Kit Is a Separate Cost
Need accommodation details?
Get a full overview of housing options with our university guide, or reach out to an expert.
Food & Dining
Cooking, Groceries and Indian Food in Arkhangelsk
Indian food in Arkhangelsk is largely a matter of cooking for yourself, and the accommodation is set up for that.
Hostel 3 offers single, double and triple rooms with their own kitchens, from RUB 10,600 to RUB 12,800 a month, and the cheaper room types share kitchen facilities. For an Indian student this is the main way to eat Indian food regularly.
Students arriving from India generally bring a spice supply and restock through bulk orders. The national marketplaces Ozon and Wildberries ship Indian and Asian spice brands across Russia, including to Arkhangelsk.
Large Russian supermarket chains in Arkhangelsk carry rice, lentils, vegetables and a limited range of spices.
Arkhangelsk is a regional city with a normal range of Russian cafés and restaurants, at prices well below Moscow.
Yandex Eda is the main food delivery platform in Russia, alongside Ozon and Wildberries for groceries and household goods.
Location
How to Reach Northern State Medical University
Address
Northern State Medical University, Troitsky Avenue 51, Arkhangelsk, 163000, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Arkhangelsk sits on the Northern Dvina close to the White Sea, at 64.5 degrees north, roughly 1,000 km north of Moscow.
Nearest Airport
Talagi Airport, Arkhangelsk (ARH). There is no direct flight from India: the route runs through Moscow, with a domestic flight of about two hours onward
Local Transport
City buses and taxis, with the main university building on Troitsky Avenue in the city centre
Your Roadmap to Success
Career Pathways After General Medicine at Northern State Medical University
Graduates receive the Russian Specialist diploma in General Medicine (code 31.05.01) with the professional qualification of Doctor, the Russian primary medical qualification and the equivalent of an Indian MBBS, not an Indian postgraduate MD.
The NMC's FMGL 2021 rules require English-medium teaching throughout, and this university publishes General Medicine as a Russian-medium programme, so this degree does not meet the NMC rules for an Indian licence and does not lead to the FMGE (NExT deferred and not in force). A student aiming for India should plan an English-medium programme with our counsellors.
The six years end in the state Primary Accreditation examination, which licenses a graduate to work as a doctor in Russia. Specialisation then runs through ordinatura, the Russian residency.
The university's research specialism in northern and circumpolar health, and its Barents-region record in occupational and environmental medicine, is an unusual direction for a graduate interested in public or environmental health.
Northern State Medical University is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS), so its graduates can apply for ECFMG Certification and sit the USMLE. ECFMG's accreditation policy is for information only and does not affect an individual graduate's eligibility for ECFMG Certification.
Understand the Medical Licensing Pathway
A clear overview of the exams and requirements after graduation.
Practising in India
FMGE (NExT Deferred and Not in Force)
To practise in India after graduating abroad, an Indian student qualifies NEET UG before admission, completes a programme that meets the NMC's FMGL 2021 rules, clears the FMGE (NExT is deferred and not in force), completes any required internship in India and registers with the NMC or a State Medical Council. This programme is taught in Russian, so this degree does not meet the NMC rules for an Indian licence.
Step 1
Teaching in English
The NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 ask for the whole course to be taught in English. Northern State Medical University's own English-language fee page states the language of General Medicine as Russian, and the university runs a one-year preparatory department to B1 Russian, so this degree does not meet the NMC rules for an Indian licence. If India is your goal, plan an English-medium programme with our counsellors.
Step 2
Course Length and Internship
The regulations ask for a course of at least 54 months and an internship of at least twelve months in the same foreign institution. Six years clears the course length. The degree is an integrated Specialist degree with clinical practice in the later years and no separate internship year after graduation, so the internship arrangement of your programme is what counts.
Step 3
FMGE (NExT deferred and not in force)
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences conducts the FMGE twice a year with a pass mark of 150 out of 300. In the December 2025 session 42,872 candidates appeared and 10,262 qualified, a pass rate of 23.95%. In June 2025, 36,034 appeared and 6,707 qualified, 18.61%. The National Exit Test (NExT), intended to replace the FMGE, is deferred and not in force. NBEMS publishes no pass rate by university or by country.
Step 4
Clinical Internship in India (CRMI)
After clearing the FMGE, a foreign graduate completes a twelve-month Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship at a hospital in India, the same twelve months an Indian MBBS graduate completes.
Step 5
Medical Registration
The final step is registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council, with the Russian degree apostilled for use in India. A registered graduate can practise anywhere in India.
Student Life Style
Student life at Northern State Medical University
Arkhangelsk sits at 64.5 degrees north on the Northern Dvina, close to the White Sea and about 1,000 km north of Moscow. The winter light is the adjustment students mention first.
Aerial view of a meandering river across the Russian countryside in summer
The Light, Not Just the Cold
Aerial view of a river valley between forested hills in autumn, Russia
Academics and Language
Accommodation and Daily Costs
Money and Payments
Safety
The City
Scholarship & Financial
Scholarship & Financial Aid
The university offers no scholarship of its own for international students. The funded route is the Russian government quota, administered nationally rather than by the university.
The Russian government scholarship covers medicine among other fields at most Russian universities. Selection is by prior-education grades and a portfolio of publications, recommendations and competition certificates, with no entrance examination. Applicants choose up to six universities in priority order on the official portal, and final placement depends on the university's decision.
- Covers tuition fees only
- Does not cover living costs, accommodation or travel
- First-stage deadline 15 January
The one-year preparatory department costs RUB 130,000 (about ₹1.47 lakh) and takes students to B1 Russian before the degree begins. For a Russian-medium programme it is part of the route.
Tuition of RUB 350,000 a year (about ₹3.96 lakh, so about ₹23.7 lakh over six years) is paid in two equal semester instalments, and accommodation is also paid per semester.
Compare
Compare Colleges
Compare Northern State Medical University with India's top-ranked government medical college.
Quick Comparison:
Northern State Medical University vs AIIMS New Delhi
| University | Northern State Medical UniversityArkhangelsk, Russia | AIIMS New DelhiNew Delhi, India |
|---|---|---|
| University Type | Public, Ministry of Health, founded 1932 | Institute of National Importance (government) |
| Medium | Russian, after a one-year preparatory course | English |
| Course Duration | 6 years plus a preparatory year, with clinical training built into the later years | 5.5 years, being 4.5 years plus a 12-month internship |
| Tuition (per year) | ₹3.96 lakh (RUB 350,000), 2026-27 | About ₹1,628 in academic fees for the whole course, including ₹1,350 tuition |
| Admission | Documentary assessment through the university portal, plus a qualifying NEET UG result | NEET UG |
| Recognition | Listed in WDOMS; taught in Russian, so it does not meet the NMC rules for an Indian licence | Listed in WDOMS |
| Ranking | RAEX Three University Missions band 78 to 112 (2025) | NIRF Medical 1 (2025) |
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the questions students and parents ask most often about studying medicine at Northern State Medical University.
The university's own fee page states the language of General Medicine as Russian. A one-year preparatory department of 2,160 academic hours takes students from A1 to B1 on the TORFL scale, for RUB 130,000, before the degree begins.
No. The NMC's FMGL 2021 rules require English-medium teaching throughout. Six years clears the 54-month minimum, but the university publishes General Medicine as a Russian-medium programme, so this degree does not meet the NMC rules for an Indian licence. If India is your goal, plan an English-medium programme with our counsellors.
NEET is not the university's own admission test. Indian applicants submit either a NEET certificate or a signed statement acknowledging that a foreign medical degree without a NEET qualification will not allow registration in India. Indian citizens need a qualifying NEET UG result and the NMC Eligibility Certificate before going abroad.
Tuition for General Medicine is RUB 350,000 a year for 2026-27, about ₹3.96 lakh, paid in two equal semester instalments. The preparatory language year costs RUB 130,000, and dormitory accommodation runs from RUB 3,000 to RUB 12,800 a month.
Dormitories 1, 2 and 3 cost RUB 4,018 a month, about ₹4,500. Hostel 1 is RUB 3,000 and Hostel 2 RUB 3,500. Hostel 3 is priced by room type, from RUB 8,800 for a triple to RUB 12,800 for a single with kitchen. Electricity and laundry are charged per semester.
The programme runs six years after the preparatory year, with clinical practice in the later years, and ends in the state Primary Accreditation examination. Russia has had no separate internship year after graduation since 2016.
Across 27 state medical organisations in Arkhangelsk and a further 378 medical organisations across the Arkhangelsk Region and beyond, 405 clinical bases in total.
January averages a high of about minus 9°C and a low of about minus 16°C, with the cold season running from late November to early March. On 21 December there are 3 hours and 53 minutes of daylight, and on 21 June 21 hours and 31 minutes.
There is no direct flight. The route is Delhi or Mumbai to Moscow, then a domestic flight of about two hours to Talagi Airport in Arkhangelsk.
Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia in March 2022, so Indian-issued cards do not work there. Students open a Russian bank account and use a Mir card, and pay tuition by transfer to the university's own account.
The university appears in the RAEX Three University Missions international ranking, in the 78 to 112 band for 2025, up from the 87 to 112 band in 2022. It does not appear in the QS or Times Higher Education world rankings or in RAEX's top 100 Russian universities.