MBBS Stipend 2026: Intern Pay by State (NMC Data)

The MBBS stipend is the monthly pay an intern receives during the compulsory 12-month internship. In government colleges it runs from about Rs. 12,000 a month in Uttar Pradesh to Rs. 43,099 at one West Bengal college, as reported to the NMC. There is no national rate. Each state, university or college fixes it.

Key Takeaways: MBBS stipend 2026

• Every intern must be paid. The NMC Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations, 2021 say all interns shall be paid a stipend fixed by the appropriate authority of the institution, university or state.

• The amount depends on where you intern. On the NMC stipend detail list, government colleges report from Rs. 12,000 a month (Uttar Pradesh) to Rs. 34,310 (Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi) and Rs. 43,099 (Raiganj, West Bengal).

• Private colleges often pay much less. Of about 210 private and trust colleges that gave a figure on the NMC list, around 90 reported an intern stipend below Rs. 10,000 a month.

• Colleges must publish their stipend. An NMC public notice of 16 April 2024 asks colleges to put stipend details on their website and update them by the 5th of every month.

• Foreign medical graduates are covered too. Graduates who studied abroad do the same internship in India, at par with Indian graduates, after passing the FMGE. Our guide to the FMG internship stipend explains their rights.

What is the MBBS stipend?

The MBBS stipend is a monthly payment made to a medical graduate during the compulsory rotating medical internship. The internship, called CRMI, is 12 months of supervised work in hospital departments. It comes after the final MBBS exam and before permanent registration as a doctor. Our post on the MBBS internship structure explains the postings month by month.

The stipend is not a salary. An intern is still a trainee and cannot practise alone. Once the internship ends and the doctor is registered, pay comes from a job, such as a junior resident post, instead. For the full picture of studying MBBS at home, see our MBBS in India hub page.

Who decides the MBBS stipend amount?

No national body sets one figure. Schedule IV of the CRMI Regulations, 2021 says: "All interns shall be paid stipend as fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution/ University or State." In practice this works in three ways.

• State government colleges pay the rate the state health or medical education department fixes by government order. Kerala, for example, fixed Rs. 27,300 a month for house surgeons from 1 July 2024 in Government Order G.O.(Ms) No. 141/2024/H&FWD.

• Central government institutions, such as Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi, follow central rates. Lady Hardinge reports Rs. 30,070 a month on the NMC list.

• Private, trust and deemed colleges set their own figure. The NMC list shows the state rate and the college rate side by side, and the two often differ. Datta Meghe Medical College, Nagpur, for example, lists a state rate of Rs. 18,000 and a college rate of Rs. 10,000.

MBBS stipend by state in 2026: government colleges

The table below uses the NMC stipend detail list. The NMC built it from reports colleges sent between April 2024 and February 2026, so some figures predate the latest state revisions. Each row names one government college so you can see a real figure, not an average.

Read the table as a range, not a league. Within one state, colleges can report different figures. In West Bengal, most government colleges report Rs. 29,733, while Raiganj reports Rs. 43,099. In Uttar Pradesh, King George's Medical University, Moti Lal Nehru Medical College in Prayagraj and Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi all report Rs. 12,000. Our web story on intern stipends by state shows the same gap in a few slides.

Why does the MBBS stipend vary so much by state?

The MBBS stipend varies because the CRMI Regulations hand the decision to the authority that runs and funds each college. Each state revises its own rate by its own government order, at its own time. A state that revised its rate in 2024 will look high next to one that last revised it years earlier.

The gap is wide. The highest government figure on the NMC list, Rs. 43,099, is more than three times the Uttar Pradesh figure of Rs. 12,000 for the same 12 months of work. For a family, this means the college you choose at NEET counselling also decides the stipend in year five or six.

MBBS stipend in private medical colleges

Private colleges report a much wider spread. On the NMC list, about 210 private and trust colleges gave an intern figure. Around 90 of them reported less than Rs. 10,000 a month. The lowest entries are Rs. 2,000 a month, for example at Konaseema Institute of Medical Sciences in Andhra Pradesh. A few pay well: Christian Medical College, Vellore reports Rs. 33,920.

You can check a college before you choose it. The MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026 information bulletin says stipend, fee structure and bond details are provided by each college in the college information on the MCC portal. Read that entry for every college on your choice list.

NMC rules on MBBS stipend disclosure and penalties

The NMC has issued two public notices that every intern should know.

Both notices refer to directions of the Supreme Court in Writ Petition No. 730 of 2022, Abhishek Yadav and others vs Army College of Medical Sciences, on non-payment of stipends and internship fees. Our web story on MBBS intern stipend rules follows that case.

MBBS stipend rules: leave, extensions and the 52-week limit

The CRMI Regulations, 2021 set some limits that affect your total stipend.

• 52 weeks only. The total stipend for the whole internship may be paid for 52 weeks, which is 12 months.

• No stipend for most extensions. If your internship is extended, the stipend may not be paid for the extra period. The exceptions are maternity leave, paternity leave and medical leave approved by the Medical Board.

• Fifteen days of normal leave. Interns may take a maximum of 15 days of leave with prior permission across the whole internship.

• Two-year deadline. The internship must be completed within two years of passing the final MBBS exam or the FMGE.

MBBS stipend for foreign medical graduates (FMGs)

A foreign medical graduate is an Indian student who earned the medical degree abroad. Such a graduate must first pass the FMGE, the screening exam run by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS). In the December 2025 FMGE, 10,264 of 42,868 candidates passed, which is 23.94 per cent, or roughly one in four (NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025).

After the FMGE, the graduate does the same 12-month internship in India. The CRMI Regulations, 2021 say foreign medical graduates must undergo internship at par with Indian medical graduates. Some colleges show this on the NMC list. Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital in Mumbai, for example, reports Rs. 18,000 a month for Indian graduates and for FMGs alike.

Internship places for FMGs are allotted by the State Medical Councils. An NMC circular of 10 March 2026 sets aside 7.5 per cent of the permitted intern intake in established colleges for FMGs, plus all internship seats in new colleges. Our post on FMG internship and registration covers the steps, and our FMGE pass rate guide shows results by country.

What should you do if your MBBS stipend is delayed or not paid?

Start with paperwork, then escalate in writing. The NMC notices give you a clear basis to ask.

1. Find the sanctioned rate. Check the stipend your college publishes on its website, as the NMC notice of 16 April 2024 requires. Ask the college office for the government order or circular that fixes it.

2. Compare it with what you receive. Note the month, the amount paid and the amount due. Keep bank statements, your posting letter and duty rosters.

3. Write to the college first. Send a written request to the Dean or Principal and keep a dated copy. Many delays are administrative and end here.

4. Escalate to the state. If nothing changes, write to the state Directorate of Medical Education, which sets and funds government college stipends.

5. Write to the NMC. Quote the NMC public notice of 11 July 2025 on stipend disclosure and payment. It lists the actions the NMC can take against a college that does not comply.

Does the MBBS stipend continue after the internship?

No. The MBBS stipend ends with the 12-month internship. After permanent registration, a doctor can apply for paid posts such as junior resident, medical officer or a postgraduate seat. Postgraduate residents receive their own stipend, covered in our web story on PG resident stipends. For pay after registration, read our guide to doctor salary in India and our list of government jobs after MBBS.

Graduates aiming abroad sit other licensing exams instead, such as the USMLE in the United States or PLAB in the United Kingdom. Our guides to the USMLE after MBBS in Europe and working in the UK after MBBS explain those routes.

How to budget for the MBBS internship year

Plan the internship year as a low-income year. At Rs. 12,000 a month, an intern in Uttar Pradesh earns Rs. 1.44 lakh over 12 months. At Rs. 30,000 a month in Karnataka, the total is Rs. 3.6 lakh. Hostel, food and travel to postings come out of that sum.

Families comparing India with study abroad should add this year into the plan from the start. A graduate of one of our 23 partner universities in nine European countries returns, passes the FMGE and then does the same paid internship in India.

Conclusion

The MBBS stipend is guaranteed by NMC regulation, but its size is set locally. Government colleges on the NMC list pay from Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 43,099 a month, and many private colleges pay under Rs. 10,000. Check a college's published stipend before counselling, keep records during the internship, and use the NMC notices if payment stops.

Frequently asked questions about MBBS stipend

Sources

• NMC Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations, 2021 (Gazette, 18 November 2021)

• NMC stipend detail list of medical colleges (2026)

• NMC public notice, 16 April 2024: details of stipend paid to interns and residents

• NMC public notice, 11 July 2025: mandatory disclosure of fee structures and payment of stipend

• NMC circular, 10 March 2026: allocation of CRMI slots for foreign medical graduates

• Government of Kerala, G.O.(Ms) No. 141/2024/H&FWD, 4 July 2024: enhanced stipend for house surgeons

• MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026 information bulletin

• NBEMS Foreign Medical Graduate Examination page

• NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025

• NMC rules and regulations page