Money Needed for MBBS Abroad: What to Arrange First

Money needed for MBBS abroad is usually quoted as a six year total, which is the wrong number to plan around. The figure that decides whether a family can start is the money needed in the first twelve months, before any loan instalment arrives. This page breaks that first year down using tuition published by the universities themselves.

How much money is needed for MBBS abroad in the first year?

Money needed for MBBS abroad in the first year is tuition plus accommodation plus living costs plus one-off charges, and tuition is the part universities publish openly. The figures below are taken from each university's own fees page, in the currency that university uses.

Sources are linked at the end of this page, one per university. We give each fee in the currency the university publishes it in rather than converting to rupees, because the rupee figure depends on the exchange rate on the day you actually transfer the money, and over six years that moves.

Notice how wide the range is. Tbilisi State Medical University at USD 8,000 and the University of Debrecen at USD 16,900 are both real, published, current figures for an English-taught medical degree. Choosing a country is choosing a price band.

What money is needed for MBBS abroad before you even apply?

Money needed for MBBS abroad starts before the application, and these amounts are small but they are due earliest. The University of Debrecen, for example, publishes an application fee of USD 150 and an entrance examination fee of USD 350 alongside its tuition. Most universities charge something at this stage.

Budget also for the documents themselves. A passport, attestation of your marksheets and translation where the university requires it all cost money and, more importantly, take time. Families who leave the passport until after the NEET result routinely lose weeks.

How much money is needed for MBBS abroad at the visa stage?

At the visa stage, money needed for MBBS abroad has to be visible in a bank account, not merely available. Most student visa routes require proof that you can support yourself for the year ahead, and the amount is set by the destination country rather than by the university.

The practical consequence catches families out. You may need to show the first year's living costs sitting in an account, on top of having already paid tuition. A loan sanction letter is not always accepted in place of a balance. Our guide to the student visa for MBBS in Europe sets out the proof of funds requirement country by country, and our page on an education loan for MBBS abroad covers what banks will and will not sanction, and when.

Which costs do families forget when working out money needed for MBBS abroad?

Costs families forget are the recurring ones that never appear in a tuition table. Accommodation is the largest, and it is worth using published university figures rather than estimates.

Four other costs belong in your first year figure, and none of them are optional.

• Health insurance. Some universities include it and some do not. Osh State University in Kyrgyzstan, for example, publishes compulsory medical insurance at 11,955 som a year in its student handbook. Ask which applies to you.

• Flights. Two long haul flights a year if your child comes home in the summer, and one at the start whatever happens.

• Food and daily living. A dormitory rent that says utilities included usually does not include food.

• The residence permit and local registration. Most countries charge for this, and it repeats annually.

One genuine saving is worth knowing. The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences states that its dormitory rent covers heating, water, power, internet and use of a common kitchen, and provides pillows, blankets and covers. Rīga Stradiņš University says its room price is fixed and includes heating, electricity, water and maintenance. Where a university publishes that, the number is dependable in a way a private rental estimate is not.

How do you check the money needed for MBBS abroad for your own university?

Check the money needed for MBBS abroad by asking the university, in writing, for one document that covers all six years. The National Medical Commission tells families to do exactly this, stating that confirmation of the fee structure and course details should be directly obtained from the university or institution concerned.

1. Ask for the fee for every year, not year one. The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences charges EUR 12,800 for the first three years and EUR 13,300 for the last three. A quote that shows only the first year is not the cost of the degree.

2. Ask what the tuition includes and excludes. Debrecen includes health insurance, the medical check and the student card in its tuition. Others do not.

3. Ask for the accommodation price on university letterhead, and ask whether a place is guaranteed for all six years or only the first.

4. Ask what currency you will pay in. This decides who carries the exchange rate risk.

5. Check recognition before you check price. A cheaper degree that does not meet the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 is not cheaper. Our guide to checking NMC and WDOMS recognition takes you through it.

For the full six year arithmetic once you have those answers, our six year cost of MBBS in Europe and our financial planning guide for MBBS abroad put the numbers together. If you are still choosing a country, the country comparison and our fees by country breakdown are the places to start.

Conclusion

Money needed for MBBS abroad is best planned as two numbers rather than one. The first is what you must have ready in the next twelve months: application and entrance fees, first year tuition, accommodation, the visa proof of funds, flights, insurance and daily living. The second is the six year total, which matters for the loan but not for the decision you are making this month.

Published tuition for an English-taught medical degree runs from around USD 8,000 a year at Tbilisi State Medical University to around USD 16,900 at the University of Debrecen, with accommodation from EUR 150 a month in a Kaunas dormitory to EUR 525 in Riga. Get those figures from the university in writing, for all six years, before you commit to anything. And settle the recognition question first, because it is the only one that cannot be fixed later with money.

Sources

• Medical University of Varna, tuition fees and cost of living

• Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, tuition fees

• Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, accommodation

• Rīga Stradiņš University, tuition fees for studies in English

• Rīga Stradiņš University, student hostel Dzirciems prices

• University of Debrecen, tuition fee, application fee and entrance examination fee

• University of Debrecen, accommodation

• Tbilisi State Medical University, tuition fees for international programmes

• Kazan Federal University, tuition order for international students 2026/27

• Astana Medical University, price list for educational services 2026-2027

• National Medical Commission, information desk for students to study abroad

• National Medical Commission, Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021

If you want the first year cost worked out for the specific universities on your shortlist, send us the names and we will pull each one's published fee and accommodation figures with you. Talk to us before you pay a deposit.