South Kazakhstan Medical Academy: Fees and FMGE 2026

South Kazakhstan Medical Academy (SKMA) is a medical university in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. It charges 1,300,000 tenge a year for Medicine, about Rs. 2.84 lakh, under its 2025 to 2026 tariff order. Its graduates passed FMGE at 23.74% in December 2025, so roughly one in four.

Key Takeaways

• Fees: SKMA's 2025 to 2026 tariff order sets Medicine tuition at 1,300,000 tenge a year (about Rs. 2.84 lakh, 30 September 2026) and a foreign student's hostel place at 250,000 tenge a year (about Rs. 55,000).

• FMGE record: NBEMS data show SKMA graduates passed at 8.90% in 2023, 25.19% in 2024, 20.91% in June 2025 and 23.74% in December 2025.

• English-medium track: SKMA's Development Programme 2025 to 2029 states that the General Medicine course is taught in English for students from India and Pakistan.

• International share: international students made up 35% of SKMA's bachelor enrolment in 2023 to 2024, up from 31% two years earlier.

• NMC rules: under the FMGL Regulations 2021, the degree must run at least 54 months and include a 12-month internship at SKMA. It must be taught in English and lead to a licence to practise in Kazakhstan.

South Kazakhstan Medical Academy at a glance

The student, graduate, department and hostel counts come from the SKMA page for applicants. For the full university profile, including faculties and campus, see our South Kazakhstan Medical Academy university page.

What is South Kazakhstan Medical Academy?

South Kazakhstan Medical Academy is a medical and pharmaceutical university in Shymkent, a city in the south of Kazakhstan. It trains doctors, dentists, pharmacists and nurses from bachelor level up to doctoral level. The SKMA Development Programme 2025 to 2029 lists 8 bachelor programmes, 3 internship programmes, 10 master's programmes, 31 residency programmes and 3 doctoral programmes.

The academy teaches in two faculties that matter for medical students: the Faculty of Medicine and a separate International Faculty for foreign students. Both are listed on the SKMA faculties page, with departments ranging from Obstetrics and Gynaecology to Paediatrics, Surgery and Oncology, and Infectious Diseases.

For how SKMA fits into the wider country picture, our MBBS in Kazakhstan country page covers visas, climate and the other medical universities.

Put simply, roughly one bachelor student in three at SKMA comes from abroad. The same document states that the English-medium General Medicine course is run for students from India and Pakistan.

South Kazakhstan Medical Academy fees for 2025 to 2026

SKMA publishes its prices as a rector's order, signed by Rector Zh. Seitzhanova. The SKMA tariff order for the 2025 to 2026 academic year is the price list linked from the academy's applicant page. Rupee amounts use the National Bank of Kazakhstan official rate of 4.58 tenge to one rupee on 30 September 2026.

The tariffs are set in tenge, so the rupee cost moves with the exchange rate. A family budgeting for six years should also plan for flights, food, medical insurance, the visa and books. Those costs are not part of the SKMA order.

For how these fees compare with other options, see our Kazakh National Medical University fees guide, where tuition is 3,000,000 tenge a year.

South Kazakhstan Medical Academy FMGE pass rate, 2023 to 2025

FMGE, the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, is the screening test a graduate with a foreign medical degree must pass before working as a doctor in India. Our FMGE explainer covers the exam pattern. NBEMS, the board that runs FMGE, publishes results for every university. These are SKMA's official figures:

The trend is clear. SKMA moved from fewer than one pass in ten in 2023 to roughly one pass in four in December 2025. The number of SKMA graduates sitting the exam also grew, from 326 in 2023 to 621 across the two 2025 exams.

NBEMS also lists a small number of candidates under the name "JSC South Kazakhstan Medical Academy": 15 appeared and 1 passed in 2023. In 2024, 10 appeared and 1 passed. In each 2025 exam, 4 appeared and none passed. These numbers are too small to change the picture above.

How does South Kazakhstan Medical Academy compare with Kazakhstan and India overall?

In June 2025 SKMA graduates did better than the Kazakhstan average. In December 2025 they were close to the national average but below Kazakhstan as a whole. Our FMGE pass rate by country guide and the country-wise FMGE pass rate web story show where Kazakhstan sits against other countries.

South Kazakhstan Medical Academy FMGE results against other Kazakh universities

All figures come from the NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025. SKMA sits in the middle of the Kazakh group. Our guide to Semey State Medical University covers a university with a similar number of candidates.

NMC rules for South Kazakhstan Medical Academy graduates

NMC, the National Medical Commission, regulates doctors in India. It does not publish a list of approved foreign universities. Instead, the NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 set conditions each graduate must meet. The regulations are listed on the NMC rules and regulations page.

1. Course length: the degree course must last at least 54 months, which is four and a half years.

2. Internship abroad: the student must complete an internship of at least 12 months at the same university, here SKMA.

3. English medium: the degree must be taught in English.

4. Mandatory subjects: the course must cover the subjects listed in Schedule I of the regulations.

5. Licence in Kazakhstan: the graduate must be registered with, or eligible for a licence from, the body that licenses doctors in Kazakhstan, on the same terms as a Kazakh citizen.

6. Back in India: the graduate must pass FMGE and then complete a 12-month supervised internship in India.

SKMA's tariff order lists a separate General Medicine internship programme, which is the internship year at the academy itself. For a plain guide to which rules apply by year of admission, read which NMC rules apply to you.

Clinical training at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy

SKMA students train at hospitals in Shymkent under joint activity agreements, matched to each programme, according to the Development Programme. The academy also runs a Practical Skills Centre for simulation training and a dental clinic for students.

The academy's founder is building a university hospital with 800 beds and a polyclinic for 700 visits per shift in Shymkent. The project runs as a public-private partnership with the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan. It is a plan in progress, not a hospital students train in today.

SKMA reports that the share of its graduates employed in their first year rose from 86.4% in 2018 to 98.5% in 2023. This figure covers all SKMA graduates, most of whom work in Kazakhstan.

Accreditation of South Kazakhstan Medical Academy

SKMA passed institutional re-accreditation in 2023, according to its Development Programme. The academy's accreditation page holds the certificates for institutional accreditation and for its bachelor, master's, residency and doctoral programmes. The Development Programme states that 100% of master's and doctoral programmes and 93.5% of residency programmes are accredited.

Living in Shymkent as a South Kazakhstan Medical Academy student

The SKMA guide for international students 2026 gives the practical details a new student needs in the first week.

• Migration registration: students from India must bring their passport to the SKMA international office within 3 days of crossing the border. The academy then registers them with the migration service.

• International office: the Department of Strategic Development and International Cooperation is at 1 Al-Farabi Square, fourth floor, office 423, phone +7 7252 39 57 57.

• Dean's office for international students: 3 Al-Farabi Square, second building, first floor, email if_skma@mail.ru.

• From the airport: bus number 12 runs to the main building and the hostel, stop Arbat Alley, for 70 tenge a ticket.

• From the railway station: bus number 64 runs to the main building, stop Youth Centre.

• Phone and money: a local SIM card costs under 1,000 tenge at the airport or any shop, and Visa and MasterCard work across Kazakhstan. Kaspi Bank, Alatau City Bank and Halyk Bank have branches near the campus.

For the wider trade-offs of studying in Kazakhstan, read the disadvantages of studying MBBS in Kazakhstan, and our MBBS in Kazakhstan guide for the full country overview.

Does futureMBBS place students at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy?

No. futureMBBS works with 23 partner universities in 9 countries. They are in the Czech Republic (5), Hungary (4), Poland (3), Slovakia (3), Croatia (2), Latvia (2), Romania (2), Cyprus (1) and Lithuania (1). Kazakhstan is not among them. This guide is here so families weighing SKMA have the official figures in one place.

Conclusion

South Kazakhstan Medical Academy offers an English-medium General Medicine course at 1,300,000 tenge a year, about Rs. 2.84 lakh, in 2025 to 2026. Its FMGE results have improved from 8.90% in 2023 to 23.74% in December 2025. That is close to the national average, but it still means about three in four graduates did not pass in that exam.

A family choosing SKMA should budget in tenge, keep the contract that names English as the medium of teaching, and plan for FMGE preparation from the first year. The NMC conditions on course length, internship and licensing apply to every graduate, whichever university they attend.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fee for MBBS at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy?

SKMA's official tariff order for 2025 to 2026 sets Medicine tuition at 1,300,000 tenge a year, about Rs. 2.84 lakh at the National Bank of Kazakhstan rate on 30 September 2026. A hostel place for a foreign citizen costs 250,000 tenge a year, about Rs. 55,000. Flights, food, insurance and FMGE coaching are extra.

What is the FMGE pass rate of South Kazakhstan Medical Academy?

In the December 2025 FMGE, 358 SKMA graduates appeared and 85 passed, a pass rate of 23.74%. In June 2025 the rate was 20.91% (55 of 263). NBEMS figures for earlier years are 25.19% in 2024 and 8.90% in 2023. That is roughly one pass in every four or five candidates.

Is South Kazakhstan Medical Academy valid for Indian students under NMC rules?

NMC does not approve universities by name. The FMGL Regulations 2021 set conditions for each graduate. These are a course of at least 54 months, a 12-month internship at the same university and English as the medium of instruction. The graduate also needs a licence to practise in Kazakhstan, then FMGE and a 12-month internship in India.

Is the MBBS course at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy taught in English?

SKMA's Development Programme for 2025 to 2029 states that the academy runs its General Medicine course in English for students from India and Pakistan. NMC requires English as the medium of instruction for the whole degree, so families keep the admission contract that names English as the language of teaching for every year.

How many international students study at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy?

International students made up 35% of SKMA's bachelor enrolment in 2023 to 2024, up from 31% in 2021 to 2022, according to the academy's Development Programme. SKMA reports about 7,632 students in total on its applicant page. The international faculty has its own dean's office at 3 Al-Farabi Square, Shymkent.

What must an Indian student do after arriving at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy?

Students from India must take their passport to the SKMA international office within three days of crossing the Kazakhstan border, so the university can register them with the migration service. The international office is on the fourth floor, office 423, at 1 Al-Farabi Square. Bus number 12 runs from Shymkent airport to the main building.

Sources

• SKMA tariff order for paid educational services and hostel costs, 2025 to 2026 academic year

• SKMA page for applicants (student numbers, programmes, price list)

• SKMA Development Programme 2025 to 2029

• SKMA guide for international students 2026

• SKMA faculties and departments

• SKMA accreditation certificates

• NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025 (June and December 2025)

• NBEMS country and institute-wise FMGE results 2024

• NBEMS country and institute-wise FMGE results 2023

• NBEMS FMGE information page

• NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 (PDF)

• NMC rules and regulations page

• National Bank of Kazakhstan official exchange rates