West Kazakhstan State Medical University: FMGE, NMC Rules

West Kazakhstan State Medical University, now called Marat Ospanov West Kazakhstan Medical University, is a public medical university in Aktobe, founded in 1957. For an Indian family, the key fact is its FMGE record. In December 2025, 24.43% of its graduates passed, below the Kazakhstan average of 29.33%.

Key Takeaways

• Public and established. The university opened in 1957 in Aktobe, western Kazakhstan. It runs 79 programmes in 2025 to 2026 (university home page).

• Accredited until 2029. It passed international institutional re-accreditation, valid from 5 April 2024 to 4 April 2029 (licensing and accreditation page).

• FMGE results move a lot. Its pass rate was 11.61% in June 2025 and 24.43% in December 2025 (NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025).

• Three teaching languages. Students study in Kazakh, Russian or English. NMC accepts only an English-medium degree (Academic Policy 2026, PDF).

• NMC rules apply in full. The course must last at least 54 months, with a 12-month internship at the same university (NMC FMGL Regulations 2021, PDF).

What is West Kazakhstan State Medical University?

West Kazakhstan State Medical University is a non-profit joint-stock company owned by the state. Its official English name is Marat Ospanov West Kazakhstan Medical University. Students and NBEMS often shorten it to WKMU or Ospanov Medical University. It sits at 68 Maresyeva Street, Aktobe, a regional city in western Kazakhstan (WKMU home page).

For the wider picture of the country, read our MBBS in Kazakhstan country guide. For the full university profile, see our West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University page.

West Kazakhstan State Medical University at a glance

The programme, building, hostel and employment figures come from the WKMU home page. The student count comes from the WKMU brochure for international applicants (PDF).

How is West Kazakhstan State Medical University ranked and accredited?

WKMU publishes its accreditation and national ranking results on its licensing and accreditation page. In April 2024 it passed international institutional re-accreditation. The certificate runs for five years, from 5 April 2024 to 4 April 2029. Its bachelor programmes in Medicine, General Medicine, Paediatrics and Dentistry also hold programme accreditation.

The same page reports the 2024 national ranking of demand for universities, run by IAAR, the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating in Kazakhstan.

This is a Kazakhstan ranking. It is not an international ranking such as QS or Times Higher Education, and it does not decide whether a degree is accepted in India.

Is West Kazakhstan State Medical University valid for Indian students?

India's National Medical Commission (NMC) does not approve foreign universities one by one. Instead, each graduate must meet the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations 2021. A degree from WKMU counts in India only if the student's own course meets every rule below.

The rules are on the NMC rules and regulations page. Our guide on which NMC rules apply to you explains which version applies by the year you joined. To check a university's directory listing yourself, follow our steps on checking NMC and WDOMS recognition.

The Medicine programme at West Kazakhstan State Medical University

Since the 2023 to 2024 academic year, WKMU has taught Medicine as continuous integrated medical education. That means the degree and the clinical internship years are joined into one programme. The university says graduates of this model receive a doctor qualification together with a master's level qualification (WKMU brochure, PDF).

The WKMU Academic Policy 2026 (PDF, in Russian), dated 29 July 2026, groups students by language of teaching: Kazakh, Russian and English. Indian students must join the English stream. NMC requires the whole degree, including the internship, to be taught in English.

Where WKMU students train in hospitals

• University Medical Center. WKMU runs its own medical centre. The departments of surgical and internal diseases moved there in autumn 2022 (WKMU brochure, PDF).

• Family Medicine Clinic and Dental Clinic. Both belong to the university and are listed under its clinics (WKMU home page).

• City and regional hospitals. Operations are broadcast to classrooms from the Maternal and Child Care Center children's hospital and the multidisciplinary regional hospital (WKMU brochure, PDF).

• Professional Skills Center. This is the simulation centre where students practise clinical skills before working with patients (WKMU home page).

Who runs international admissions at West Kazakhstan State Medical University?

Foreign students belong to the Faculty of International Medicine. The faculty advises foreign applicants, prepares academic documents, and deals with consular and migration services for visas. It also keeps in touch with parents (Faculty of International Medicine page, in Russian). The faculty can be reached at imf@zkmu.edu.kz or +7 7132 54 31 10.

The university's admissions committee worked from 1 July to 28 August for the 2026 intake (WKMU home page). Plan applications well before July for the following year.

Who is eligible for MBBS at West Kazakhstan State Medical University?

On the Indian side, the student must qualify NEET UG, India's national medical entrance exam, run by the National Testing Agency. Class 12 must include Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English. Our guide to eligibility for MBBS abroad sets out the marks and age rules.

• NEET UG qualified. Without a qualifying NEET result, a foreign medical degree cannot lead to a licence in India.

• English-medium stream. The student must enrol on the English track for every year of the course, including the internship.

• Ready for six or more years abroad. The whole course and internship must be done at WKMU, with no part in India or a third country.

What does it cost to repeat a subject at West Kazakhstan State Medical University?

Failing a subject in Kazakhstan usually means paying to study it again, called a recycle. WKMU's re-study price list for 2025 to 2026 (PDF, in Russian) was approved on 29 August 2025. Rupee figures use the National Bank of Kazakhstan rate of about 4.58 tenge to one rupee on 30 September 2026.

One subject often carries several credits, so a single failed subject can cost tens of thousands of rupees. It is a real cost to plan for, alongside tuition, hostel, food, insurance and flights.

West Kazakhstan State Medical University FMGE pass rate, 2023 to 2025

FMGE, the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, is the screening test a foreign medical graduate must pass before working as a doctor in India. Read what the FMGE exam is for the format. NBEMS, the board that runs FMGE, publishes results for every university (NBEMS FMGE page).

NBEMS also lists a small second entry under the name West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University: 9 of 17 passed in 2023 and 1 of 6 in 2024. Put simply, between one in nine and one in four WKMU graduates passed in each recent sitting.

How WKMU compares with Kazakhstan and India

WKMU against other Kazakh universities, December 2025

All figures come from the NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025. For every country side by side, see our FMGE pass rates for MBBS abroad or the short web story on country-wise FMGE pass rates.

What are the constraints at West Kazakhstan State Medical University?

• Patients speak Kazakh and Russian. Lectures can be in English, but hospital patients in Aktobe mostly speak Kazakh or Russian. Students who learn basic Russian get more from clinical years.

• FMGE results swing between sittings. WKMU fell to 11.61% in June 2025, then rose to 24.43% in December 2025. Plan for focused FMGE preparation from the clinical years.

• Aktobe is a regional city. It is smaller than Almaty or Astana, Kazakhstan's two largest cities.

• Hostel places are shared across 5,500 students. The university has about 2,100 hostel places, so ask for a hostel place in writing at admission.

Our guide to the disadvantages of studying MBBS in Kazakhstan covers the wider country constraints. futureMBBS works with 23 partner universities in 9 European countries; Kazakhstan is not one of them.

Conclusion

West Kazakhstan State Medical University is a public university with almost 70 years of medical teaching and accreditation until 2029. Its FMGE record is the fact that matters most. Around one in four graduates passed in December 2025, and only about one in nine in June 2025. Families should also check the English track and the NMC licence rule before choosing.

Frequently asked questions about West Kazakhstan State Medical University

Sources

• Marat Ospanov West Kazakhstan Medical University, home page

• WKMU, licensing and accreditation page

• WKMU, Faculty of International Medicine page

• WKMU, Academic Policy 2026 (PDF)

• WKMU, re-study price list 2025 to 2026 (PDF)

• WKMU, brochure for international applicants (PDF)

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

• NBEMS, country and institute-wise performance in FMGE 2024

• NBEMS, country and institute-wise performance in FMGE 2023

• NBEMS, FMGE exam page

• NMC, Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 (PDF)

• NMC, rules and regulations page

• National Testing Agency, NEET UG

• National Bank of Kazakhstan, official exchange rates