Kharkiv National Medical University 2026: FMGE, NMC Rules

Kharkiv National Medical University (KhNMU) is a state medical university in Kharkiv, Ukraine, with roots going back to 1804. It still admits foreign students, in Ukrainian or English, and says it teaches in distance, blended and full-time formats. For Indian students, the war and NMC's rules on online study are the two facts that matter most in 2026.

Updated on 30 September 2026.

Key Takeaways

• The Indian Embassy's advice is unchanged since 2022. Its advisory of 19 October 2022 advises Indian nationals against travelling to Ukraine. It asks Indians there to leave (Embassy of India, Kyiv advisory of 19 October 2022).

• Teaching is partly online. Kharkiv National Medical University says education is provided in distance, blended and full-time formats (KhNMU page for foreign students).

• Online study must be made up in person. NMC's notice of 18 March 2026 says online study must be made up in person at the university. The other route is clerkship in India (NMC public notice of 18 March 2026).

• FMGE results are low and falling. Graduates passed FMGE at 24.26% in 2024, 15.65% in June 2025 and 8.72% in December 2025 (NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025).

• Not a futureMBBS partner. futureMBBS works with 23 partner universities in 9 European countries. Ukraine is not one of them (futureMBBS partner universities).

What is Kharkiv National Medical University?

Kharkiv National Medical University is a state medical university in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine. It grew out of the medical faculty of the Imperial Kharkiv University. The university gives its founding year as 1804 (KhNMU official website). Its main address is 4 Nauky Avenue, Kharkiv.

For the wider picture of the country, see our MBBS in Ukraine guide. A different Kharkiv university is covered in our Kharkiv International Medical University guide.

Kharkiv National Medical University at a glance

Sources for the table: the KhNMU page for foreign students, the KhNMU history page and the KhNMU admission rules for foreigners.

History of Kharkiv National Medical University

The university's own history page traces a path from a university faculty to a separate medical school (KhNMU history page).

What is the situation in Kharkiv for Indian students in 2026?

Ukraine has been at war since Russia's invasion in February 2022. The Embassy of India in Kyiv issued three advisories in October 2022. These are the most recent advisories on its website (Embassy of India, Kyiv website).

You can read the 19 October 2022 advisory and the 25 October 2022 advisory on the embassy website. The embassy itself resumed work in Kyiv on 17 May 2022 (Embassy of India, Kyiv).

Kharkiv National Medical University still publishes admission rules for foreigners. Under its 2025 rules, foreigners can be admitted in person or at a distance (KhNMU admission rules for foreigners). This matters because NMC treats online study very strictly, as the next sections show.

What happened to Indian students at Kharkiv National Medical University after 2022?

Indian students in Ukraine were brought home under Operation Ganga. NMC gives the evacuation period as 26 February 2022 to 11 March 2022 (NMC public notice of 7 December 2023). Since then, NMC has issued a series of one-time measures for these students.

NMC notices for Ukraine-returned students

Sources: the NMC notices of 6 and 15 September 2022 and the NMC public notice of 7 December 2023. Clinical clerkship means supervised hospital training in an Indian medical college. The notice caps the clerkship fee at Rs. 5,000 a month.

The migration window has closed. A student who starts at Kharkiv National Medical University now does not fall under any of these relaxations.

How NMC's online classes rule affects Kharkiv National Medical University students

On 18 March 2026, NMC clarified how online study is treated for foreign medical graduates (NMC public notice of 18 March 2026). The notice builds on notices from 7 December 2023 and 19 June 2024. Our web story on the NMC online classes rule gives the short version.

• Online time must be made up in person. Any theory, practical or internship period taught online must be compensated by physical attendance at the parent foreign university.

• The university must arrange it. This can be through extra classes or a longer course.

• A compensatory certificate is needed. The graduate shows a certificate from the parent university, with transcripts, confirming the online part was made up in person.

• Otherwise, clerkship in India. A graduate who did not make up the online time must complete one or two years of clerkship in India. The length follows the 7 December 2023 notice.

• State Medical Councils check before registration. They check the FMGE pass and the compensation, using passport entry and exit stamps.

For a family weighing Kharkiv National Medical University, the plain meaning is this. Every month taught online can cost extra time later, either at the university or in India.

What NMC rules would a new Kharkiv National Medical University student have to meet?

Students who joined a foreign medical course on or after 18 November 2021 follow one set of rules. These are the NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations 2021 (NMC FMGL Regulations 2021). Our guide on which NMC rules apply to you explains the older rules too.

How to apply to Kharkiv National Medical University as a foreign student

The university's 2025 admission rules for foreigners set out the process (KhNMU admission rules for foreigners).

1. Invitation through the Unified System. Recruitment of foreigners runs through Ukraine's Unified Interdepartmental Information System. An electronic invitation to study is valid for up to six months.

2. Entrance exams. Applicants sit an exam in biology and an exam in the language of instruction, Ukrainian or English.

3. Competitive score. Each exam is scored from 100 to 200. The competitive score is half the language score plus half the biology score.

4. Application windows. Documents are accepted twice a year, from 26 March to 30 April and from 1 September to 1 November.

5. Legalised school documents. School certificates must be legalised or apostilled before admission.

The university states that knmu.edu.ua is its only official website. It takes no responsibility for information published in its name on other sites (KhNMU official website).

Kharkiv National Medical University FMGE results from 2023 to 2025

FMGE, the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, is the screening test a foreign graduate must pass to work as a doctor in India. NBEMS publishes results for each university. Kharkiv National Medical University graduates appear every year, and the pass rate has fallen at each of the last three exams.

Sources: NBEMS FMGE 2023 report, NBEMS FMGE 2024 report and NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025.

An 8.72% pass rate means fewer than one in eleven candidates passed in December 2025. The table below puts that next to Ukraine as a whole and the national figure.

Source: NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025. For the exam itself, see what the FMGE exam is and our FMGE pass rates for MBBS abroad. The country-wise FMGE pass rate web story compares countries at a glance.

Is Kharkiv National Medical University recognised in India?

Kharkiv National Medical University graduates sit FMGE every year, as the NBEMS reports show. Recognition for a new student, however, depends on the student's own course meeting every FMGL rule above. That includes English medium, the internship at the same university and in-person study. Our guide on how to check NMC and WDOMS recognition explains the checks step by step.

Does futureMBBS place students at Kharkiv National Medical University?

No. futureMBBS works with 23 partner universities in 9 European countries (futureMBBS partner universities).

Ukraine is not on the list. This guide is for families researching Kharkiv National Medical University, including those with a child already enrolled.

What should a current Kharkiv National Medical University student keep on file?

These records come straight from what NMC and the State Medical Councils check at registration.

• Passport entry and exit stamps. State Medical Councils use them to confirm in-person study (NMC public notice of 18 March 2026).

• Compensatory certificate and transcripts. These show that any online period was made up in person at the university.

• Proof of English-medium teaching. The FMGL Regulations accept only a degree taught in English.

• Internship record from Kharkiv National Medical University. The 12-month internship must be at the same university.

• Ten-year deadline. The course must be completed within ten years of joining.

Conclusion: Kharkiv National Medical University in 2026

Kharkiv National Medical University has a long history and still admits foreign students. For an Indian student in 2026, three facts decide the question. The Embassy of India advises against travel to Ukraine. NMC counts online study only if it is made up in person. And the university's FMGE pass rate fell to 8.72% in December 2025. Families already there should keep every record NMC asks for.

Frequently asked questions about Kharkiv National Medical University

Sources

• Embassy of India, Kyiv: Advisory for Indian Nationals, 19 October 2022

• Embassy of India, Kyiv: Advisory to Indian Nationals in Ukraine, 25 October 2022

• Embassy of India, Kyiv: website with advisories

• NMC: Academic Mobility Programme notices, 6 and 15 September 2022

• NMC: public notice on Foreign Medical Graduates, 7 December 2023

• NMC: physical onsite compensation for online studies, 18 March 2026

• NMC: Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021

• NMC: rules and regulations page

• NBEMS: FMGE Performance Report 2025

• NBEMS: FMGE 2024 country and institute-wise report

• NBEMS: FMGE 2023 country and institute-wise report

• NBEMS: FMGE exam page

• Kharkiv National Medical University: for foreign students

• Kharkiv National Medical University: history of the university

• Kharkiv National Medical University: admission rules for foreigners