MBBS in China- Complete Guide

China is becoming the #1 destination for Indian students who want to pursue their medical degrees at a swift pace. If you’re wondering what makes Indian students opt for MBBS in China, here’s a piece of information for you- every Chinese medical university which offers admission to international students has its course material prepared in the English language. But this is not the only reason. Sure, English-medium teaching is probably one of the most important reasons why international, especially Indian students are increasingly choosing China as their career destination, but there are more. Here is a blog that provides you with an insight into the MBBS in China!

Degree	MBBS
Intakes for MBBS in China	September
Duration for MBBS in China	5-6 years
Eligibility	70% in PCB, NEET Qualified
Medium of teaching	English
Fees in China	21,000- 48,000 RMB per year(INR 2.4- 5.6 lakhs)
Cost of Living in China	12,000- 15,000 per month(INR 1.4- 1.7 lakhs)

Why study MBBS in China?

Worldwide Recognition                                        

Chinese government releases a list of eligible medical universities every year which are allowed to offer admission to international students for their medical studies. The medical universities in this list are also listed in the medical school directory of WHO (World Health Organization), which simply means that if you get a medical degree from any of those universities – you’ll be perfectly eligible to appear for medical screening tests in most of the countries in the world like USA, UK, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, etc. After successful completion of the medical degree course, which is 6 years long including 1 year of internship, students get the graduation degree. You may then come back to India and appear on the MCI screening test, and once passed, you can start practising as a medical doctor anywhere in India.

Affordable Medical Education

Affordable medical education at any top Chinese medical university which provides almost identical educational quality as that of top Indian medical colleges is another important reason why Indian students are choosing to do MBBS in China. Competition is so fierce that only a handful of students get to admit to a medical course out of lakhs of aspirants. Because in India, being a doctor is the most respectful profession, and earning potential is enormous as well. So, students and their parents want only one thing – admission to a medical college.

But, as mentioned above, admission to a private medical college would cost you an arm and a leg, and your kidneys as well! You won’t be able to find any decent private medical college which is offering you admission in the MBBS course in less than 70 lakhs total cost – many colleges would cost you almost a crore for 6 years of MBBS course. Here, MBBS in China comes into the picture with its quality medical education. In China, one can complete 6 years of medical degree course which is equivalent to MBBS in India, for as low as 20 lakhs total (without living expenses in China of course). If this is not enough reason for you, we have more:

Easy Admission Procedure

In India, it’s almost impossible for an average student to get admission to a government medical school due to severe competition. But in China, it’s easy to get enrolled for a medical degree at a reputable university. No admission test is required, only 70% in PCBE in 12th and qualification marks in NEET are enough to get you admitted to the university of your choice.

If you compare the admission criteria of medical schools in countries like India, the USA, the UK, Australia, etc., you’ll find it’s a lot easier to get entry into a Chinese medical school. Hence, opting for MBBS in China will help you avoid the queue of lakhs of students who are appearing in the NEET along with you.

Low Criteria Requirement

Chinese medical schools might not have very strict entrance requirements, but that does not translate to a lack of quality education. Medical universities, which are approved by the Chinese government, listed under the WHO directory, and recognized by the MCI, offer a high-quality medical course of global standard. MBBS in China is almost similar to medical courses in the top-notch Indian medical courses.

English-Medium Teaching System

For international students, this is the most crucial factor. Chinese universities understand this very well. Therefore, the teachers who teach international students, are well qualified in English and very much able to teach and communicate eloquently with students in English. The universities even employ foreign teachers from English-speaking countries frequently. So, if you’re afraid of pursuing MBBS in China assuming that you have to learn Mandarin to get admission, nothing can be far from the truth.

Creative Teaching Methodology

Medical science is getting advanced every moment. All the countries are investing heavily in medical research and studies. China is no different. China is one of the few countries which is investing a significant share of annual GDP in health and medicine. Billions of dollars are being funded by the Chinese government and corporates in China every year. And to keep pace with this fast advancement, Chinese medical universities are also changing and developing new and creative medical education systems. MBBS students at Chinese universities are regularly getting exposed to the latest inventions in medicine, most recent research data and most advanced medical devices and equipment.

Economical Living Cost

Apart from the fact that studying medicine in China is almost 70% cheaper compared with studying MBBS in any private medical school in India, the overall cost of living is surprisingly affordable for an international student. Everything from hostel or apartment rent to the cost of groceries is on par with any big city of India, sometimes even cheaper depending on where you live in China. Of course, cities like Beijing or Shanghai would be costlier, but medical schools are mostly situated in a place where things are affordable for international students.

Also Check out this blog: Which Country is Best for MBBS?

Best Medical Universities for MBBS in China

Not all universities are identical in China, specifically medical universities. Chinese medical universities are graded as A, B and C by the education ministry of China, based on the education quality they offer. Hence, A-grade universities should be the only choice if one wants to study medicine in China. Here we have done the hard work for you and compiled a list of only A-grade medical universities in China:

1. Nanjing Medical University: Formed in 1934, Nanjing Medical University, or more popularly known as NMU, is one of the best medical universities in China. With sound infrastructure and high-quality faculty, they offer 7 doctoral programs in 1st level discipline, 11 master’s programs in 1st level discipline, and 6 centres for postdoctoral research. This medical university consists of a total of 23 schools, 23 affiliated medical facilities and hospitals, and 50 plus hospitals for teaching in various cities of China.
2. Capital Medical University: This University was established in 1960 in Beijing. Global standard medical education in English-medium and the very high student-teacher ratio is the key features of Capital Medical University. It consists of 10 schools for lectures and 1 teaching hospital. Also, a total of 14 hospitals come under this university as affiliated medical facilities. It consists of 6 campuses throughout Beijing. The Capital Medical University is well regarded for its contribution to medical research of China.
3. Jiangsu University: Jiangsu University has been formed by merging 3 colleges in 2001. It’s situated in Zhenjiang city. It is the top Chinese university in terms of offering the highest number of English-medium courses. With more than 2000 international students, Jiangsu University is one of the top choices of international students in China. With 13 centres for postdoctoral research and 14 doctoral degrees in the 1st level discipline, this university currently ranks among top 200 of Asian universities, top 200 of BRICS universities and top 1000 of world universities.
4. China Medical University (PRC): There is another “China Medical University” in Taiwan, and one should not confuse between the two. The Chinese Communist Party founded this medical university in 1931. In the Shenyang city of Liaoning, this college is situated. Since 1978, this university has been teaching MBBS program to international students in the English language. According to the global university ranking, China Medical University is ranked at 345 in the world, 55 among Asian universities and 10th among the Chinese universities.
5. Jilin University Medical School: Formed in 1946, It is a B+ grade medical university in China, approved by WHO and MCI. In Changchun city, this college is located. With a total of 6000 patient beds, this medical university consists of one of the largest pools of affiliated hospital beds in China.

Other famous and good colleges for MBBS in China are Dalian Medical University, Guangzhou Medical University, Southern Medical University, Harbin Medical University, and Hebei Medical University.

Average Fees

The average duration of an MBBS degree in China is 5 to 6 years. This will cost a student about 21,000- 48,000 RMB per year. This is approximately INR 2.4- 5.6 lakhs per year. In total, this comes to 12- 28 lakhs for a 5-year degree and 14.4- 33.6 lakhs for a 6-year degree.

Documents Required for MBBS in China

Following are the documents required when applying for the MBBS degree in China:

• Notarized copy of the birth certificate
• 10th and 12th mark sheets
• HIV test report
• Passport– size photographs
• Documents from the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi
• Invitation letter from a University
• Passport
• NEET Result

Precautions for Indian Students while Pursuing MBBS in China :

• Choose only A-Grade universities

No matter how tempting it feels, one should never select a medical university based on the course fee only. The education department of China graded the universities based on their education quality. Hence the lower grade universities charge small fees to attract international students. You might wonder that the degrees universities are offering are all the same. Yes, it’s true, but to only some extent. Just like a BA degree from Patna University can never carry the same weight as a BA degree from JNU, the same analogy can be applied when choosing a medical university in China. It’s not only the degree, but it’s also more about education quality, faculty quality, number of total English-speaking faculties, number of foreign faculties, number of international students, a student exchange program with prestigious foreign universities, research opportunity, patient exposure, and so on.

• Never choose a bilingual course

You should also beware of educational consultants who promise to get you admitted to English courses for a low fee. Don’t fall for that trap. There are 3 types of MBBS in China – Chinese, Bilingual and English. As a non-Chinese student, obviously, you can’t join a Chinese-medium medical course. You can join in either Bilingual or in a full English-medium course. As the name suggests, a full English-medium course would be ideal for you, because all the course materials will be in English, and communication with teachers will be in English too.

Chinese universities often employ faculties from English-speaking countries only to cater to international students who joined in a full English-medium course. However, the “Bilingual” course is being taught in English partially and rest in Chinese. The teachers of bilingual courses also are not very proficient in English, so it will be hard for you to communicate with your teachers if you get admission to a bilingual MBBS course. But the fee of a bilingual course is lower than the full English-medium course. Hence, some dishonest consultants suggest such bilingual courses to the students promising low fees.

Standardised Entrance Test for MBBS in China

There exist a standardized entrance examination to apply for an MBBS in China. It was established so that the universities have a standard basis to judge the candidates for admission in MBBS in China. The format for the test is

• 4 main sections 
• Each section is based on the fundamental knowledge of medical subjects
• The four sections are Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.
• All the sections have 50 questions of 100 marks each except the Mathematics section that has 25 questions of 50 marks.

A candidate has to appear for the standardized test if they wish to do an MBBS in China.

University Grade for MBBS in China

One of the best things about doing an MBBS in China is that many universities are approved by the Medical Council of India or MCI. The universities for MBBS in China are graded by the WHO and the grades range in A+, A, B+, B, C+, C. The fee for each grade university varies and usually, the cost decreases as the grade goes down. The cost of an MBBS in China will be low if you opt for a B Grade university when compared to an A-Grade university. But be careful as you should do an MBBS in China from only A-Grade Universities. They have a proper English curriculum and teachers that are comfortable in English. If you opt for a C-Grade university and an English medium, you may get a teacher who is not very comfortable with English and even though the fee is low, you’ll face problems with the medium of instruction. 

FAQs about Studying MBBS in China

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