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Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the number of Indian students going abroad to pursue medical education. In 2022, over 54,000 Indian students appeared for two sessions of the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) from 496 foreign institutions. The dismal pass percentage of 23.25% naturally raises questions about the quality of education being provided in these colleges and more importantly, how credible they are.
A closer look revealed that most of these institutions don't figure on any credible international university ranking list. Of the 496 colleges listed in the FMGE Report 2022, only 88 – a mere 17.74% – are ranked on an international rankings list. Careers360 looked at Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Times Higher Education (THE), Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Rankings.
Students who acquire a medical qualification from countries outside India need to clear the FMGE in order to practise modern medicine in India. The exam is conducted by the National Board for Examination (NBE) twice – in June and December – every year. FMGE December 2023 exam will be held in a computer-based test (CBT) mode on January 20, 2024.
Rankings | Number of foreign institutes |
QS | 15 |
THE | 24 |
CWUR | 48 |
ARWU | 26 |
China has been leading from the front when it comes to the number of Indian students writing the FMG examination. In 2019, 10,626 students appeared from 77 institutions which increased to 14,005 from 108 institutions in 2022 – a rise of 24.12%. But only 39, or one-fourth, of the total numbers show up on an international university ranking list.
Similar is the scenario in the case of the Philippines, second in line after China in the number of medical graduates appearing for the FMGE. The number of students writing the examination increased more than six-fold, from 1,460 in 2019 to 8,769 in 2022. But of the total 32 institutions whose graduates wrote the FMGE 2022, only the University of the Philippine Manila College of Medicine was ranked on the CWUR 2023 list.
Bangladesh and the Russian Federation saw 67 and 65 colleges with Indian students taking part in FMGE 2022 respectively. While 6 institutions from the former show up on THE and CWUR 2023 rankings, none from Bangladesh find mention in the rankings. Similarly, none of the medical colleges in Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia and many more nations figure on any of the university ranking lists.
Country | Total number of colleges in FMGE 2022 | Number of colleges with an international rank |
China | 108 | 39 |
Philippines | 29 | 1 |
Bangladesh | 67 | 1 |
Russian Federation | 65 | 6 |
Latvia | 2 | 2 |
Nepal | 23 | 1 |
Kazakhstan | 18 | 1 |
Kyrgyzstan | 18 | 0 |
Ukraine | 37 | 0 |
Georgia | 15 | 0 |
Armenia | 7 | 0 |
Tajikistan | 3 | 0 |
As the second part of the “MBBS Abroad” series explained, there’s more to add to the students’ woes. Just 205 out of the total 496 colleges listed in FMGE Report 2022 are accredited by the medical council of a country, the equivalent of India’s National Medical Commission (NMC), and 217 colleges – less than half – were accredited by a government body. More than 50 institutions don't even have a functioning or an easily-accessible website.
Note: This is the third part of a five-part series on MBBS abroad.
On Question asked by student community
Hi, Sasi Rekha,
Yes, you can change your name when you apply for the FMGE exam next time. But you should make sure that the name you entered matches your supporting documents. To know more about the FMGE exam - Click here | For FMGE application process - Click here
The exam authority does not release the official question paper. However you can check the memory-based question papers of previous year here: https://medicine.careers360.com/articles/fmge-question-paper
Dear Student,
You can check your rank in FMGE online at natboard.edu.in. The National Board of Examinations (NBE) has announced the FMGE 2026 result.
Please check FMGE January 2026 Topper List: Rank & Marks Obtained
The result of the FMGE exam January session 2026 has declared on January 29, 2026. For more details about the FMGE exam and result i am providing the link to Careers360.
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Want to study abroad? Plan your Journey
Want to study abroad? Plan your Journey