The medical profession is often given a higher recognition all over the world compared to others. This is because of the huge impact it has on human life as well as on the surroundings. Also referred to as the field of health sciences, it comprises healthcare professions like doctors, nurses, veterinarian, researchers, etc. with medical procedures like diagnosis, treatments, surgeries and so on. It is one of the fastest-growing fields today in combination with advanced technology that helps medical professionals provide better and accurate services.

Besides having a fondness towards biology in the early years, students tend to go for this profession due to some important reasons like the great demand for doctors, good pay, job stability, wide range of opportunities, etc. The field has a plethora of branches to offer the students to choose from. Starting from the preclinical sciences like biochemistry, pharmacology, genetics, anatomy, pathology, microbiology, physiology to subsequent clinical rotations like internal medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry, gynaecology, etc., to name a few.

Being a populous country, India has one of the largest healthcare systems in the world growing rapidly in terms of employment and revenue. It is majorly categorized into two major components - public and private. Such categorization is also enforced in the field of education. Therefore, India houses numerous medical colleges. Speaking of Pondicherry, it is one of the educational hubs of the nation with some of the most recognized medical institutions. Students can secure their seats by acquiring a good score in the required medical entrance exam. Other information like admission details varies from college to college.

Top Medical Colleges in Pondicherry (NIRF 2020 Ranking)

NIRF stands for National Institutional Ranking Framework; it is a framework adopted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development to rank institutions of India. The rankings are updated regularly on their website for students' reference as they prepare to plan their further studies. This helps them to select the best of institutions of India for studying. The website also provides details like location and categorizes them field-wise. Here are the top medical colleges in Pondicherry recognized by NIRF with their individual score and ranks:

Top Medical Colleges in Pondicherry (Careers360 Ranking)

Careers360 is an online platform that integrates information regarding educational institutions to help the students plan their further steps wisely. The intuitions can be searched by applying various filters like location, fees, the field of study, placement, etc. Students can also login to make their own set of preferences to compare these colleges. Some of the top medical colleges in Pondicherry have been listed below based on the latest Careers360 ranking: -

Top Medical Colleges in Pondicherry (Placement Packages)

Placement is one of the main factors in prospects considered by students while choosing their college. Colleges have job fairs or placement programs where recruiters from multiple companies hire students who qualify the minimum criteria of the company. Employers conduct several selection processes to select students for job positions. Hence, a college with good contacts in companies and hiring drive is always preferable. Here is a list of top medical colleges in Pondicherry based on their placement packages offered: -

Top Medical Colleges in Pondicherry (Course Fees)

One of the main factors to be considered by students for selecting their colleges is the tuition fee. While most of the time medical courses are comparatively at higher price from other courses, some colleges do offer it at lower prices. Therefore, students must be aware of the fees which vary from college to college and select the college that they find affordable. Students can also avail scholarships depending on their scores and the criteria set by the colleges. The following table depicts the top medical colleges in Pondicherry and their respective fees as per the last updates:

Top Medical Entrance Exams and Top Medical Colleges In Pondicherry Accepting Them:

CETPPMC/CETPPDC also known as the Common Entrance Test for Pondicherry Private Medical/Dental Colleges, is a test that helps candidates with getting admission in clinical and dental courses (MBBS and BDS). It is conducted every year on a state level. But the commonly accepted examination for all medical colleges across the country is NEET. Here is the list of colleges providing admission based on their respective entrance exams:

Popular Medical Specializations and Colleges offering Them:

1.    MBBS: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MBBS is one of the most recognized undergraduate degrees in India. Students who aspire to become allopathic doctors have to study MBBS. In a total of 5.5 years, students learn various fields of medicine and human anatomy in this program that help them verify different diseases and cure them. The course also covers various specializations in the field of medicine to enable detailed learning while pursuing a master's degree in this specialization. Following colleges offer MBBS in Pondicherry:

­         Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute

­         Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences

­         Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Hospital

­         Indira Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute

­         Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences

2.    MD: Master of Medicine is a medical degree that is generally chosen after MBBS. Hence, it is a postgraduate course that is of 3 years, offering different specializations. Students learn subjects like general medicine, clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. In the final year of study, students can opt to go in various research areas where they can get a deep insight into their choice of specialization and further explore the vast field. Some of the specializations include Anesthesiology, Orthopedics, Biochemistry, Pediatrics, General medicine, Microbiology, Pathology, etc. MD being a popular course, is offered in many colleges like:
         Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital

­         Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Hospital

­         Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences

­         Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences

­         Vinayaka Missions Medical College and Hospital

3.    BDS:  Bachelor of Dental Surgery is a 5 years undergraduate program that involves teaching students the dental sciences and surgeries. It is the only approved professional dental course in India. Hence, most dentists who want to practice on their own need this degree for qualification. Some students opt for it after their MBBS.  Following institutions offer BDS in Pondicherry:

­         Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute

­         Indira Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute

­         Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth

­         Mahe Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital

4.    B. Pharm: Bachelor of Pharmacy/Pharmacology is an undergraduate degree of 4 years. This course encompasses the science of drug actions on biological systems. In other words, it includes the study of various sources, chemical properties, and therapeutic use of drugs. Pharmacology is basic not only to medicine, but also to nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and veterinary medicine. Pharmacological studies focus mainly on the treatment and prevention of major diseases, pesticides by drug therapy. Colleges in Pondicherry that offer B. Pharm are:

­         Shri Venkateswara College of Pharmacy

­         Mother Theresa Postgraduate and Research Institute of Health Sciences

Some of the common areas of specialization in Medicine and Surgery are:

Ø  Allergology

Ø  Anesthesiology

Ø  Cardiology

Ø  Dermatology

Ø  Emergency Medicine

Ø  Paramedical

Ø  Pharmaceutical

Ø  Pharmacology

Ø  Family and General Practice

Ø  Gastroenterology

Ø  Internal Medicine

Ø  Obstetrics & Gynecology

Ø  Orthopedics

Ø  Microbiology

Ø  Pathology

Ø  Paediatrics

Ø  Psychiatry

Ø  Radiology

Ø  General Surgery

Ø  Research

Ø  Public Health & Management

Admission process for Top Medical Colleges in Pondicherry

The common step for admission in any medical college is appearing for an entrance exam. NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is the major entrance exam for the medical stream. Acquiring a minimum eligibility percentile in NEET would help students fit for AIQ (All India Quota) which allows them to take admission in not only the top medical colleges but also all the medical colleges across the country. They can admit themselves in public as well as private, colleges and universities.

For UG courses: -

The basic requirement for any medical college is 10+2, where higher secondary education is obtained in science stream with biology subject. Students should appear for NEET-UG/NEET—MBBS. The score cut off varies from college to college. They can also appear for state entrance exams depending on the state of their desired college acceptable by them.

 For PG courses: -

For PG courses, students must have at least 50-60% in the undergraduate course. Further requirements are good scores in the entrance exam. Students should appear for NEET-PG.

Things to look for in Top Medical Colleges in Pondicherry

Having seen many good colleges and their programs, students can face a dilemma in choosing the option. But a final decision can be achieved once they thoroughly examine their options. The best suggestion would be by using the rejection method. After shortlisting their favourite colleges, students can use this method for rejecting colleges based on certain factors. Here are a few steps for finalizing a college:

Ø  First and foremost, students must decide their interested specialization. They should be thorough with their course structure and the future scope of it.

Ø  Once the specialization is fixed, colleges providing the desired specialization must be shortlisted.

Ø  Some students would also have a certain location for studying. Therefore, colleges must be listed accordingly.

Ø  Next step would be to consider the admission requirements like previous education, entrance exams to appear and the scores needed.

Ø  Last but one of the most important is to check for the fees and facilities provided in the colleges. Students can contact the college for detailed information and may even avail scholarships. Students can also consider prospects like placement while settling on a final college.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1. What are the different specializations offered in Medical colleges in Pondicherry?

Ans: Different specializations offered in Medical colleges in India are:

­         MBBS (physician)

­         Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery

­         Ayurveda

­         Public Health

Q2. What are the entrance exams for admission in medical colleges?

Ans: The most common and all India accepted medical entrance exam is NEET. However, different states and colleges have their own exams which are comparatively easier than NEET.

Q3. Are there any job opportunities for students who pursue Medical Courses?

Ans: Yes, there are several job opportunities for Medical students. Some of them are listed below:

­         Registered Nurse

­         Medical Researcher

­         Medical Science Liaison

­         General Surgeon

­         Physiotherapist

­         Anesthesiologist

Q4. What is the estimated fee for studying Medical courses in India?

Ans: The latest estimation of pursuing Medical Courses in India is very expensive with annual fees more than Rs 5 lakh. Some of these colleges are:

­         Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai

­         St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore

­         Kasturba Medical College, Manipal

­         Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University, Bhubaneswar

­         Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana

­         Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha

­         MS Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore

­         SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ramapuram

­         Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu

­         KS. Hegde Medical Academy, Mangalore

­         Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Pondicherry

Q5. Which are the popular exams other than NEET acceptable in Pondicherry?

Ans:  Pondicherry has its own state-level entrance exam known as the CETPPMC/CETPPDC, i.e. Common Entrance Test for Pondicherry Private Medical/Dental Colleges, which is acceptable in private colleges. However, NEET is acceptable in both types of colleges.

Q6. Do medical courses have internships?

Ans: Internships are short-term placements where students can practice and learn with a monthly stipend. Many colleges provide internships after the completion of the course. The criterion differs for every college. Therefore, one must check college websites for details.

Q7. What are the median and average salary package offered by the recruiting companies?

Ans: According to the student reviews, the median salary package offered by the recruiters is 3.5 LPA while the average salary package ranges from 4-5 LPA.

Q8. Are there any Diploma courses in Medical?

Ans: Yes, many colleges offer specialized Diploma courses in medical. The specializations include:

­Critical Care Nursing

­Oncology Nursing

­Forensics

­Cardio-Thoracic Nursing

­Operation Room Nursing

Genetic Counseling

Q9. What is the minimum NEET score required to get admission in Government College?

Ans: Minimum score of 134 which is 50% percentile is necessary to get admission in Government College.

Q10. How many times can a student appear for NEET exam?

Ans: There is no limit to the number of attempts for NEET exam. Candidates can appear as many times as they like.