How to Check If a Foreign Medical University Is Valid for Practising in India

You do not need an agent to tell you whether a foreign medical university is “valid”. With a few official documents and two public websites, you can check most of it yourself in an evening. This checklist is the same one we use before listing any university.

1. Is it listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools?

Search for the university on wdoms.org, the World Directory of Medical Schools maintained by the World Federation for Medical Education and FAIMER. Note the exact official name, city and the year the school started teaching. A listing is a basic sign that the school exists and is recognised in its own country. It is not proof that a program meets India’s rules, so continue with the checks below.

If you may later take the USMLE, also look at the “ECFMG note” on the listing, which tells you whether graduates can apply for ECFMG certification.

2. Is the course at least 54 months?

Ask for the official curriculum or study plan for your intake year, showing semesters and total duration. FMGL 2021 needs at least 54 months of study. Most compliant programs are six years including internship.

3. Is there a 12-month internship at the same university?

The study plan should show an internship (sometimes called clinical clerkship or practical training) of at least 12 months, run by the same university, in that country. Ask which hospitals it happens in.

4. Is every year taught in English?

Ask the dean’s office for a letter confirming that the medium of instruction is English for all years, including clinical years and exams. Then confirm it with current students in their fourth or fifth year. This is the check most often fudged in brochures.

5. Are the required subjects and clinical training covered?

Compare the subject list with the subjects listed in Schedule I of FMGL 2021: pre-clinical, para-clinical and clinical subjects including medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, community medicine, psychiatry, orthopaedics, dermatology, ENT, ophthalmology and anaesthesia. Missing subjects are a red flag.

6. Can graduates register as doctors in that country?

Under FMGL 2021, your degree must let you practise in the country where you studied, on par with its citizens. Ask for confirmation in writing, ideally referring to the country’s medical council or health ministry rules. A “diploma for foreigners” that does not lead to local registration fails this test.

7. What hospitals will you train in?

Ask for the names of the teaching hospitals, their bed counts and how many students rotate through them. Look the hospitals up yourself. A university with its own large hospital, or formal agreements with major city hospitals, usually offers better patient exposure.

8. How do its graduates do in the licensing exam?

NBEMS releases FMGE results that can be analysed by country and institution. Ask the university or agent for its FMGE pass rate for the last few sessions and the number of candidates, then compare with published analyses. A small number of candidates makes percentages unreliable, so look at several years. Our guide on reading FMGE pass rates explains how.

9. Are fees published, and paid to the university?

Ask for the official fee schedule for all six years, on university letterhead, and confirm that tuition is paid directly to the university’s bank account. Pay through a traceable bank transfer or a regulated remittance provider and keep every receipt. Cash payments and payments to personal accounts are red flags.

Documents to collect (save this list)

If a university or agent avoids these questions, that tells you a lot. Read our list of agent red flags before you go further.

Sources

• World Directory of Medical Schools: search.wdoms.org
• NMC FAQ on FMGL Regulations 2021: nmc.org.in (PDF)
• FMGE results: natboard.edu.in
• FMGE data overview: Factly

Always verify: rules and university details change. Last checked: October 2026.