Kharkiv National Medical University (KhNMU) — Fees & Admission

Kharkiv National Medical University at a glance

• Location: 4 Nauky Avenue, Kharkiv, 61022, north-eastern Ukraine
• Established: 1805
• University Type: State university; sole official site knmu.edu.ua
• Course: 12 / I2 Medicine — Master's degree (Dentistry and Nursing also open to foreigners)
• Course Duration: 5 years 10 months (domestic tariff); internship is a separate postgraduate stage
• Medium: English or Ukrainian
• Tuition: No foreign-student tariff published — figures below are unverified
• Entrance: KhNMU exams in biology + language; competitive score 150+ for Medicine
• Teaching format: KhNMU states it uses distance, blended and full-time learning

About Kharkiv National Medical University

Kharkiv National Medical University (KhNMU) is a state medical university at 4 Nauky Avenue in Kharkiv, in north-eastern Ukraine about 30 km from the Russian border. Two things on its own site should shape any decision. First, KhNMU states that education is provided “in various formats such as distance, blended and full-time learning” — which matters directly, because India's NMC has published notices requiring foreign medical graduates who studied online to compensate that period with physical onsite training at the same institution. Second, KhNMU publishes a detailed 2026-2027 tuition tariff for Ukrainian citizens but no tariff at all for foreign students, so any dollar figure you are quoted for Kharkiv is unverified until the university puts it in writing.

KhNMU also warns on every page that knmu.edu.ua is its only official site and that it is not responsible for information published on its behalf on other sites. Several look-alike domains market “Kharkiv National Medical University” tuition. Check anything you are shown against knmu.edu.ua.

Course structure, recognition and admission requirements are set by the university and by the regulator in its own country, and should be confirmed in writing for your intake year before you apply.

Why choose Kharkiv National Medical University?

What KhNMU documents, and what it leaves you to establish yourself:

• Published admission regulations for foreigners: KhNMU publishes its admission regulations for foreigners and stateless persons in English, setting out which specialties are open, the entrance examinations, the competitive score, the documents and the residence-permit process.
• A transparent selection formula: The competitive score is 0.5 x the entrance exam in Ukrainian or English plus 0.5 x the entrance exam in biology, each scored from 100 to 200. The threshold is 150 points and above for Medicine and Dentistry, 100 and above for Nursing.
• Two application windows a year: Applications from foreigners for Bachelor's and Master's degrees are accepted twice a year, from 26 March to 30 April and from 1 September to 1 November, with internship and preparatory-department applications accepted year-round.
• Distance admission is formally provided for: KhNMU states that foreigners may be admitted in person and/or at a distance, with identity checks and entrance examinations conducted remotely on video, or through a partner organisation in the applicant's own country.
• That same flexibility is the risk: Distance and blended teaching are exactly what India's NMC notices on online study are about. If any part of your course is delivered online, you may be required to compensate it with physical onsite training at KhNMU before you can register in India. Get the teaching format for your intake in writing.
• No published fee for foreigners: KhNMU's public tuition page covers Ukrainian citizens only. Ask the admissions office for the foreign-student tariff for your intake year, in writing, before you pay anything to anyone.

MBBS course overview

KhNMU states that foreigners arriving to study at the expense of individuals or legal entities are admitted to Master's programmes in specialties 11 “Dentistry” and 12 “Medicine”, and to the Bachelor's programme in “Nursing”, on the basis of complete general secondary education.

The languages of instruction for foreigners are Ukrainian and English. In Ukraine the internship is a separate postgraduate stage entered after the Master's degree — KhNMU has a dedicated Internship Department — so it is not the final year of the degree.

• Degree: Master's degree in Medicine (specialty 12 / I2)
• Duration: KhNMU's 2026-2027 domestic tariff gives the Medicine course entered on complete secondary education as 5 years 10 months. Confirm the duration for foreign students in writing.
• Medium of instruction: Ukrainian or English
• Intake: Applications from foreigners: 26 March to 30 April and 1 September to 1 November each year; internship and preparatory department year-round.

Courses offered

• 12 Medicine (Master's) — 5 years 10 months per the domestic tariff
• 11 Dentistry (Master's) — 4 years 10 months per the domestic tariff
• Nursing (Bachelor's) — 3 years 10 months per the domestic tariff
• Preparatory department for foreign citizens — Applications accepted year-round

Kharkiv National Medical University fee structure

Read this section carefully. KhNMU does not publish a tuition tariff for foreign students, so the figures below are not verified against any university document.

UNVERIFIED FIGURES. The tuition and hostel amounts above are the figures that have long circulated for KhNMU; we could not verify any of them against a university document and we are not presenting them as correct. KhNMU's official tuition page (knmu.edu.ua/vstupna-kampaniya/vartist-navchannya/) publishes only the tariff for Ukrainian citizens for the 2026-2027 academic year — for the record, that tariff sets Medicine entered on complete secondary education (5 years 10 months) at UAH 410,700 for the whole course, UAH 60,700 for year one and UAH 70,000 for years two to six. That is the domestic rate and it does not apply to Indian or other foreign students. KhNMU's admission regulations state that a contract on training and payment for educational services is concluded after the Admissions Committee recommends enrolment, but the amount is not published. Ask the admissions office for foreign applicants (nni.pihrom@knmu.edu.ua, +38 057 707 72 58) for the written tariff for your intake year, covering tuition, hostel, medical insurance, registration and any preparatory-department charge, and confirm it in writing before you pay anything. Note also that KhNMU states knmu.edu.ua is its only official site and that it is not responsible for information published on its behalf elsewhere — do not accept a fee quoted on a look-alike domain or by an agent.

• 1st year — UNVERIFIED: US$4,800 (unverified) — hostel US$800-1,000 (unverified)
• 2nd year — UNVERIFIED: US$4,800 (unverified) — hostel US$800-1,000 (unverified)
• 3rd year — UNVERIFIED: US$4,800 (unverified) — hostel US$800-1,000 (unverified)
• 4th year — UNVERIFIED: US$4,800 (unverified) — hostel US$800-1,000 (unverified)
• 5th year — UNVERIFIED: US$4,800 (unverified) — hostel US$800-1,000 (unverified)
• 6th year — UNVERIFIED: US$4,800 (unverified) — hostel US$800-1,000 (unverified)

Eligibility criteria

Two sets of rules apply — KhNMU's, and India's. You must satisfy both.

• KhNMU: entrance examinations: Entrance exams for foreigners in biology and in the language of instruction (Ukrainian or English), each scored from 100 to 200 points.
• KhNMU: competitive score: Competitive score = 0.5 x language exam + 0.5 x biology exam. The threshold is 150 points and above for Medicine and Dentistry, 100 and above for Nursing.
• KhNMU: prior education: A legalised (apostille or consular legalisation) document on the previously obtained level of education, with its appendix, translated into Ukrainian with notarised translation. KhNMU applies the Ministry of Education and Science letter of 17 January 2019 No. 1/9-30 on country-specific requirements.
• KhNMU: language preparation: Applicants for whom the Admissions Committee establishes a need for language training go through the preparatory department for foreign citizens first.
• India (NMC): NEET-UG: A valid NEET-UG qualifying score is required for an Indian student to be eligible to register in India after a foreign medical degree. KhNMU's published regulations do not themselves name NEET, so also ask the university what it requires from Indian applicants.
• India (NMC): online study: KhNMU states it teaches in distance, blended and full-time formats. The NMC has published notices on foreign medical graduates who studied online, including one dated 18 March 2026 on compensating online study with physical onsite training at the foreign institution. Read the current notices at nmc.org.in before you apply.

Admission process 2026

From KhNMU's published admission regulations for foreigners and stateless persons:

• Apply within one of the two windows for degree study — 26 March to 30 April or 1 September to 1 November.
• Submit your application in paper or electronic form to the Admissions Committee with the legalised education document and its appendix, an academic certificate if you are transferring from the second year, a passport copy, a health insurance policy if you are travelling to Ukraine, and 4 photographs 30 x 40 mm.
• Recruitment runs through Ukraine's Unified Interdepartmental Information System. The electronic invitation issued through it is valid for no more than six months and is the basis for a Ukrainian entry visa.
• Sit KhNMU's entrance examinations in biology and in Ukrainian or English. These may be taken in person, or remotely with video recording, or at a partner organisation in your own country under a formal agreement with the university.
• If your competitive score reaches the threshold, the Admissions Committee recommends you for enrolment and the university concludes a contract on training and payment for educational services.
• Get the fee for your intake in writing at this point and before you transfer money — KhNMU does not publish a foreign-student tariff.
• Travel to Ukraine, hand over the original documents in person on first crossing the border, and register with the State Migration Service. KhNMU must apply for your temporary residence permit no later than fifteen days before your permitted stay expires.

Documents required

The list set out in KhNMU's own admission regulations:

• Legalised (apostille or consular legalisation) education document and a copy of it
• Appendix to the education document (original or certified copy), if available
• Academic certificate from a foreign or Ukrainian institution, if transferring or resuming study from the second year
• Document setting out the content of the previous curriculum, credits, duration and performance, where the appendix does not give it
• Copy of the passport
• Health insurance policy (if you are travelling to Ukraine to enrol)
• 4 photographs, 30 x 40 mm
• NEET scorecard — required for you to register in India later, so bring it even if KhNMU's regulations do not list it
• Documents 1-5 must be translated into Ukrainian with notarised translation; documents 1-4 must be certified in the issuing country and legalised by a Ukrainian foreign mission

Hostel & accommodation

KhNMU does not publish a hostel tariff or a current description of hostel conditions for foreign students on its official site.

• Cost: Not published. Any figure you have seen — including the US$800-1,000 a year that circulates — is unverified. Ask the office for training of international citizens (nni.pihrom@knmu.edu.ua) for the written tariff before you pay.
• Room type and availability: Ask which hostel, how many students to a room, and whether a place is guaranteed for your intake, and get it in the contract.
• Meals: Not documented on the official site. Confirm separately.
• Safety: Kharkiv is roughly 30 km from the Russian border and has been struck repeatedly during the war. Ask what shelter provision the hostel and the teaching buildings have, and what happens during air-raid alerts.

Clinical training

KhNMU states that its education takes place at 70 departments and 47 attached clinics, the KhNMU Hospital and the University Dental Centre, and that teaching is delivered in distance, blended and full-time formats. The balance between those formats is the question to settle:

• Ask, for your intake and for each year of the course, how much teaching is in person in Kharkiv and how much is online or blended — and get the answer in writing on university letterhead.
• Ask whether any online period would later have to be compensated by physical onsite training at KhNMU, and whether the university will issue the compensation certificate the NMC expects.
• Ask which of the 47 attached clinics are actually operating and taking students, and where clinical rotations physically take place.
• Ask how the postgraduate internship would be arranged for a foreign graduate, and how it would be certified against the NMC's expectation of a 12-month internship at the same institution.

Recognition & accreditation

The National Medical Commission states that it “does not endorse any list of Foreign Medical Institutions/ Universities for MBBS or equivalent course”, so no foreign medical university is “NMC approved”. What decides your eligibility to register in India is the course you take. Verify the following directly with the university, in writing:

• KhNMU admits foreigners to accredited educational programmes under Ukrainian law, and enrolment can be confirmed by a certificate from Ukraine's Unified State Electronic Database on Education.
• Check the course against the NMC's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations, 2021 — at least 54 months of study, a 12-month internship at the same institution, and English as the medium of instruction throughout.
• KhNMU states that it teaches in distance, blended and full-time formats. Ask in writing which applies to you, and read the NMC's current public notices on compensating online study at nmc.org.in before you commit.
• Confirm the university is registered with the body competent to grant a licence to practise medicine in its own country, on the same terms as that country's own graduates.
• Look the university up yourself in the World Directory of Medical Schools (wdoms.org). A listing records that a school exists — it is not an accreditation, a recognition or an endorsement.

Career opportunities

A Ukrainian Master's degree in Medicine does not by itself let you practise anywhere. Each country runs its own licensing route:

• India: the NMC screening examination plus a further 12 months of supervised internship in India, provided your course meets the FMGL Regulations, 2021 — which is where any online study period becomes a problem.
• Other countries: USMLE (USA), PLAB (UK), AMC (Australia) and equivalent examinations each set their own eligibility rules — check them with the regulator, not with a university or an agent.

Student life

Practicalities that matter more than campus life right now:

• Ukrainian airspace is closed to civil aviation. EASA's Conflict Zone Information Bulletin CZIB-2022-01R14, revised 24 July 2026, advises operators not to operate in Ukrainian airspace, including landings and departures, until 31 January 2027 unless reviewed earlier. Kharkiv is reached overland, a long journey across the country from the western border.
• Kharkiv is a front-line-adjacent city. Do not rely on pre-2022 descriptions of student life there, from us or from anyone else.
• Foreign students must hold medical insurance and obtain a temporary residence permit from the State Migration Service.
• Check your own government's current travel advice for Ukraine, and for eastern Ukraine specifically, before booking anything.

Kharkiv National Medical University (KNMU Kharkiv) — frequently asked questions

What is the tuition fee at Kharkiv National Medical University for Indian students?

KhNMU does not publish a tuition tariff for foreign students. Its official tuition page covers Ukrainian citizens only, and for 2026-2027 sets Medicine at UAH 410,700 for the whole 5-year-10-month course — a domestic rate that does not apply to you. The US$4,800 a year that circulates for KhNMU is unverified. Ask the office for foreign applicants (nni.pihrom@knmu.edu.ua) for the written tariff for your intake and confirm it in writing before you pay.

Does KhNMU teach online?

KhNMU's own page for foreign students states that “the education at the university is provided in various formats such as distance, blended and full-time learning”, and its admission regulations allow foreigners to be admitted in person and/or at a distance. That is important: the NMC has published notices on foreign medical graduates who studied online, including one dated 18 March 2026 on compensating online study with physical onsite training at the foreign institution. Get the teaching format for your intake in writing and read the current notices at nmc.org.in.

Which courses can foreigners take at KhNMU?

KhNMU states that foreigners studying at their own or a sponsor's expense are admitted to Master's programmes in specialties 11 “Dentistry” and 12 “Medicine” and to the Bachelor's programme in “Nursing”, on the basis of complete general secondary education. The languages of instruction for foreigners are Ukrainian and English.

What entrance exams does KhNMU set for foreign applicants?

Two: biology and the language of instruction (Ukrainian or English), each scored from 100 to 200 points. The competitive score is 0.5 x the language score plus 0.5 x the biology score, and the threshold is 150 points and above for Medicine and Dentistry. The exams can be taken in person, remotely with video recording, or at a partner organisation in your country under a formal agreement with the university.

When can I apply to KhNMU?

Applications from foreigners for Bachelor's and Master's degrees are accepted twice a year, from 26 March to 30 April and from 1 September to 1 November. Applications for the internship and the preparatory department are accepted throughout the year.

Is NEET compulsory for Indian students at KhNMU?

A valid NEET-UG qualifying score is what makes an Indian student eligible to register in India after a foreign medical degree, so in practice yes. KhNMU's published admission regulations do not themselves name NEET, so also ask the university in writing what it requires from Indian applicants for your intake.

Is it safe to study in Kharkiv right now?

Kharkiv is roughly 30 km from the Russian border and has been struck repeatedly since 2022. Ukrainian airspace is closed to civil aviation under EASA bulletin CZIB-2022-01R14, currently until 31 January 2027, so there are no commercial flights and the overland journey across Ukraine is long. KhNMU does not publish a current statement on safety arrangements for students. Ask in writing where teaching physically takes place and what shelter provision exists, and check your own government's travel advice. Do not treat pre-2022 descriptions of Kharkiv student life as current.

How long is the Medicine course at KhNMU?

KhNMU's 2026-2027 domestic tariff gives Medicine entered on complete general secondary education as 5 years 10 months. In Ukraine the internship is a separate postgraduate stage — KhNMU has its own Internship Department — so it is not the sixth year of the degree. Because the NMC expects at least 54 months of study and a 12-month internship at the same institution, confirm both in writing.

Which website is the real KhNMU site?

knmu.edu.ua. The university states on every page that this is its only official site and that it is not responsible for information published on its behalf on other sites. Several look-alike domains advertise KhNMU tuition and admission terms. Check any fee, invitation or contract against knmu.edu.ua and against an email from a knmu.edu.ua address.

Is KhNMU approved by the NMC?

No foreign medical university is “NMC approved” — the Commission states that it does not endorse any list of foreign medical institutions. What decides whether you can register in India is whether your course meets the FMGL Regulations, 2021, followed by the screening examination and 12 months of supervised internship in India. Given that KhNMU teaches in distance and blended formats as well as full-time, read the NMC's current notices at nmc.org.in before you apply.