Samarkand State Medical University: MBBS Fees & Admission 2026
Samarkand State Medical University was founded on 7 May 1930 as the State Uzbek Medical Institute — the first independent medical school in Central Asia — and was given university status by presidential resolution on 1 April 2022. It sits at 18 Amir Temur Street in Samarkand, under the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan, and is led by Rector Professor Jasur Rizaev. Its model contract for foreign citizens covers General Medicine, full-time, taught in English or Russian, for the qualification of doctor. The Ministry's national portal for international students lists the English-medium General Medicine course at 38,400,000 so'm a year over six years. Selection is by an oral interview in Biology, Chemistry and the language of instruction.
The university teaches across eight faculties — including an International faculty of medical education — with 74 departments, and runs its own multidisciplinary clinic and a specialised children's surgical clinic. It says admission of students from India began in the 2020-2021 academic year, and it holds an ECAQA international institutional accreditation certificate.
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.
Samarkand State Medical University at a glance
- Location: 18 Amir Temur Street, Samarkand 140100, Uzbekistan
- Established: 7 May 1930; renamed a university on 1 April 2022
- University Type: Public university under the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan
- Flagship Course: General Medicine / Lechebnoe delo (code 60910200)
- Course Duration: 6 years, full-time
- Medium: English or Russian — the model contract names both
- Apply through: studyin-uzbekistan.uz plus the university's international department
- Tuition listed: 38,400,000 so'm per year, English-medium General Medicine
- Entrance: Oral interview in Biology, Chemistry and the language of instruction
About Samarkand State Medical University
Samarkand State Medical University was founded on 7 May 1930 as the State Uzbek Medical Institute — the first independent medical school in Central Asia — and was given university status by presidential resolution on 1 April 2022. It sits at 18 Amir Temur Street in Samarkand, under the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan, and is led by Rector Professor Jasur Rizaev. Its model contract for foreign citizens covers General Medicine, full-time, taught in English or Russian, for the qualification of doctor. The Ministry's national portal for international students lists the English-medium General Medicine course at 38,400,000 so'm a year over six years. Selection is by an oral interview in Biology, Chemistry and the language of instruction.
The university teaches across eight faculties — including an International faculty of medical education — with 74 departments, and runs its own multidisciplinary clinic and a specialised children's surgical clinic. It says admission of students from India began in the 2020-2021 academic year, and it holds an ECAQA international institutional accreditation certificate.
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 Samarkand State Medical University?
What the university's own documents and the Ministry's national portal establish:
- A 1930 public medical school: Founded by Resolution No. 80 of the Council of People's Commissars of Uzbekistan on 7 May 1930 as the State Uzbek Medical Institute, and a university since April 2022.
- An English or Russian contract, in writing: The model contract the university publishes for foreign citizens states that teaching is delivered on the basis of state standards in English or Russian, for the qualification of doctor. That is a written commitment you can hold it to.
- A dedicated international faculty: One of its eight faculties is the International faculty of medical education, with its own departments and a department of international relations handling foreign students.
- Its own teaching clinics: The university runs a multidisciplinary clinic and a specialised children's surgical clinic, created on the base of the institute's first and second clinics, plus several research institutes and centres.
- ECAQA institutional accreditation: The university states it has been awarded the ECAQA international institutional accreditation certificate. Ask for the certificate and its validity dates before you treat it as decisive.
MBBS course overview
The university's model contract for foreign citizens names the field of education as General Medicine (Lechebnoe delo), full-time, at Samarkand State Medical University, for the qualification of doctor, taught in English or Russian to the approved state curriculum.
The grouped subject blocks below follow the Uzbek state standard for General Medicine and are indicative — ask the International faculty of medical education for the approved syllabus and assessment regulations for your intake.
- Degree: Bachelor's degree in General Medicine (Lechebnoe delo) — qualification: doctor
- Duration: 6 years, full-time
- Medium of instruction: English or Russian, as named in the university's model contract for foreign citizens
- Intake: The 2026/2027 academic year began on 7 September 2026; apply through studyin-uzbekistan.uz and confirm the current window with the international department
Year-wise curriculum
- Basic Medical Sciences (Years 1 & 2): Human Anatomy, Histology, Cytology and Embryology, Medical Biology, Biochemistry, Normal Physiology, Medical and Biological Physics, Latin and medical terminology
- Para-Clinical Sciences (Years 3 & 4): Pathological Anatomy, Pathological Physiology, Microbiology, Virology and Immunology, Pharmacology, Propaedeutics of internal diseases, General Surgery, Hygiene
- Clinical Medicine (Year 5): Internal Medicine, Surgical diseases, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, ENT, Psychiatry, Infectious diseases, Oncology
- Clinical training (Year 6): Supervised clinical work in the university's clinics and affiliated hospitals before qualification
Courses offered
- General Medicine (60910200) — 6 years
- Pediatrics (60910300) — 6 years
- Dentistry (60910100) — 5 years
- Medical preventive work (60910400) — 5 years
- Medical-biological work (60910600) — 4 years
Samarkand State Medical University fee structure
Tuition for foreign citizens as published by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on its national portal for international students:
Source: the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation's national portal for international students, studyin-uzbekistan.uz, entry for Samarkand State Medical University, read on 26 September 2026. The portal does not label these figures with an academic year, so treat them as the rates listed at that date and ask the university for the tariff for your intake in writing. The portal's dollar figures are its own conversion at a flat 12,000 so'm to US$1 and are indicative only. The university's own "Amount of payment for international students" link leads to its model contract, in which the amount is left blank to be filled in per student, so no dollar figure is published by the university itself. The contract states that payment is made in national currency at the dollar rate of the National Bank of Uzbekistan on the day of payment, and that a currency-conversion certificate must accompany the payment order. Tuition does not include the dormitory, meals, medical insurance, visa fees, travel or personal costs, none of which the university publishes. Confirm the amount, currency and instalment dates in writing before you pay.
- General Medicine, English — per year: 38,400,000 so'm (portal conversion ≈ US$3,200)
- Dentistry, English, 5 years — per year: 36,000,000 so'm (portal conversion ≈ US$3,000)
- Medical preventive work, English, 5 years — per year: 36,000,000 so'm (portal conversion ≈ US$3,000)
- Medical-biological work, English, 4 years — per year: 36,000,000 so'm (portal conversion ≈ US$3,000)
Eligibility criteria
What the university and the Indian regulator each require:
- Choice of programme: The university states that foreign citizens may choose any available faculty and study programme.
- Selection: Admission is on the basis of an interview — an oral examination in Biology, Chemistry and the language of instruction, Russian or English.
- Platform registration: Registration on studyin-uzbekistan.uz, the Ministry's national platform, is part of the required document set.
- Health: Medical certificate form 086/U, an official Varicella vaccination certificate, an HIV test result issued no more than three months before applying, and a comprehensive medical examination certificate, repeated once each academic year during your studies.
- NEET-UG (Indian nationals): India's National Medical Commission requires an Indian national to have qualified NEET-UG before taking a primary medical qualification abroad. The university publishes no NEET requirement of its own.
Admission process 2026
Foreign citizens apply through the Ministry's Study in Uzbekistan platform alongside the university's international department:
- Register on studyin-uzbekistan.uz with a recent photo, an electronic copy of your passport and a certified copy of your school certificate.
- Select General Medicine at Samarkand State Medical University, choose English or Russian as the language of instruction, and submit your application.
- Send the document set to the international department (international.department@sammu.uz; +998 66 233 2744; Telegram @SamSMU_Admissions).
- Sit the oral interview in Biology, Chemistry and the language of instruction; applicants who pass are recommended for admission.
- Sign the university's contract for admission of a foreign citizen on a paid-contract basis, which names the programme, the language and the academic year.
- Apply for the A-1 student entry visa, issued for up to one year on the request of the university, and complete registration on arrival in Samarkand.
Documents required
The list the university publishes on its international admission page. Note that it is written for applicants presenting a higher-education diploma — ask the international department in writing which equivalent it wants from a Class 12 school leaver:
- Application addressed to the rector, on the university's approved template
- Your education document and its supplement or academic transcript
- Copy of your passport — the pages with your photo and registration details
- Medical certificate form 086/U from an authorised medical institution
- Official vaccination certificate against Varicella (chickenpox)
- HIV test result certificate issued no earlier than three months before the application
- Certificate of a comprehensive medical examination
- One electronic photograph, 10 × 15 cm, JPG, minimum 300 DPI
- Registration on studyin-uzbekistan.uz
- For Indian nationals, your NEET-UG scorecard — required by India's NMC rather than by the university
Hostel & accommodation
What the university actually publishes about accommodation:
- Availability: The university runs student dormitories and commissioned a new student dormitory in August 2026; it maintains a page on the residence of foreign students.
- Cost: No dormitory charge is published. Ask the international department for the rate, what it covers and whether a place is guaranteed for first-year international students.
- Rooms and catering: The university does not publish room configurations, mess arrangements or an Indian catering service. Treat any such description from a consultancy as unverified.
Clinical training
The clinical base the university describes on its own pages:
- A multidisciplinary university clinic and a specialised children's surgical clinic, created on the base of the institute's first and second clinics under the 2022 presidential resolution.
- Research institutes and centres attached to the university, including a rehabilitation and sports medicine research institute, an institute of infectious and parasitic diseases, a centre for neurosurgery and neurorehabilitation, and a simulation centre.
- The university does not publish an English-language rotation schedule for international students — ask which clinics you would be placed in and in which language patients are seen.
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:
- Samarkand State Medical University is a state university of the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan and is listed on the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation's national portal for international students.
- The university states it holds an ECAQA international institutional accreditation certificate — ask for the certificate and its validity dates.
- 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.
- 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
Where a six-year Uzbek General Medicine degree can lead, subject to the licensing route you take:
- In Uzbekistan the contract qualification is doctor, with master's and clinical residency routes for specialisation.
- To register in India you must meet the NMC's FMGL Regulations, 2021, pass the screening examination and complete a further 12 months of supervised internship in India.
- Other routes — USMLE, PLAB, AMC — each set their own eligibility rules, including a current World Directory of Medical Schools listing.
Student life
Samarkand is a UNESCO-listed city of roughly half a million people with its own international airport. What the university itself documents:
- An International faculty of medical education with its own departments, plus a department of international relations for foreign students.
- An office of the registrar, a career centre and a simulation centre, each with published contact details.
- Student dormitories, with a new block commissioned in August 2026.
Samarkand State Medical University (SSMU / SAMMU) — frequently asked questions
What is the annual tuition fee, and for which session?
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation's national portal for international students, studyin-uzbekistan.uz, lists the English-medium General Medicine course at Samarkand State Medical University at 38,400,000 so'm a year, read on 26 September 2026. The portal does not label the figure with an academic year. The university's own "Amount of payment for international students" link leads to its model contract, in which the amount is left blank, so ask the international department for the tariff for your intake in writing.
What is not included in the tuition fee?
The listed figure is tuition only. The dormitory, meals, medical insurance, visa and registration fees, travel and personal costs are extra and the university does not publish them. Its contract also requires payment in national currency at the National Bank of Uzbekistan dollar rate on the day of payment, with a currency-conversion certificate attached to the payment order.
What is the admission process for international students?
Register on studyin-uzbekistan.uz, select General Medicine at Samarkand State Medical University and submit your documents. The university reviews them and invites you to an interview — an oral examination in Biology, Chemistry and the language of instruction, Russian or English. Applicants who pass are recommended for admission, sign the paid-contract agreement, and then apply for the A-1 student entry visa.
What documents are required?
An application to the rector on the university's template, your education document with its transcript, a copy of your passport photo and registration pages, medical certificate form 086/U, an official Varicella vaccination certificate, an HIV test result no older than three months, a comprehensive medical examination certificate, one 10 × 15 cm electronic photograph at 300 DPI or better, and registration on studyin-uzbekistan.uz. The published list is written for applicants holding a higher-education diploma, so ask which equivalent it wants from a Class 12 leaver.
Is NEET compulsory for Indian students?
Yes, but as an Indian rule rather than a university rule. India's National Medical Commission requires an Indian national to have qualified NEET-UG before taking a primary medical qualification abroad, and to be eligible for the screening examination on return. Samarkand publishes no NEET requirement of its own; it selects by an oral interview in Biology, Chemistry and the language of instruction.
What are the eligibility requirements?
The university states that foreign citizens may choose any available faculty and programme, and are admitted on the basis of an oral interview in Biology, Chemistry and the language of instruction. It also requires the full medical document set, including a Varicella vaccination certificate and an HIV test result no older than three months, and registration on the national Study in Uzbekistan platform.
How long is the course and what degree do I receive?
General Medicine (code 60910200) is a six-year full-time bachelor's course; the university's model contract for foreign citizens names the resulting qualification as doctor. Ask in writing how the final clinical year and any internship are organised, because India's FMGL Regulations require a 12-month internship at the awarding institution.
In what language is the course taught?
The university's published model contract for foreign citizens commits it to providing the educational service on the basis of state standards in English or Russian. The Ministry's national portal lists the English-medium General Medicine track separately, and the entrance interview is held in Russian or English. Get your contract to name English explicitly, including for the clinical years, if that is the track you want.
When does the academic year start?
The 2026/2027 academic year began at Samarkand State Medical University on 7 September 2026. Applications run through studyin-uzbekistan.uz; ask the international department for the current window rather than assuming a fixed September and March intake.
Is there a hostel for international students?
Yes — the university runs student dormitories, commissioned a new block in August 2026 and maintains a page on the residence of foreign students. It does not publish the charge, the room type or any mess arrangement, so ask the international department for the rate in writing and treat detailed consultancy descriptions, including claims of an Indian mess, as unverified.
Is the degree recognised by the NMC and WHO?
No foreign medical university holds "NMC approved" status — the National Medical Commission states that it "does not endorse any list of Foreign Medical Institutions/ Universities for MBBS or equivalent course". What decides whether you can register to practise in India is whether your course meets 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 — followed by the screening examination and a further 12 months of supervised internship in India. Confirm the current position with the university in writing before you apply.