Major relief for Ukraine returned Indian students as NMC allows academic mobility programs

In a major relief to Indian students who were pursuing MBBS courses in Ukraine but had to return back to India after Russian invasion, the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Tuesday notified that it has no objection to academic mobility programs that are being offered by universities in Ukraine to Indian medical students.

No objection for mobility programs means that Indian MBBS students who had to come back, now can temporarily pursue their courses in some other foreign universities, most likely in Europe, but they will continue to remain the students of the parent Ukrainian University.

“The Commission hereby conveys its no-objection for academic mobility program in respect of Indian Medical students who are studying in Ukraine provided that other criteria of Screening Test Regulations 2002 are fulfilled,” the NMC said.

“Mobility program offered by Ukraine has been considered in the Commission in consultation with Ministry of External Affairs, wherein it was intimated that the Academic mobility Program is a temporary relocation to other universities in different country globally. However, the degree will be awarded by the parent Ukrainian University,” the NMC added.

Academic mobility is the transfer of students and research and



teaching staff of higher education institutions for a certain period of time to another educational, scientific or clinical institution within or outside their country for the purpose of teaching or learning.

In the last few months, many Ukrainian Universities have been able to enter into collaborations with their counterparts in Europe so that academic mobility programmes can be offered to foreign students. Essentially, the collaboration will enable Indian MBBS students to keep attending physical classes in other Universities of Europe as exchange students.

Indian students will now have the option of completing their MBBS courses in some other Universities in Europe, with which the Ukrainian Universities have entered in a collaboration. However, students who are part of mobility programmes will continue to remain the students of Ukrainian Universities where they were admitted and will receive the degree certificate from Ukrainian University.

There are anywhere between 20,000 and 22,000 Indian students who were pursuing MBBS courses in Ukraine. Within days of Russian invasion, almost all of them were evacuated and returned to India. Since then, the students have been demanding that the Indian regulatory authorities allow them to join Indian universities that offer MBBS courses.