Looking forward to doing MBBS abroad? Worried about your NEET score? Do not worry. You can get placed in world-class medical colleges with high quality education and experience a new country while you pursue your medicine course.
There are a lot of opportunities, countries, colleges and agency trying to sway you into their trap. Here is our honest opinion on the wide options for pursuing MBBS in abroad and why MBBS in Philippines is great for Indian students.
Best part is you can even get through even if you haven’t got the best percentile in NEET exams. Want a bigger surprise? The capitation fee is ZERO. And the fee too is lower than Indian private institutions.
Why study MBBS in abroad?
Not just MBBS, the opportunity to study MBBS in a foreign country will open doors to world-class infrastructure while you get the best experience and knowledge. This is the reason why most people immigrate to pursue education. There is an added advantage of getting exposed to people from various countries and culture.
Some countries do not have a good educational system or enough college to accommodate all medicine aspiring students. Then flying out of the country is the only way they can get good quality MBBS degree.
There is a third category where something like an entrance exam is a barrier for the students to enter into medical college. This applies most to Indians as the recent addition of NEET as the main qualifying factor to get admission in Indian MBBS colleges. For many, the one-time trial doesn’t bring out good results. In that case, you can try and get into a foreign institution.
Countries like the Philippines have well-developed medical colleges with easier admission criteria.
Not just that, some countries serve as educational tourism centers just for the cost of education. The cost of MD in the US averages around 150,000 USD. Opting to study abroad can save them at least three-fourths of the fees they pay there.
Best countries to do MBBS in abroad:
- Philippines
- Nepal
- Bangladesh
- Ukraine
- Poland
- Russia
- Germany
- China
In recent years, Asian countries are attracting more and more college students due to the easy admission process and low cost of education.
Among the list, China has very strict norms when it comes to internet usage. You cannot access regular websites like google and Facebook in China. The culture is very varied, and the language is far difficult to learn and adopt.
India is not enjoying a good relationship with China as these countries share their border. So, there are a lot of downsides if you consider China.
The Philippines, on the other hand, has a lot of reasons that you can’t reject it.
Reasons to study MBBS in the Philippines:
The best option for Indian origin students to study MBBS abroad is the Philippines. The Philippines is open to accommodate more foreign students with a simple visa process – a simple 2 months process with basic requirements.
MD (Doctor of Medicine) in the Philippines is the equivalent of MBBS degree in India. The course duration is 5 ½ years including the bachelor program and internship.
The Philippines is a southeast Asian country with English as their national language, has very high standards of education comparable to the US and a lot more compelling reason.
And most important of all, the minimum NEET score is enough to apply for Philippines medical colleges. Which means open opportunity for all willing to pursue medicinal courses.
Many MCI approved Medical colleges:
The Medical Council of India accepts only students from certain foreign colleges to be able to appear for the screening test (passing which you can practice in India). MCI has approved around 40 such medical colleges in the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the countries to have more number of recognized medical colleges by MCI.
Medical Colleges in the Philippines are not only approved by MCI, even the World Health Organization (WHO), FAIMER has also recognized these medical colleges.
No Capitation Fee:
You don’t need to fear the capitation fee when studying MBBS in the Philippines. Unlike Indian colleges that ask for a huge capitation, medical colleges in the Philippines collect only the fees.
Even the fees structure in Philippines medical colleges is too low when compared to Indian private medical colleges. The average tuition fees cost around Rs.16,00,000/4 years. Which is why the number of Indian students in the Philippines is increasing every year.
Low cost of living:
The cost of living in the Philippines is cheaper than many other Asian countries and World countries. The Philippines is a developing country, so the cost of living is not a real problem for Indian students.
The scenario gets even better if you are from a well-developed nation like the US. You can have a very good lifestyle without needing to take a part-time job.
The estimated cost of living per month for food and accommodation at the university or third-party hostels in the Philippines is around $200. The other expenses are subjected to change based on your lifestyle.
Favorable climatic conditions:
Located in a similar latitude range, the Philippines is a tropical country like India. So, the Philippines has a similar climatic condition like India. The temperature varies from 23 to 36-degree Celsius.
Cold dry season and hot season are the two main seasons. The rainfall is moderate but a little higher than India. So, it is favorable for a student from India to withstand the climate.
Bilingual Country:
Bilingual countries usually provide equal status to two languages and many people speak more than one language in the country. Filipino is the national language but English has been declared as the official language. English is used in printed magazines, newspapers, and television and teaching in all educational institutions.
Professors in the Philippines colleges use American accent to encourage good standard. So, people from other countries feel quite comfortable communicating in English.
High education standard equal to that of the USA:
Philippines was a colony of the US before getting its independence. The USA has a good influence on the Philippines in the education system. They have their education system designed after the US’s PBL system.
Most teachers and professor do their advanced degrees from the universities of the USA. So, it is not just the education system, but the teachers also are of high standards.
English is the medium of instruction in all higher educational institutions. This is another reason that Indian students can adapt easily.
Their high education standards can also be seen in terms of student achievements. Most universities have 85+ pass percentage in MCI screening test (FMGE) and USMLE. Most often Philippine colleges have the top 3 rank holders in the FMGE.
Secured Environment:
Moving to a foreign nation for 5+ years of education, you can’t be less concerned about safety and security. Parents are the most concerned than the students themselves.
The Philippines is one among the South Asian countries to have very less crime rate. As the Philippines is inviting foreign students, they have high alert safety features and active police all the time. The universities are mostly located in urban areas with proper security features.
Moving from an underdeveloped country, most students are hesitant to step out of their country because of racism. Philippine colleges have a zero-tolerance policy towards racism.
Good healthcare standards:
The Healthcare System of the Philippines was ranked at 60th position by the World Health Organization. The Philippines have both private and public health care system.
The medical team is readily available for service 24/7. With abundant medical colleges, the Philippines also has a great healthcare system with many hospitals and emergency ambulance services. Special care is provided for foreign students and foreign tourists.
Low fees structure:
Indian students are more comfortable choosing MBBS in the Philippines than in the homeland, as it is budget friendly.
Universities in the Philippines charge lower tuition fees Starting from Rs.15,00,000 (for all five years) and it won’t exceed Rs.45,00,000. The fee goes even low if you choose a government university like the University of Northern Philippines. The tuition fees for MBBS in the Philippines vary slightly from university to university.
Apart from the tuition fee, the hostel with all the facilities including Indian food, laundry and internet will only cost $200 per month. They provide all basic requirements and the other miscellaneous expenses too are very affordable in the country.
Friendly Locals:
Filipinos are friendly by nature. People of the Philippines are best known for their hospitality. Though from a different culture they seem to be more interesting in new people. Plus, 90% of the locals talk in English which must make the students feel at home.
Comfortable accommodation:
The Philippine universities do not compromise on accommodation either. Most colleges offer shared Air-conditioned rooms with food for $200.
You can find a library, media room, internet service, laundry, and all other basic amenities that will help people concentrate only on education.
You also get a lot of out-of-campus staying options as cheap as university hostels if you enjoy staying outside.
Availability of Indian food:
Indian food available for the students in the universities is of good quality. You can even choose between veg and non-veg cuisine and pay accordingly.
Targeting Indian students and tourists there are a number of Indian restaurants everywhere. Even if you want to cook yourself, the Indian ingredients are readily available at a minimum price.
The staple food in the Philippines is rice, which is another similarity with the Indian course. They too have vegetable dishes, meat, and fish curry served with the rice.
Signing off
Studying MBBS in the Philippines is an opportunity to experience world-class infrastructure and knowledge. Foreign countries like the Philippines use innovation and advanced technology to teach the students that help in enriching the future of the medical field.
But the thing is to look into the grade of college, the experience of the teacher, Availability of Indian food, recognition of the colleges by the Resident country, tuition fees, accommodation expenses, transportation, etc
We recommend PLT College of Medicine over any other college. Read why PLT College of Medicine (PLTCI-APCMR) is the best medical college in the Philippines for Indian students.
The number of foreign students in the Philippines has increased steadily in the decade. Hurry and get your seat booked today with us.