About Yerevan in Armenia
Yerevan State Medical University location is Yerevan, the largest city of Armenia which is also its capital. Yerevan is the industrial, cultural and administrative centre of the country. Being the major educational centre of the region, city is home for more than 250 schools, 50 universities, 60 higher education institutes including state-owned and privately owned ones. The city features mountainous continental climate, the summers are cold and the winters are colder. The average temperature throughout the year ranges from -2.5 degree Celsius to -26.5 degree Celsius. So, an Indian may suffer due to severe cold for at least 2 months in a year.
Yerevan State Medical University, Armenia
Prima facie, the Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU) has some experience in teaching Medicine which is an obvious conclusion anyone will draw from its year of establishment, for the University was indeed established in 1920 which makes it more than a 100 years old.
Now, the older a University, better is the standard of education that is expected from it. However, just the year of establishment should not be the sole criterion to base the decision of taking admission in it. One should research as to what is the exact experience of the University in teaching the curriculum you are interested in.
Let’s see what the Yerevan State Medical University official website has to say about the experience the University has in teaching MBBS of the standard that is internationally acceptable. So, in the section of ‘History’, the official website says – “…In the year 2005-2006 academic year, YSMU switched to a two-level education system with the aim of having an education system in line with international standards…” This fact should influence your decision because the University has a total experience of around a decade only in teaching what you are interested in learning.
Otherwise, the University has average faculty strength. There are 1100 lecturers out of which only 171 are doctors of Sciences. As many as 504 staff members are only ‘candidates of science’. Foreign students are welcome to take admission in the Yerevan State Medical University subject to the condition that they qualify in the Entrance Exam with Physics, Chemistry and Biology. If someone is unable to do so, he/she will have to take a year-long Preparatory Course under the University’s Department of Preparatory Education for Foreigners which will be an unwelcome added expense along with being wastage of a whole academic year.
The Yerevan State Medical University World Ranking is 5581st while the Yerevan State Medical University Country Ranking in Armenia is 4th.
Challenges of studying in Yerevan State Medical University
Yerevan State Medical University may be of prominence in Armenia but this University as well as any University in Armenia presents some challenges:
- Armenia is a small nation with limited resources, one that can hardly be called a ‘developed’ nation. Consequently, the infrastructure and the academic standard have a lot that needs improvement.
- International students form a major portion of the national income because of which the Armenian Universities apparently follow a policy of indiscrimination when accepting students and this leads to a conglomeration of ‘all kinds’ of individuals taking admission degrading the ambience of the Universities.
- Being a small country, Armenia has a very small population which though a good thing, is counterproductive to the clinical exposure of the would-be medicos as the number of patients is very low.
- Contrary to expectations, cost of living at Armenia is quite high as compared to even developed nations like Russia.
So, it appears that Armenia is not a very great option for you to choose as your MBBS abroad destination. Coming to Yerevan State Medical University, as mentioned, you will need to clear an entrance exam failing which you will have to waste an entire year doing the prep course.
In spite of all that, you are expected to pay more than 29 lacs INR for doing MBBS from here. In the same amount you may opt for MBBS in Russia that too from a great University like Crimea Federal University . Or, you may go for MBBS in Ukraine and choose Bukovinian SMU and save some money. It is Moksh’s humble request to you to consider your options very carefully before taking a decision.
Affiliations and Medical Programs at Yerevan State Medical University
The Medical Programs offered at Yerevan State Medical University are Undergraduate courses in General Medicine and Dentistry. Recently (2010), Postgraduate courses have also started.
As far as international affiliations are concerned, apparently the University does not have any collaboration with any University of repute.
Cost of studying MBBS at Yerevan State Medical University
Yerevan State Medical University Fees of MBBS falls in the medium range. The details are as follows:
| Year | Year-1 | Year-2 | Year-3 | Year-4 | Year-5 | Year-6 |
| Course Fee in USD | 3800 | 3800 | 3800 | 3800 | 3800 | 3800 |
Admission Deadline for Yerevan State Medical University
Generally, in Armenian Universities, the admissions end in October. However, in the Yerevan State Medical University, in 2022, the acceptance of admission applications began on April 15th and continued up to May 10th.
Eligibility Criteria for Admission in Yerevan State Medical University
Yerevan State Medical University admission requirements include a score of 50% marks in PCB in Class XII. Of course, you need to have qualified NEET 2022.
Again, keep in mind that you will have to clear the entrance exam.
Indians at Yerevan State Medical University
At Yerevan State Medical University, there are 150 odd students who are from India and one can safely assume that Indians in general do not find it a great place to study.
PG Option after MBBS in Yerevan State Medical University
Medical PG in India or NExT
During MBBS study, a student realizes the importance of being a specialist. They also understand the competitiveness to secure MD/MS Seat in Govt College. If we look at the success ratio to get PG in Govt Medical College which is 11% Broadly we can say that only 1 out of 10 will get PG Seat whereas the chances of getting Clinical specialty is 1 out of 20 applicants. It is obvious that the PG journey is going to be very difficult or else students should have enough money to get the paid seat in Pvt Medical College which may be in Crores!
| Total Applicants NEET PG 2021 | Specialty | Govt Med College | Pvt Med College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | Success Ratio | Seats | ||
| 1.75 Lacs | ||||
| MD (Non Clinical) | 15K | 8.6% | 10K | |
| MS ( Clinical) | 8K | 4.6% | 5K | |
| Total | 23K | 11.4% | 15K | |
Do you feel early preparation and the right mentorship will pave your dream of becoming a specialist? NMC already notified the introduction of the NEXT Exam in India from 2023. This exam will replace all Medical PG exams in India. The exam will be conducted in two parts NEXT-1 and NEXT-2.
The Objective of the NEXT-1 is to assess the Student’s Knowledge of Pre, Para, and Clinical Subjects on the National Level. Only post-qualifying of NEXT-1 any Medical student will be eligible for an Internship. Post completion of internship Students needs to go thru NEXT-2 which will assess their Clinical skills, Patient Management, and Keeping of Medical history. Those who will Clear NEXT-2 awarded a license to practice and Rankers of NEXT-1 will get PG seats of their choice. You may refer to Page for detailed information on the NExT Exam
Medical PG in USA (USMLE)
We are well aware of the difficulty of getting PG in India. With the introduction of NEXT, maximum students in India are getting attracted to USMLE prep from 1st year of MBBS since it simulates the new NMC Competency-based curriculum much easily. US Healthcare system is considered as one of the best health care systems because of numerous reasons like High rewards, excellent infrastructure, Merit-based assessment, Open opportunities for Super specialties. Most of the countries trying to replicate the US health care assessment system for their Medical Graduates USMLE exam are divided into 3 Parts. One can appear in USMLE Step 1 after 2nd Year, USMLE Step 2 CK during internship and Step-3 during your residency (Medical PG). The USMLE is an online exam and can be taken at the PROMETRIC centers present across India.
MOKSH Coaching focuses on a patient-centered learning approach which helps students score high on both USMLE & NEXT. MOKSH is the leading name in USMLE Coaching. Currently, 1000+ Students from Indian and Abroad medical colleges are preparing for USMLE steps via the MOKSH Platform.
Medical PG IN UK (PLAB)
Due to the close proximity of Moldova to UK, many of the students plan to do their Medical PG from UK. Till 2024, the Professional & Linguistic Assessments Board Test (PLAB test) is the instrument to assess the skills and knowledge of an International Medical Graduate. It also judges whether they are fit to be trained to practice medicine in the UK.
In short, an IMG's performance in PLAB determines her eligibility to practice in the UK. The PLAB test has two stages. PLAB 1 is an exam that has 180 MCQs that tests your recall. On the other hand, PLAB 2 is a practical OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) that tests your clinical skills.
The GMC ascertains your linguistic skills by assessing your score in specific tests. It may be the IELTS (Band Score 7.0 or higher) or OET (Grade B in reading, writing, listening & speaking).
After you pass PLAB 1 & 2, you apply for the GP registration. There is one constraint. You have a window of 2 years after clearing PLAB 2 during which you may apply no later.
By 2024, the UK Medical Licensing Assessment will replace the PLAB. Consequently, the GMC UK is going to change certain things in PLAB and create the UKMLA exam.
Medical PG in Germany
PG in Germany after MBBS in India is another great option, though it requires you to learn the German language. Of the 6 levels starting from A1 to C2, you need to clear A1 and A2 that would qualify you to apply for the visa.
Once the Language formalities are done, you get into the phase where you do Observer-ship from a German hospital approved by the German Medical Council. This is followed by Residency.
This may sound simple here but the process is quite complicated. To know more about PG in Germany after your MBBS in India,
Your Chance to get an MBBS Seat in India
The most difficult time for any of the students is to wait after NEET till the counseling process to know whether he/she is getting a college of his/her choice or not? Sometimes this dilemma continues for a couple of months due to multiple rounds of counseling. It has become more difficult due to parallel counseling of All India Quota and various States due to COVID-19. The counseling process is very complex where 550+ Govt. and Private colleges offer 83000+ Seats and fee variation is also huge that ranges from less than 1 Lac to 2.5 Cr for the course.
Dreams shatter when any silly mistake in choice filling or wrong selection of college leads to getting a poorly ranked college. Imagine getting paid seats or no seats at all due to a lack of genuine guidance!
