Amid War, Russia & Ukraine's varsities try to woo Indian medical students who missed the NEET cutoff

At a dental college in Greater Noida, students are facing an onslaught of slick YouTube and Instagram advertisements from Russian and Ukrainian universities. They promise an easy pathway to an international medical degree—no entrance exam, “world-class infrastructure” and a budget route to fulfilling the white coat dream.

Those who’ve missed the cutoff for Sunday’s National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Undergraduate (NEET UG), and even those appearing for it, are just the right targets for universities of the two warring countries, which have been attracting Indian students for years with their English-taught programmes and well-established medical infrastructure.

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Before the war began in February 2022, Russia had emerged as the top overseas destination for Indian medical students, hosting 25,000-30,000, said Nikhil Jain, chief executive and founder of ForeignAdmits.

“Despite the conflict, the number of Indian students in Russia has not decreased significantly. In fact, in 2024, the number rose nearly 34% from the previous year,” he said, adding that the reasons were compelling. “Tuition fees range from $3,000 to $7,000 per year, far below Indian private colleges. Degrees are recognised by WHO (World Health Organization), NMC (National Medical Commission) and others. Many Russian universities do not even require entrance exams.”

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Akshay Chaturvedi, chief executive and founder of LeverageEdu, said the momentum is building as Russian and Ukrainian medical institutions are stepping up the outreach to India. “We have onboarded 20-plus university partners in six weeks and have been tasked to exclusively represent several, as they venture into the Indian market for the first time,” he said.

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Hope Around Ceasefire Talks
Several Russian universities —such as Dagestan State Medical, Volgograd State Medical and Kazan Federal—have introduced more flexible admission policies and scholarships to attract international students, according to Chaturvedi. “In Ukraine, there’s been some buzz around special provisions for returning students, such as credit transfers and hybrid learning models, making re-enrolment easier,” he said.

Ashok Varma, partner, social sector, at Grant Thornton Bharat, said algorithm-driven content shapes student perception. “Some content might be surfacing organically due to increased searches by students worried about NEET cutoffs and limited government medical seats in India. YouTube’s recommendation system might amplify such searches, further fuelling the trend,” he said.

The appeal, however, remains, and lower costs are a key component. Varma said, “Medical education in India, primarily through private institutions, is expensive. Most of the time, education in nations like Russia and Ukraine costs one-third of what it does in a private institute in India.”

While Russian and Ukrainian universities haven’t traditionally marketed directly to Indian students, agents have stepped in. “The ongoing ceasefire talks will surely have a spillover effect,” said Vaibhav Gupta, chief marketing officer & cofounder, iSchoolConnect. “As Ukraine and Russia have long been favoured by Indians due to geographic closeness, high-value degrees and living affordability, the numbers will increase, subject to the success of bilateral talks.”

Gupta also sees revival of interest from students who had abruptly left Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

“I’m not quite sure if the numbers would reach the pre-war period, but it’s going to be a positive surge, close to about 3,000 Indian students in Ukraine,” he added.