Studying general medicine in Russia

Programme overview

The general medicine course leads to the specialist degree (specialitet), equivalent to an integrated master, obtained after six years of full-time study. There is no bachelor-master split: students follow a continuous path combining fundamental sciences, clinical disciplines and hospital practice, concluded by a final state examination.

Teaching is mainly in Russian. Students who do not master the language on arrival first complete a preparatory language year before entering the first year. Some universities offer English-taught groups; availability varies between institutions and is confirmed when choosing the university.

• ✓ Degree awarded: specialitet (physician), integrated master
• ✓ Duration: 6 years full-time, excluding the preparatory language year
• ✓ Languages of instruction: Russian (after the preparatory year) or English depending on the university
• ✓ Admission: on school record, with no eliminating entrance competition

Official Russian specialty code

In Russia every university specialty carries an official code defined by the Ministry of Higher Education. General medicine corresponds to code 31.05.01 "Лечебное дело" (Lechebnoye delo). This code appears on the degree and its diploma supplement, and serves as the reference in equivalence procedures abroad.

Checking this code before enrolling is not a formality: it certifies that the institution is authorised by the state to award a recognised medical degree, and not a certificate without professional value. It is the first thing to verify on any offer of medical study in Russia, whatever its source.

Year-by-year curriculum

Years 1 and 2 — fundamentals: human anatomy, histology, biochemistry, physiology, biology, chemistry and medical Latin. This is the most memory-intensive phase, and the one where your level of Russian proves decisive: you are learning a science and its vocabulary at the same time.

Years 3 and 4 — transition to the clinic: pathophysiology, pharmacology, microbiology, propaedeutics, then the first clinical disciplines — internal medicine, general surgery, obstetrics. Students begin spending time in hospital, with Russian-speaking patients.

Years 5 and 6 — advanced clinical work and practice: paediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, infectious diseases, emergency medicine, oncology, with a growing share of hospital placements. The course concludes with the state examination and the award of the physician qualification.

What comes after the degree: ordinatura

This is the point many families discover too late, and it shapes everything. The six-year degree makes you a general physician. To practise a specialty — cardiology, surgery, radiology and so on — you must continue into ordinatura, the Russian residency, which generally lasts two years or more depending on the discipline.

That means a specialisation plan runs to eight years rather than six, and it has to be anticipated in the family budget from the outset. This is not a Russian peculiarity: every medical system works this way. But it is better known before leaving than in the fifth year.

Admission requirements

Admission to medicine is open to holders of a science baccalaureate. The decisive subjects are biology and chemistry, the foundation of the first two years: a solid level in these disciplines genuinely changes the first year.

Admission rests on a file, not on an entrance competition with a capped number of places: transcripts, translated and legalised diploma, passport and medical documents. Once validated, the university issues an official invitation that opens the student visa application.

• ✓ Science baccalaureate or equivalent
• ✓ Key subjects: biology and chemistry
• ✓ File: transcripts, translated and legalised diploma, passport, medical certificates
• ✓ Preparatory language year for the Russian-taught course

Detailed costs

Tuition in general medicine starts at €3,500 per year and varies by university and city: regional institutions charge less than those in Moscow. Fees are paid directly to the university.

Beyond tuition, the annual budget covers accommodation, daily living and compulsory medical insurance. University halls remain the most economical option, between €30 and €90 per month depending on the city; a shared apartment costs considerably more. Daily living runs between €140 and €260 per month, and medical insurance around €180 per year.

The first year adds one-off costs of around €900: visa, translations, legalisations and the flight. It is structurally the most expensive year of the course, and the one to provision for most generously.

• ✓ Tuition: from €3,500 / year
• ✓ Hall accommodation: €30 to €90 / month depending on the city
• ✓ Daily living: €140 to €260 / month depending on the city
• ✓ Compulsory medical insurance: around €180 / year
• ✓ One-off first-year costs: around €900

Partner universities offering health programmes

Several public institutions in the network host international students in health programmes. The exact list of open programmes and languages of instruction is confirmed when choosing the university: always verify authorisation for specialty 31.05.01 with the institution you are targeting.

Career paths and degree recognition

The degree awarded is a Russian state degree. Using it abroad goes through a recognition procedure specific to each country, and for health professions that procedure almost everywhere includes a competence verification step before authorisation to practise.

To practise in Tunisia, enquire with the competent authorities about the procedure in force and its stages, ideally before committing. It is the most important question of the whole plan, and it deserves an official answer rather than a sales promise.