MBBS in South Korea 2026: Top Universities, Fees, and Scholarships for Indian Students

This article covers MBBS in South Korea for Indian students: actual tuition fees in INR, WDOMS-listed universities, the Korean language requirement that most guides ignore, GKS scholarship eligibility, and what FMGE and NExT mean for your career when you return.

Counselor insight: The Yeongeon Medical Campus at Seoul National University is the most selective option in South Korea, according to counselors. International students usually need a GKS scholarship to get in, and the number of seats available is real, not just a marketing claim. Kyungpook National University in Daegu is an easier way for qualified students who don’t fit the profile for SNU or Yonsei to get into college. Its tuition is also much lower because it is a public school outside of Seoul.

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See that guide for a more complete list of the best universities in South Korea for international students, with rankings in every academic field. See the SNU scholarship guide for a full list of all the scholarships available at Seoul National University, including the SNU President Fellowship.

Understanding the full cost means going beyond tuition. Here is what an Indian family should budget for a 6-year MBBS program in South Korea.

For a complete breakdown of the cost of studying in South Korea, including living expenses per city, see the dedicated cost guide.

After the first two years of pre-clinical school, some universities offer English-language tracks. But by Year 3, even those programs switch to Korean for clinical training.

The official test for international students to see how well they can speak Korean is the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK). From Level 1 (beginner) to Level 6 (advanced), TOPIK is ranked. Usually, the following are needed at different stages of a program:

• How to apply to and get into college: TOPIK Level 3 is the bare minimum at most schools
• FIRST FIVE YEARS (Years 1-2): TOPIK Level 3 to 4
• Clinical years and hospital rotations (Years 3–6): TOPIK Levels 4–5 are required for practice, and Levels 5–6 are strongly suggested for communicating with patients. Korean Medical Licensing Exam (KMLE): If you want to work as a doctor in South Korea, TOPIK Level 4 is required before the preliminary exam.

If an Indian student starts out knowing nothing about Korean, it takes them about 6 to 12 months of structured full-time study to reach TOPIK Level 3. It takes 12 to 18 months to get to Level 4. The GKS scholarship comes with a one-year Korean language course that you have to take before you can start your academic program. This is a real benefit for scholarship recipients.

Some universities have cautioned that the NMC may question programs that conduct clinical training in a language other than English. Get written confirmation from your university before enrolling.

Counselor insight: In clinical rotations, hospital consultants, nursing staff, and patients speak only Korean. TOPIK Level 4 is the floor, not the ceiling. If your child is in Class 10 or 11 and targeting medicine in South Korea, start Korean language classes now — not after NEET results.

Get through Class 12 (10+2) with Biology, Chemistry, and Physics as your main subjects. The lowest grade you can achieve in PCB is between 50% and 60%, depending on the school. Top schools like SNU and Yonsei usually need at least a 70% grade point average. You have to be at least 17 years old to get in. Most universities don't have an upper age limit, but check with each one to be certain.

South Korean universities don't need NEET to let people in. The Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021, on the other hand, say that Indian students who want to practice medicine in India after graduation must first get the NEET qualification. Not if you don't take NEET and plan to work as a teacher for a long time in South Korea or a third country. If there is any chance of going back to India, however, a valid NEET score must be shown.

You can still go to South Korea even if you have a low NEET score. Universities in Korea do not need NEET. If you go back to India after graduation, you will have to take the FMGE/NExT test again, even if you got a satisfactory score on the NEET. According to NMC's rules, you need to have a valid NEET-UG score when you enroll abroad. If you signed up without NEET and then want to practice in India, you might have a problem with your registration. Even if South Korea doesn't require it, taking the NEET test every year until you get a good score is the safest thing to do.

A minimum IELTS score of 6.0 or a TOEFL iBT score of 78 is required for English-medium programs. TOPIK Level 3 is required at the application stage for Korean-medium programs, and Level 4 is needed before the clinical years.

GKS stands for Global Korea Scholarship

The GKS, run by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), is the largest scholarship available. The NIIED GKS program says that the GKS includes full tuition, round-trip economy airfare, a monthly living allowance of Rs. 86,940 (KRW1,380,000), a one-time settlement allowance of Rs. 12,600 (KRW 2,00,000), and basic health insurance. For undergraduate programs, the GKS also requires a one-year Korean language course before the degree program starts. The total adds up to seven years for a six-year medical program.

For undergraduate applicants to GKS, you must be younger than 25 years old, have a cumulative grade point average of 80% or higher (or be in the top 20% of your class), and be a citizen of a country named by NIIED. India is one of these countries. You or your parents can't be Korean citizens.

Routes for applications: If you apply through the Korean Embassy in India, you can list up to three universities and be chosen in three rounds. If you apply through a university directly, that school will then recommend you to NIIED. The Embassy Track has more options, but Indian applicants face stiff competition. Visit studyinkorea.go.kr to see the schedule for this year.

See the guide to scholarships for Indian students in South Korea for a full list of all the government and university grants that Indian students can get in Korea.

This part of the article is the most important one. Before deciding on a college, read it carefully.

According to the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 from the National Medical Commission, an MBBS from outside of India must meet four conditions to be licensed in India:

• The school needs to be in the World Directory of Medical Schools (wdoms.org).
• The program must last at least 54 months, which is 4.5 years, and include a 12-month internship at the same school.
• The whole class has to be taught in English.
• Before enrolling, the student must have passed the NEET-UG.

South Korea faces a direct challenge because of Condition 3. A lot of medical schools in Korea don't teach in English; they only teach in Korean. It's clear what NMC wants: if your clinical training is in Korean, your degree might not meet the English-teaching requirement. Before you apply to any medical school in Korea, make sure you have a letter on university letterhead stating that the program is taught in English and signed by the dean. If the school can't give this letter, the degree might not be eligible for the NMC.

The Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) is the screening test that all Indian citizens with a foreign MBBS degree who want to work in India must take. There are two tests a year, in June and December. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) gives the 300-question multiple-choice test. A score of 150 out of 300 is needed to pass.

The NExT (National Exit Test) will likely take the place of the FMGE and NEET-PG as a single licensing test. As of April 2025, the NMC stressed that NExT will not be fully rolled out in 2025; pilot runs are still going on. Indian students who want to enroll in 2026 should check nmc.org.in for notifications and prepare for the exam in effect when they return to India in 2032–33.

There is no Tier 1 or Tier 2 source that provides a specific FMGE pass rate for South Korean graduates. This is telling: South Korea doesn't have nearly as many Indian MBBS graduates as Russia, China, Ukraine, or the Philippines. This means that pass rate data for each country isn't yet statistically useful. If you want to return to India, you should prepare for the FMGE/NExT from Year 3 on, no matter where you study.

Counselor insight: Most families discover too late that clinical rotations are in Korean. Before paying any deposit, ask the university's international office in writing whether the program meets NMC's English-teaching requirement. If they are unable to provide clear confirmation, it may be best to hold off on proceeding.

• If you get a compartment result or your Class 12 result is late

Universities will accept a provisional certificate with the school's seal instead of the final grade sheet. The NMC also accepts provisional certificates that list the date the student plans to graduate. Send what you have and let the university's international office know right away in writing. Most universities in Korea let students enroll conditionally until they get their final certificate, as long as they turn it in before the start of the school year.

• If your TOPIK score is too low when you apply

You can take it three times a year. If you only have Level 2 of TOPIK but need Level 3 for your October application, you should still apply if the university lets you be conditionally admitted and then take TOPIK again in November or December before the January deadline for confirmation. If you apply to some universities, they may accept a confirmed TOPIK Level 3 during the admissions window instead of when you apply. Before you give up on the cycle, make sure that this is possible by calling the university's international office.

• If your D-2 student visa is turned down

Indian students usually don't get their D-2 visas because they don't have enough money (they need at least Rs.12,60,000 or KRW20 million for degree students, which can be shown in their most recent three months of bank statements), their academic documents aren't fully attested, they don't have a confirmed place to stay in South Korea, or there is a discrepancy between their financial statement and their offer letter. You will get a reason code when you are turned down. Take care of that one issue, schedule an appointment at the Korean Embassy in India, and then reapply. It takes three to four weeks to process visas, so you should apply at least six to eight weeks before the start of your program. Refer to the guide to the South Korea student visa (D-2) for a full list of documents you need for a D-2 visa.

• If your college offer letter expires because of delays in processing

If the processing of your visa takes longer than the date listed in your offer letter for payment of the fee, please contact the international admissions office right away. Most Korean universities will let you put down a seat deposit two to four weeks later if you have to wait for a visa, as long as you show proof that you have applied for it. Write down this extension.

1. Before you pay a deposit or book a flight, verify that the NMC recognizes your university. Type the name of the school on wdoms.org and make sure it comes up. Then, ask the office for international admissions to confirm in writing that the program meets NMC's English-teaching requirement. Both steps only take one day and can save you six years of trouble.

2. Don't start studying for TOPIK until at least Class 11, even if you plan to teach English for the first two years. In South Korea, clinical training takes place in Korean hospitals with Korean patients and staff who speak Korean. TIP: Level 4 is a floor, not an extra. When they get to the hospital, students who are at or below TOPIK Level 3 always have a challenging time.

3. Use the Embassy Track to apply for the GKS scholarship when the application window opens, which is usually in September or October for undergraduate programs. The Embassy Track lets you apply to three universities at once for a scholarship. Missing the GKS deadline is one of the most common and avoidable ways Indian students end up paying full fees they didn't plan for.

Verified by LeapScholar's South Korea counselling team. Have questions? Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor.