Nanjing Medical University

Nanjing Medical University (NMU) was founded in 1934 and is described by the university as one of the key universities in Jiangsu Province. It sits in Nanjing, the provincial capital and one of the major cities of eastern China, a region with a dense network of hospitals, universities and research institutions. For families considering MBBS in China, NMU is one of the better-known names on the list: it appears first on our 2026 fee sheet, and it has a long record of working with international students.

According to the university's own published history, NMU began international student education in 1975 and started enrolling international degree students in 2004. In 2007, the Ministry of Education approved it as part of the first group of Chinese universities eligible to enrol international students on the MBBS programme, and it has described itself as the first institution in China to use English-speaking standardised patients in medical education. Standardised patients are trained actors who simulate illnesses so that students can practise history-taking and examination in a controlled setting, which is especially valuable for students learning in English.

The MBBS programme for international students is a six-year course, including a one-year internship, taught in English. The university's published curriculum covers the familiar sequence of medical sciences: cell biology, systematic anatomy, histology and embryology, physiology, biochemistry, immunology, pathophysiology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, basic surgery and diagnostics, followed by epidemiology, medical statistics, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics and a pre-internship intensive training period.

One important framing note before the numbers. Every fee on this page comes from our 2026 September-intake fee sheet for universities in China, and every statement about the university itself comes from NMU's own published material or from general knowledge we describe as such. This page cannot guarantee admission or promise an exam outcome. What it can do is lay out the structure, the real costs, and the process, so your decision is made with open eyes.

Academic requirements published by the university

NMU's published admission information has listed an age range of 18 to 25 and expects high-school study in physics, chemistry, biology and English, with mathematics strongly desired. For applicants from Indian boards, it has published minimum marks of around 70% for CBSE and 85% for state boards, and has noted that a NEET score comfortably above the national cut-off is strongly desired. Those figures come from older versions of the university's admission page and may be revised for each intake, so please treat them as a guide and confirm the current numbers with your counsellor.

NEET is still required for Indian students

Separate from what any Chinese university asks, Indian students who plan to practise in India after a foreign MBBS must hold a qualifying NEET UG score. This is a rule of India's National Medical Commission, and it applies no matter which country you choose. If you are still deciding between India and abroad, our NEET UG guide explains how the same score keeps both doors open.

The CSCA test — now mandatory

Our 2026 fee sheet carries a prominent reminder that the CSCA test is mandatory. The China Scholastic Competency Assessment is a standardised test organised by the China Scholarship Council for international students planning undergraduate study in China, and official notices make it a requirement for undergraduate applicants from the 2026/27 academic year. Its subjects are Professional Chinese, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry; applicants to science and medicine-related majors are generally expected to take Mathematics plus Physics or Chemistry, and programmes taught entirely in English are generally exempt from the Professional Chinese paper. From 2026 the test is offered five times a year, and registration is through the official website, www.csca.cn. Each university sets its own required subjects, so check NMU's admission brochure before registering.

Our 2026 fee sheet lists 44 universities in China, with tuition ranging from 21,000 RMB at the lowest to 60,000 RMB at the highest. The median across the sheet is 35,000 RMB, so NMU's 34,000 RMB sits just below the middle: 17 universities list lower tuition, three (including NMU) are level at this figure, and 24 list higher. Every university on the sheet carries the same 15,000 RMB management or service charge, which means the real difference between options comes down to tuition and hostel.

It is worth saying that the cheapest option is rarely the right one on its own. City, climate, hospital access, the size of the international community and the university's track record all matter just as much as a few thousand yuan. NMU's position, a moderate fee, a well-established international programme and a major city setting, is the kind of balance that many families are looking for, which is why it is often shortlisted alongside other East China options.

A practical habit that saves families a great deal of confusion is to ask every university or agent for the same four things in writing: the tuition figure and its billing period, the hostel figure and its billing period, exactly what the service charge covers, and the list of extras. When those four answers are on paper, comparing options becomes a simple exercise rather than a guessing game.

For planning, think of the cost in three layers: what you pay the university (tuition and hostel), what covers admission and visa services (the management or service charge), and the small recurring and one-off extras (insurance, residence permit, medical examination, books). Keeping those layers separate makes it much easier to compare NMU with any other university, in China or elsewhere, on equal terms.

Recognition is the first question every family should ask about any university abroad. We check a university's current standing against the National Medical Commission's records before recommending it, and we encourage every family to reconfirm this independently before paying any fee, because eligibility lists and rules are reviewed periodically. The NMC also sets conditions on how a foreign medical course must be structured, including its duration, medium of instruction and internship, and we review these against the university's published programme.

After the six-year programme, returning graduates prepare for India's licensing examination — currently the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), which is being phased into the National Exit Test (NExT). Passing it is what allows registration with the medical council and the right to practise in India. We guide returning students towards preparation resources, so the transition home is as organised as the departure abroad.

Graduates who wish to specialise can do so within China, in a third country, or by returning to India and competing through NEET PG once they hold valid registration. It helps to keep three ideas separate: recognition (whether the degree is acceptable to regulators), licensing (the exam that permits you to practise) and career planning (the kind of doctor you want to become). Most confusion about whether a foreign degree is valid comes from blending these together.