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Medium of instruction: why 'English-taught' is a legal category in China and a condition at home

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

In China, 'English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine' is a category set by a Ministry of Education notice and a 2007 standard, and paragraph 2 of the notice says that schools not on its list may not enrol students in that category. India's condition on the medium of the course comes from the National Medical Commission (India)'s 2021 regulations for foreign medical graduates who seek a licence to practise in India, and its FAQ answers that the medium should be English. This page sets out each rule with its document. It does not decide whether any course meets either set of rules.

For the register's section pages, see this register's section page. This page is an unofficial summary. It covers the Chinese documents and the Indian regulations only, and it does not set out rules of Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal.

China: the list notice

The notice is titled Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Education on the 2023–2024 list of higher education institutions enrolling international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine and their enrolment plan (教外厅函〔2023〕10号). It is dated 15 May 2023 and was published on the Ministry's site on 30 May 2023.

This page translates the Chinese texts into English. The English wording of the notice and the 2007 provisions below is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

Paragraph 1 of the notice says that for the 2023–2024 academic year the Ministry entrusted 44 universities to enrol English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine international students, with 3,048 places in total.

The annex lists the universities by their Chinese names. The English names used on this register are not in the annex. The order of the annex is the Ministry's own order, and the plan numbers are enrolment places, not quality scores.

The notice is the list for the 2023–2024 academic year. The Ministry's policy index listed no later edition when this site read it on 11 October 2026. The index shows 30 May 2023 beside the 2023–2024 notice, which is the date the notice was put on the site. Readers should confirm the current year's status with the university and the Ministry.

Paragraph 2 of the notice says the following, in this site's translation:

  • Schools on the 2023–2024 list shall continue to enrol students strictly in line with the spirit of the notice.
  • Schools not on the list may not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine.
  • Schools not on the list may not issue an English-version degree certificate for English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine (MBBS), or an English-version degree certificate that contains the word "MBBS".
  • Schools not on the list may only enrol international students in Chinese-taught undergraduate clinical medicine, and the training standard may not be lower than the standard for Chinese undergraduate clinical medicine students.
  • Enrolling international students in disguise through a "bilingual teaching" model is strictly forbidden.

China: the 2007 provisions

The Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students (教外来〔2007〕39号) set the standard for the English-taught category. The notice does not name these provisions in paragraph 2.

  • Article 2 says the provisions apply to quality control of undergraduate clinical medicine education that ordinary higher education institutions deliver to international students in English.
  • Article 3 says teaching plans shall follow the Chinese undergraduate medical training objectives and requirements. It also says that courses and hours may be adjusted in amount, according to the medical requirements of the students' home countries and the requirements for service at home or in a third country.
  • Article 5 says the length of schooling is six years. It also says the English copy of the diploma may be MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery).
  • Article 24 says each discipline shall have teachers who can teach in English and can teach each course in the teaching plan in English. Foreign teachers' teaching hours may not exceed 20% of total teaching hours.
  • Article 25 says teachers must be trained before taking up teaching on their teaching ability, their English level and the policy for international students, and those who qualify take up the post.

India: the 2021 regulations and the medium of the course

The National Medical Commission (India) issued the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021. Regulation 5(1)(a) and (b) say the regulations do not apply to people who acquired a foreign medical degree, or who were pursuing their education in a foreign institution, before the regulations came into force. Regulation 5(2) says those people shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations. Q2 and Q4 of the FAQ give the date the regulations came into force as 18 November 2021.

The FAQ defines a foreign medical graduate as a person without a basic or primary medical qualification from an Indian university or institution who seeks a licence to practise medicine in India (Q1).

  • Q5 says the minimum duration of the course is fifty-four months, and cites regulation 4(a)(i).
  • Q6 asks what the medium of instruction should be during the course. The answer is English, and the FAQ cites regulation 4(a)(iii).
  • Q7 lists the subjects. Its item (c) says the course and internship shall be commensurate with the MBBS course of India, and cites Schedule I, paragraph 2(i) and (ii).

The FAQ's own disclaimer says the FAQs explain the regulations for ease of understanding, cannot be upheld in a court of law, and refers readers to the gazette notifications for legal validity. The National Medical Commission (India) decides how its conditions apply to any case. This page does not state whether any Chinese course meets them.

The rules side by side

Document Date What it says about the medium
Notice 教外厅函〔2023〕10号, paragraph 2 Dated 15 May 2023; published 30 May 2023 Schools not on the 2023–2024 list may not enrol international students in English-taught clinical medicine or issue an English-version degree certificate for it.
2007 provisions 教外来〔2007〕39号, Articles 2 and 24 2007 The provisions apply to clinical medicine taught to international students in English. Teachers shall be able to teach each course in English.
FMGL 2021 FAQ, Q6 Regulations in force 18 November 2021 (Q2) The medium of instruction during the course should be English.

Questions people ask

Which Chinese document says a clinical medicine course must be taught in English?

Article 2 of the 2007 provisions says the provisions apply to quality control of undergraduate clinical medicine education that ordinary higher education institutions deliver to international students in English. The provisions set the standard for that category. Paragraph 2 of the 2023–2024 list notice applies to schools on the list and to schools not on it.

Who may enrol international students in English-taught clinical medicine under the 2023–2024 notice?

Paragraph 1 of the notice names 44 universities, and paragraph 2 says the schools on the list shall continue to enrol strictly in line with the spirit of the notice. Paragraph 2 also says schools not on the list may not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine. The annex lists the universities by Chinese name, and the notice is the list for the 2023–2024 academic year only.

Does India's 2021 FAQ say what medium the course should use?

Q6 of the FAQ answers that the medium of instruction during the course should be English, and cites regulation 4(a)(iii). Under regulation 5, the regulations do not apply to people who acquired a foreign medical degree, or who were pursuing their education in a foreign institution, before the regulations came into force on 18 November 2021. The FAQ's disclaimer says the FAQs cannot be upheld in a court of law, so readers should refer to the gazette notifications.

Can a school that is not on the list issue an English-version degree with MBBS on it?

Paragraph 2 of the notice says schools not on the 2023–2024 list may not issue an English-version degree certificate for English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine (MBBS), and may not issue an English-version degree certificate that contains the word "MBBS". Article 5 of the 2007 provisions says the English copy of the diploma may be MBBS.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice, it is not published by the bodies named, and it promises no admission, examination or registration outcome. If the official text or the regulator's own instructions differ from this page, the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail.

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