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'Valid' and 'recognised': two different questions for a medical degree from China

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

The word "valid" can mean two different things for an English-taught medical degree from China. The first question is whether the Chinese school is on the Ministry of Education's list for the 2023–2024 academic year, which makes it an authorised school for English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine. The second question is what the home regulator requires before it registers the degree, and that decision belongs to the home regulator, not to the Chinese school or the Ministry.

This page sets out both questions in order. For the home-country side, see this register's section page, which covers practising back home.

Question 1: what the Ministry list says

The Ministry of Education list is set out in the notice 教外厅函〔2023〕10号. The notice is dated 15 May 2023 and was published on the Ministry's site on 30 May 2023. It is the list for the 2023–2024 academic year. The Ministry's policy index showed no later edition when this site checked it on 11 October 2026. Confirm the current year's status with the university and with the Ministry.

Paragraph 1 of the notice says the Ministry entrusted 44 universities to enrol students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine for 2023–2024. The annex lists those universities by their Chinese names. This register uses English names, and the annex's order is the Ministry's own. That order is not a ranking, and this register does not rank the universities.

Paragraph 2 of the notice sets out what applies to a school that is not on the list. The English wording of the Chinese texts on this page is this site's translation. Under paragraph 2, a school not on the list:

  • may not enrol English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine international students;
  • may not issue an English-version degree certificate for undergraduate clinical medicine (English-taught) (MBBS);
  • may not issue an English-version degree certificate that contains the word "MBBS";
  • may enrol only Chinese-taught undergraduate clinical medicine international students, and their training standard may not be lower than the standard for Chinese undergraduate clinical medicine students.

Paragraph 2 also states that "bilingual teaching" may not be used to enrol international students in disguise. It says this is prohibited.

Being on the list is a fact about the school in China. It is not a decision about whether a home regulator will register a degree from that school.

Where the degree comes from: the 2007 provisions

The interim provisions on quality control for English-taught undergraduate medical education (document number 教外来〔2007〕39号) set rules for schools. Article 5 states the length of study as six years. It says that a student who completes the teaching plan and passes is graduated by the school, which issues a graduation certificate (毕业证书). Article 5 then says that a student who meets the Degree Regulations of the People's Republic of China is awarded the Bachelor of Medicine degree (医学学士学位). It adds that the English copy may read MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery).

Article 3 says the teaching plan is drawn up to the same training objectives and requirements as those for Chinese undergraduate medical students. Article 3 also says that courses and teaching hours may be adjusted in some respects.

Question 2: what the home regulator requires

Each home regulator decides registration under its own document. The three documents below are listed separately because each has its own date and scope.

Country Document Publisher Date Scope stated in the document
India Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 National Medical Commission (India) Published in the Gazette of India, 18 November 2021 Foreign medical graduates, subject to regulation 5
Pakistan Public Notice No. Exam-59/2025 Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) 22 October 2025 Graduates of foreign institutions, and eligibility for the National Registration Examination
Bangladesh Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council Act, 2010, section 12 Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (Laws of Bangladesh) Act No. 61 of 2010 Medical qualifications of medical institutions, in or outside Bangladesh, used in Bangladesh

India

Regulation 5(1) says the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 do not apply to two groups. The first is foreign medical graduates who acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification before the regulations came into force, under regulation 5(1)(a). The second is candidates who were pursuing their education in foreign institutions before the regulations came into force, under regulation 5(1)(b). Regulation 5(2) says those two groups are governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations. The regulations were published in the Gazette of India on 18 November 2021.

For those the 2021 regulations cover, regulation 4 says that no foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration unless he has:

  • (a)(i) undergone a course leading to a foreign medical degree with a minimum duration of fifty-four months;
  • (a)(ii) undergone an internship for a minimum duration of twelve months in the same foreign medical institution;
  • (a)(iii) received a foreign medical degree with medium of instruction in English; and
  • (a)(iv) studied the mandatory subjects specified in Schedule I;
  • (b) registered with the respective professional regulatory body, or otherwise competent to grant a licence to practise medicine, in the country where the degree was awarded, at par with the licence given to that country's citizens;
  • (c) undergone supervised internship in India for a minimum term of twelve months, after applying for it to the Commission; and
  • (d) cleared the National Exit Test or such other mandated test or tests conducted by the Commission.

The National Medical Commission (India) also states on its information page for students going abroad that it "does not endorse any list of Foreign Medical Institutions/ Universities for MBBS or equivalent course." That page says the public is advised that, before taking admission, confirmation of the fee structure and course details should be obtained directly from the university or institution concerned. The same page says the 2018 notification to the Screening Test Regulations applies to Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India who obtained a primary medical qualification outside India.

Pakistan

The PM&DC public notice of 22 October 2025 says the Council has started the process of recognising foreign medical and dental institutions that award undergraduate degrees to Pakistan nationals. It says graduates of foreign institutions not recognised by the PM&DC shall not be issued provisional registration unless they have qualified from a PM&DC recognised institution.

The same notice says that foreign graduates seeking eligibility to appear in the National Registration Examination of the PM&DC must meet two standard criteria. The first is recognition by the respective foreign regulatory authority. The second is accreditation of the institution by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The notice directs candidates to the ECFMG website to review the recognition status of a foreign institution. The lists of recognised institutions are not part of this page. Check the PM&DC website and the ECFMG website for the current status of any institution.

Bangladesh

The English wording below is this site's translation of section 12 of the Bengali text of the Act. Section 12 says:

  • (1) A person holding a graduate-level medical degree from a medical institution, whether in Bangladesh or outside it, who wants to use that degree in Bangladesh, must have the degree recognised by the Council under this Act.
  • (2) If a medical institution awarding graduate-level medical degrees, in or outside Bangladesh, is not included in the First or Second Schedule, the institution, or the degree holder as the case may be, must apply to the Council for recognition under this Act.
  • (3) If the degree obtained outside Banglades is recognised by the medical council of the country concerned, the applicant shall take the examination set by the Council. An applicant who passes is temporarily registered to take the internship set by the Council.
  • (4) After receiving an application under sub-sections (2) and (3), the Council, if it considers the applicant or institution eligible under its standards and policy, shall amend the relevant Schedule to include the institution with the qualification.

Sub-section (3) makes the Council's examination depend on recognition by the medical council of the country where the degree was obtained. Sub-section (4) gives the decision to the Council. The Council's current examination procedure, fees, forms and list of recognised foreign institutions are not part of this page. Ask the Council for the current procedure.

This page does not cover the rules of the Nepal Medical Council.

Questions people ask

Does being on the Ministry list mean a home regulator will register the degree?

No. The Ministry list is a fact about the school in China and the 2023–2024 academic year. Paragraph 2 of the notice sets out what applies to schools not on the list. Each home regulator decides registration under its own document, as set out above.

Is the 2023–2024 list still the current list?

The Ministry's policy index showed no later edition when this site checked it on 11 October 2026. Confirm the current year's status with the university and with the Ministry.

Where should I check the recognition status of a foreign institution for Pakistan?

The PM&DC public notice of 22 October 2025 directs readers to the PM&DC website for its list of recognised institutions and to the ECFMG website for accreditation. Check both lists.

Who decides whether a course in China meets India's conditions?

Regulation 4 states the conditions for permanent registration. The Indian authorities decide whether a particular student's course meets them. Regulation 5 sets out which graduates the 2021 regulations apply to.

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. The official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

MBBS Register Desk