General Medicine MD at Avicenna Tajikistan | 6 Years

Avicenna Tajik State Medical University (ATSMU) is a public medical university in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. It admits international students to five programmes. Only General Medicine is taught in English, alongside Tajik and Russian groups; the other programmes are taught in Tajik and Russian.

General Medicine is offered through two separate tracks: a six-year programme open to foreign applicants under ATSMU's rules, and a five-year English programme listed for citizens of India and Pakistan. This page sets out what each involves, how admission works, what the university's accreditation records show and what to confirm before you apply, using the official sources listed at the end.

ATSMU at a glance

About Avicenna Tajik State Medical University

ATSMU trains doctors, dentists, pharmacists and public-health specialists for Tajikistan. It is named after Abu Ali ibn Sino, the physician and philosopher known in Europe as Avicenna, and is also referred to by its earlier name, Tajik State Medical University (TSMU).

• History: a medical institute first opened in Dushanbe in 1933 and closed after two years. It reopened in 1939 with 97 first-year students, moved to a six-year medical programme in 1948/49 and became a university in 1992.

• Structure: five faculties and 62 academic departments, a university clinic and a pharmacy education and production centre (see Campus and housing).

• International students: the university's Department of International Relations says it currently educates foreign citizens from 32 countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Turkey, and has trained more than 3,134 foreign graduates. It does not publish a current total of international students.

• Campuses: the main campus is in Dushanbe. The World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS) also lists a Khujand Branch with no programme information, so check that any offer names the campus where you will study.

Is ATSMU right for you?

ATSMU may suit you if:

• you want to study medicine in English at a long-established state university;

• you can study Dentistry, Pharmacy or Paediatrics in Tajik or Russian;

• you prefer a university whose admission rules and accreditation records are published and can be checked.

Think carefully if:

• you want an English-taught programme other than General Medicine;

• you are not prepared to learn Tajik or Russian, which you will need with patients;

• you cannot travel to Dushanbe: ATSMU's last published rules (2026/27) accepted applications in person only;

• you are interested in the five-year track but are not a citizen of India or Pakistan;

• you need certainty that you can practise at home before you enrol. Only your home country's regulator can decide that.

Programmes and eligibility

In every case the university decides individual admission. The five-year programme is recorded in WDOMS but not described in ATSMU's admission rules for foreign students, so confirm its procedure directly with the university.

How the two General Medicine tracks differ

Your diploma will carry the wording in the university's official documents. Ask to see it before you enrol, and check your home regulator's rules against the specific track.

What the difference means in practice:

• If you are not a citizen of India or Pakistan, the six-year track is the General Medicine programme ATSMU publishes for foreign applicants.

• If you are a citizen of India, compare your track with NMC's conditions before you choose. NMC asks for at least 54 months of study and at least 12 months of internship at the same foreign institution, while WDOMS describes the five-year programme as five years including a one-year internship. Ask the university for the curriculum and internship breakdown of your track in writing.

• If you may apply for ECFMG Certification later, note that ATSMU's sponsor note depends on the exact diploma title, and the two tracks report different titles.

Teaching languages

An English-taught group means your lectures are in English. Two things still matter:

• Get your group confirmed in writing. The language of instruction depends on the group you are placed in.

• Learn Tajik or Russian early. The Embassy of India in Dushanbe advises foreign medical students that basic Tajik or Russian is expected and that the local language is needed when working with patients.

How admission works

The steps below follow ATSMU's last published admission rules for foreign students, for 2026/27. That cycle has closed, and the rules for the next year have not yet been published. Check the university's admission rules for foreign students before you plan travel. The rules do not mention a February intake, and the next cycle's procedure may differ.

The steps

1. Choose your programme and check eligibility using the table above.

2. Check your home country's requirements (below) before you commit.

3. Before travelling, confirm with the Tajik consulate what entry permission you need for an in-person admission process. Prepare your documents, including the translations required to be completed in Tajikistan.

4. Apply within the published window. Under the 2026/27 rules, applications were accepted only in person at the university's Admission Office, from 1 to 20 August, and online submission was not available.

5. Attend the interview in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. ATSMU does not publish a minimum grade or score.

6. If admitted, confirm the appropriate study visa or immigration status and any registration requirements with the university and Tajik authorities (see Living in Dushanbe).

Documents ATSMU asked for in 2026/27

• Secondary-school certificate, with a notarised Tajik translation "completed in the Republic of Tajikistan"

• Copy of your international passport, with a notarised Tajik translation

• Medical certificate form 038/u

• Certificate confirming that you do not have HIV infection

• Six photographs, 3 × 4 cm

• One document folder, ten transparent file sleeves and one envelope

The application form itself is completed at the Admission Office.

Requirements set by your home country

• India: the Embassy of India in Dushanbe states that qualifying in NEET-UG is mandatory for eligibility for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), which is required for registration with the National Medical Commission (NMC).

• Pakistan: check the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council's current requirements for students going abroad.

• Gulf and other countries: check with your national health authority, and with your ministry of education if your degree will need to be recognised.

Accreditation and recognition

"Recognised" can mean several different things. These are ATSMU's records, and what each one does and does not show:

ATSMU's Department of International Relations also refers to WDOMS, ECFMG, the World Higher Education Database, and diploma review by Pakistan's PM&DC and India's NMC. A diploma being subject to review means the regulator will assess it, not that it has approved it in advance.

Before you apply, check the regulator's own rules:

• India: NMC's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate guidance sets conditions on course length, an internship at the same foreign institution, English-medium teaching, registration in the country of study and a further internship in India. Compare your track against them.

• Pakistan: check PM&DC's current list and conditions for foreign medical institutions.

• Gulf countries and others: your national health authority sets the rules for evaluating foreign medical qualifications.

If anyone tells you a programme is "approved" for your country, ask for the regulator's own document naming the university and the programme.

Tuition and costs

ATSMU's admission rules for foreign students do not publish tuition, and figures on other websites rarely name the university as their source. Edubrink does not publish a fee until it can be verified. When you compare quotations, separate three layers:

A reliable quotation should state the academic year it applies to, what is and is not included, who receives each payment, when payments are due and what is refundable. A package price is not the university's tuition fee, even when it includes tuition, so ask the university for its own written tuition figure.

Campus, facilities and housing

• Library: the university reports a fund of 660,669 items, of which 142,700 are electronic.

• University clinic: the university's Treatment and Diagnostic Center page describes its Medical Diagnostic Center, its first university clinic, which began practice in February 2009 at Samad Ghani Street 3, Dushanbe. It serves students, staff and other patients, with out-patient clinics, an in-patient department and diagnostic services such as laboratory tests, ultrasound, ECG and endoscopy. It also houses the Department of Operative Surgery and Topographic Anatomy, and the university states that its facilities are equipped for student training.

• Pharmacia centre: ATSMU's Centre of Education, Science and Production "Pharmacia" opened on 19 August 2017, also at Samad Ghani Street 3. It prepares prescription medicines, including in an aseptic unit, processes medicinal plants and holds daily practical classes in subjects such as pharmacognosy and pharmaceutical chemistry for students from the first to the fifth year. It is mainly relevant to Pharmacy students.

• Clinical training: where you train depends on your programme and year. ATSMU does not publish a list of clinical sites for international students, so ask which clinics and hospitals your group uses.

• Student housing: the university's own news pages refer to its student dormitories. It does not publish how places are allocated to international students or what they cost, so confirm both in writing before you travel.

Living in Dushanbe

For day-to-day practicalities, see our student-life guide for Dushanbe. Before you decide, also read your own government's current travel advice for Tajikistan.

Visa and registration

Entry and registration requirements depend on your nationality and circumstances, and some people are exempt under Tajik law or international agreements. Confirm the current rules with the Tajik embassy or consulate that serves you. The consular rules published by Tajikistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs describe:

• Study visas (O1 and O2). An O1 visa for education is issued by Tajik missions abroad on the request of a Tajik educational institution, for up to three months at first. It can be extended for the period requested or of your study contract, up to one year at a time. Applications are made through the official online visa system.

• Electronic visas. These are a separate system and their validity cannot be extended. Do not treat an e-visa as a substitute for the study visa route without written confirmation from the consulate.

• Registration. Foreign citizens generally register with the internal affairs authorities within 10 working days of entry. The rules exempt people staying no longer than 10 working days, citizens of countries exempted for certain periods under agreements, and e-visa holders. Ask the university's international office how registration is handled for its students.

How Edubrink can help

Edubrink is a digital platform for discovering study-abroad options, comparing universities and programmes, and getting human-assisted admissions support. The aim is to let you research independently, compare like with like, and get human help when you are ready. For ATSMU, that journey works like this:

Five-year General Medicine: Edubrink provides information only. Check the published eligibility and your home regulator's rules first.

Not yet sure about your destination or university? Edubrink Match asks a few quick questions and suggests options to explore. It is a starting point, not an eligibility or admission decision.

Apply with Guidance from Edubrink

Edubrink helps international students explore university programmes, understand admission requirements, prepare their application documents, and navigate the admission process with personalised guidance.

If you're considering General Medicine at Avicenna Tajik State Medical University, our team can help you review your eligibility, organise the required documents, and understand the next steps in the university's application process.

Admission decisions remain with the university, while visa and professional licensing requirements are determined by the relevant authorities.

Explore your options with Edubrink Finder or contact our admissions team for application guidance.

Transparency note: Edubrink is an independent education platform and may receive compensation through arrangements related to the students it supports.

Sources and how we check this page

How we check: facts come from the official sources above, and the university's own figures and statements are attributed to it. Where sources are silent or disagree, we tell you what to confirm and with whom. Sections that give advice, such as "Is ATSMU right for you?" and the questions to ask about costs, are Edubrink's guidance based on these sources, not official rulings. We re-check this page when ATSMU publishes new admission rules or an accreditation record changes.

Your next step

• Interested in six-year General Medicine? Check your eligibility on the programme page.

• Comparing options? Open Edubrink Finder.

• Want the wider picture? Read our guide to studying in Tajikistan.