Overview of Chinese Medical Universities: Study medicine in China

There are more than 170 recognized medical universities in China (except for the pure traditional Chinese schools) including the ones that are WHO approved & offer MBBS courses for foreign medical students.
There were more than15,000 foreign students joining the Chinese medical universities for various courses since 2015. Since China opened the doors for international medical students, China became the most favorite destination for those who want to study medicine abroad from the 2000s until the COVID crisis.

The infrastructure of Chinese Medical Universities

Campus	The Campus of medical colleges in China is huge and Ultra-modern with all the latest facilities.
Lecture halls	The lecture halls in china are well equipped & modern.
Classroom	The classrooms in Chinese medical universities are well equipped & modern.
Practical labs	The Labs in china are the latest, Well equipped & Modern. Cadavers are available for the students to study anatomy.
Library	Well Stocked and Highly modern Libraries with some basic books in international languages, but has a great environment to study.
Affiliated hospital	The Hospitals affiliated to the medical universities in China are extremely good, modern & well equipped with high patient flow.
Internet	Ultra-fast internet widely available inside the campus & Hostel.
Hostel	Hostels in Chinese medical colleges are well-furnished, safe, and comfortable rooms with attached bathrooms, a Common kitchen, washing machine, Hot water (not centralized in most of the cities), Heaters, and all other amenities.
Canteen	A wide variety of economical, tasty, and hygienic foods are available in the college canteen inside the college campus and the hostel.

The standard infrastructure of Chinese universities:

The standard canteens of Chinese universities:

Academics in the Chinese Medical Universities

Duration	5 +1year (Internship) MBBS program. The internship is recognized in India except in a few states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The internship can also be done in India which is accepted by Chinese universities.
Premedical course	For the English medium: No preparatory or pre-medical courses required.
Criteria of entrance	High school/+2: >50% in each Biology, Chemistry & Physics required by most of the universities however some universities require higher scores for admission. NEET UG: Required only for some universities but it is mandatory as per the norm of the Indian government to study medicine.
Language requirement	Average English knowledge is required (No need for IELTS/TOEFL)
Entrance exam/interview	Mandatory in many universities for admission but in some of the universities, it is not practiced. The quality of the exam varies per university.
Medium of teaching	Teaching is fully in English but learning Chinese is mandatory as it will be essential during their hospital training. Bilingual courses: MCI does not recognize bilingual courses from China anymore.
Updated curriculum	Mostly outdated however the Ministry of Education & universities are trying to update.
Availability of Updated textbooks	The syllabus textbooks are mostly not updated to fit the current international standards. Several Chinese companies are already publishing medical textbooks in English & there are also adapted versions from McGraw hill, Elsevier & Jaypee available.
The necessity to read textbooks	Most of the students misuse PPTs as a learning tool. The faculties encourage using PPTs rather than reading textbooks & expect the students to present exactly what’s provided in the PPTs.
Strength of a class	The poor student to teacher ratio: Around 20 -25 or even more students per teacher (Practicals).
Proficiency of faculties	Low – average teaching proficiency & Non-interactive (most of the students attend for attendance only) & around 40% of faculties simply attempt to read the PPTs because of their poor English proficiency. Most have a language barrier even in bigger universities.
Lectures	PPT-based conventional & non-interactive (most of the students attend for attendance only). Some universities use special tools like 2D/3D.
The efficiency of Classes & practicals	Nonefficient & Noninteractive (most of the students attend for attendance only). No effective means of assessing the practical performance of the students.
The pattern of the theory exam	Paper (MCQs + Definitions + Fill in the Blanks + Short & long essays).
The pattern of the practical exam	A routine check of the listed skills/procedures (No viva).
The efficiency of the evaluation system	Poor & biased (class/practical performance based on the teachers & administration without any sequential evaluation system)
Attendance & discipline	Strict in most of the universities, however, can be manipulated through the class teachers or monitors.
Research labs & exposure	Very good.
The necessity of local language at the clinics	Highly Necessary
Clinical exposure	Patient flow is high however clinical exposure is low due to the non-involvement of the students (students are with poor motivation & initiative) & language barrier. Many universities are not strict with clinical rotations.
Hands-on exposure	Low due to non-involvement of the students, language gap & lack of time for teaching faculties (>25 students are allotter per teacher nowadays)
EU accreditation of the degree	No
European Credit system	Chinese Universities are already starting to use the credit system.
Bologna Agreement	The process is underway.
Average FMGE pass %	< 20%

The standard lecture in the Chinese universities:

Financials in the Chinese Medical Universities

Affordability	Economical with a medium budget. Starting from around 25 lakhs
Capitation fees/Donation	No
Tuition fee/year	3 Lakhs to 5 Lakhs except for Shanghai & Shenzhen.
Hostel fee/year	About 1 Lakh – 1.5 Lakhs except for Shanghai & Shenzhen.
Expenditure /month	Depends on the city you live (10,000 – 15,000 INR) except for Shanghai & Shenzhen.
Part-time work	No clear guidelines are there on it, as some provinces allow it and some don’t, although it is mandatory to get permission from the concerned university. Still, some do it at their own risk.
Overall expenditure for completing the course with transport	The total budget required to complete your MBBS degree will be around 35 to 40 lakhs inclusive of your travel & nominal personal expenses.

Others

Security in campus	Security protocols are in place, no one can enter the hostels or college buildings without proper documents. Well guarded by guards. There are separate hostels for girls or a separate floor is dedicated for them in many universities.
Extracurricular activities	Students can use the in-house facilities like the Gym, can participate in various sports activities, academic competitions, Cultural activities & Associations activities in the college.

List of the MOE approved university for International Students

Name of University	Number of international Students
1. Jilin University	62
2. Chinese Medical University	100
3. Dalian Medical University	100
4. Capital Medical University	100
5. Tianjin Medical University	100
6. Shandong University	78
7. Fudan University	100
8. Xinjiang Medical University	100
9. Nanjing Medical University	100
10. Jiangsu University	100
11. Wenzhou Medical University	100
12. Zhejiang University	100
13. Wuhan University	100
14. Huazhong University of Science and Technology	100
15. Xi’an Jiaotong University	100
16. Southern Medical University	100
17. Jinan University	100
18. Guangxi Medical University	100
19. Sichuan University	100
20. Chongqing Medical University	100
21. Harbin Medical University	60
22. Beihua University	40
23. Jinzhou Medical University	60
24. Qingdao University	60
25. Hebei Medical University	60
26. Ningxia Medical University	60
27. Tongji University	60
28. Shihezi University	60
29. Southeast University	60
30. Yangzhou University	60
31. Nantong University	60
32. Suzhou University	60
33. Ningbo University	60
34. Fujian Medical University	60
35. Anhui Medical University	60
36. Xuzhou Medical College	60
37. Three Gorges University	20
38. Zhengzhou University	60
39. Guangzhou Medical University	60
40. Sun Yat-sen University	60
41. Shantou University	20
42. Kunming Medical University	60
43. North Sichuan Medical College	40
44. Southwest Medical University	60
45. Xiamen University	60

Guidelines from the Indian Embassy in China:
1. Guidelines For Indian Students Wishing To Study In China
2. Regarding Medical Education In China For Indian Students

Beware of the Ranking of Medical Institutions in China!!!

The rating provided by the specified organizations is determined by various factors & academics is not the single predominant factor, however, there are few organizations that provide a pure academic rating.
- The rating is almost exclusively concerned with Chinese students.
- Check the Best Chinese Medical Universities Ranking provided by the www.shanghairanking.com

The list of ratings has no correlation with the academic/clinical performance of the foreign students in the international/screening exams around the world (Compare the University rankings & FMGE pass percentages in the table below).

Universities	Ranking @ Shanghairanking	FMGE India Pass %
Universities	Ranking @ Shanghairanking	2015-18	2019
Capital Medical University	2	10.71%	37.50%
Nanjing Medical University	3	13.95%	21.95%
Southern Medical University	4	14.83%	19.71%
Tianjin Medical University	5	15.71%	24.01%
China Medical University	6	11.63%	21.56%
Shihezi university	Not in the Ranking	35.29%	35.34%

Students recruitment consultants & agencies usually over-exaggerate the listing for the promotional purpose without comprehending the intricacies of the rating system by providing false information!
Parents also usually overestimate or blindly rely on the ratings without insight.

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Overview of Chinese Medical Universities: Study medicine in China

Overview of Chinese Medical Universities: Study medicine in China

The infrastructure of Chinese Medical Universities

Academics in the Chinese Medical Universities

Financials in the Chinese Medical Universities

Others

List of the MOE approved university for International Students

Beware of the Ranking of Medical Institutions in China!!!

Also Read:

Also Watch:

Systemic Anatomy Syllabus in China

Otolaryngology/ENT syllabus in China

Discussion about this post

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