I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University 2026 — MBBS Fees, Ranking & Complete Guide for Indian Students

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University is the successor of the medical faculty that Imperial Moscow University opened in 1758 (Sechenov's statutory disclosure), and it describes itself as Russia's oldest medical university. It is named after the physiologist Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov. Among Russian universities it comes first for Medicine in two rankings: 1st of 20 in RAEX's 2026 subject ranking, and the highest of the nine Russian universities in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026: Medicine, at 201–250.

Its self-assessment report for 2025 counts 21,342 students on its bachelor's, specialist and master's programmes, 4,805 of them foreign citizens, and 2,242 academic staff. Sechenov's reports give no official count of its Indian students; at its Diwali event in November 2023 the Indian Embassy's education official put the number at 70, as Sechenov reported. A.J Trust provides admission support for Sechenov University from our Chennai, Madurai, and Delhi offices.

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University — Quick Overview 2026

What Sechenov Offers: the Facts We Checked

• ›Teaching since 1758: Sechenov is the successor of the medical faculty that Imperial Moscow University opened in 1758. The faculty became the independent 1st Moscow Medical Institute in 1930, was named after Sechenov in 1955 and gained university status in 2010 (Sechenov's statutory disclosure).
• ›First in Russia for Medicine, in named rankings: Sechenov is 1st of 20 in RAEX's 2026 Russian subject ranking for Medicine and the highest-placed Russian university in the QS Medicine subject table for 2026, at 201–250. QS's overall world ranking places it lower: 851–900 in the 2027 edition.
• ›Robotic surgery in its clinics: Sechenov's Clinical Centre runs a da Vinci robotic surgical system in five specialties (Clinical Centre page). We found no Sechenov source that makes robotic surgery part of the General Medicine course, so do not plan on hands-on robotic training as a student.
• ›Academic staff: Sechenov's self-assessment report for 2025 counts 2,242 academic staff, including part-timers. 1,689 of them hold higher degrees, and 47 are academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
• ›Nobel laureates as guests: Sechenov hosted its first lecture by a Nobel laureate in 2012, when Barry Marshall spoke (history page). Lectures like this are events, not part of the course.
• ›A research park: Sechenov's Science and Technology Park of Biomedicine groups several of its research institutes and dozens of laboratories, according to its self-assessment report for 2025.
• ›Listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools: Sechenov's entry is F0001018. ECFMG (USA) and the GMC (UK) both start from a school's WDOMS entry, but a listing is not accreditation. WFME does not accredit universities either: it recognises accrediting agencies, as the recognition section below explains.
• ›Indian student community: Indian students held a Diwali celebration at Sechenov in November 2023; the Indian students section below has the details.

Rankings: Where Sechenov Stands in 2026

Sources: Sechenov's QS profile, QS Medicine 2026, QS Pharmacy & Pharmacology 2026, U.S. News and RAEX, checked on 30 October 2026.

MBBS Fees at Sechenov University 2026-27 — Complete Breakdown

Eligibility Criteria for Indian Students — Sechenov 2026

• ›Academic qualification (India's rule): NMC's Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 1997 ask for passes in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English, with at least 50% in Physics, Chemistry and Biology together (40% for SC/ST/OBC). Sechenov's own 2026–27 rules ask for a school-leaving certificate recognised in Russia.
• ›NEET is India's rule, not Sechenov's: NMC requires Indian citizens who study medicine abroad to qualify NEET-UG, and the result stays valid for three years. Sechenov's own 2026–27 admission rules do not mention NEET.
• ›Age: Sechenov's 2026–27 admission rules set no minimum or maximum age. India's NEET-UG requires you to turn 17 by 31 December of the year you sit the exam, and NTA's NEET (UG) 2026 bulletin says there is no upper age limit.
• ›Entrance tests: Sechenov sets international applicants to General Medicine two tests: Chemistry, in English or Russian as you choose, and Russian language. Each is a 60-minute computer-based test taken in person, and you need at least 55 out of 100 in each (its 2026–27 admission rules). The language you choose for Chemistry decides your language of study, and no IELTS or other language certificate is asked for (admission FAQ). A.J Trust counselors brief students on both tests.
• ›Valid Indian passport: At least 1.5 years of validity from the date your Russian visa starts, and at least 2 blank pages for visas.
• ›Bank account and proof of funds: Neither Russia's official study-visa list nor Sechenov's own lists of documents for the invitation and the visa ask for a Russian bank account or a bank statement. If Sechenov asks for anything more for admission, get its list in writing.

Curriculum & Clinical Training at Sechenov

Hostels & Campus Life at Sechenov

• ›Five dormitories, about 2,600 places: Sechenov lists five student dormitories with 2,600 places, at Malaya Pirogovskaya 16, Ozyornaya 2A, 11th Parkovaya 5 and 7, and Azovskaya 15, each near a metro station. They are spread across Moscow rather than on one campus, and places are limited, so get yours confirmed in writing before you travel.
• ›Burevestnik sports complex: Sechenov's main sports base has large and small football pitches, a running track, an ice rink, a 25-metre eight-lane pool, indoor tennis courts and gyms, according to the director of its Centre for Sport (interview of 23 January 2026). Its sports centre also runs a cricket section and team.
• ›Student communities: Sechenov's international portal counts more than 130 student communities in science, culture and sport.
• ›Main buildings in central Moscow: Sechenov's main buildings are in Khamovniki, a central Moscow district (its international portal), and its official address is 8 Trubetskaya Street, building 2 (statutory disclosure). The university is not on Sparrow Hills, where Lomonosov Moscow State University stands.
• ›Support offices: Sechenov has a migration department that handles study invitations and visa questions (its invitation page) and a directorate of student dormitories for housing.

Recognition & Accreditation — Global Career Pathways

• ›NMC (India): no foreign university is “NMC approved” — NMC endorses no list of them. What NMC regulates is your degree, under FMGL-2021: at least 54 months of study, a 12-month internship at the same institution, “medium of instructions in English”, and a qualification licensing you to practise in Russia. Clear those and you are eligible to sit FMGE. Sechenov’s own disclosure lists Russian and English as the languages of General Medicine, so get the medium for each year in writing.
• ›WDOMS: listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, FAIMER SCHOOL ID F0001018, currently operational. The directory itself states that listing “does not denote recognition, accreditation, or endorsement”.
• ›ECFMG & USMLE (USA): this depends on the school, not on Russia. USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK are open to students and graduates of a school that WDOMS lists as meeting ECFMG's eligibility requirements, and ECFMG Certification needs a Sponsor Note on the school's WDOMS entry covering your graduation year. Check Sechenov's entry for that note before you rely on this route. Step 3 needs ECFMG Certification first.
• ›A note on “WFME accreditation”: WFME does not accredit medical schools. It recognises national accrediting agencies, and FAIMER’s directory notes that an agency’s recognition “does not imply that all medical schools operating in this country are currently accredited by the agency”. Sechenov’s WDOMS entry lists no WFME accreditation, so we do not claim one.
• ›ASIIN (Germany): a German agency that accredits programmes in science and engineering subjects. Ask the university which of its specific programmes hold a current ASIIN accreditation, and for what period, before treating it as relevant to the MD.
• ›PLAB (UK): the GMC must accept your degree before you book PLAB. A WDOMS entry is necessary but not enough, so check with the GMC first: if you sit PLAB and the GMC then does not accept your degree, your PLAB fees are not refunded. We have not checked the Australian (AMC) route, so ask the AMC directly. Our career guide sets out the routes we have checked after a Russian MBBS.

Indian Students at Sechenov — Community & Support

Sechenov's disclosures give no official count of its Indian students. At its Diwali event in November 2023 the Indian Embassy's education official said 70 students from India study there, as Sechenov reported. Sechenov names India among the countries most of its foreign students come from, alongside Iran, Azerbaijan, China, Iraq, Egypt, South Africa and Malaysia (its international-cooperation disclosure). What it has reported:

• ›Diwali on campus: In November 2023 Indian students held a Diwali celebration at the university, organised by the students themselves with its Council of Compatriot Associations, as Sechenov reported.

Admission Process at Sechenov University via A.J Trust

• ›Step 1 — Free counseling & entrance test prep: Visit A.J Trust's Chennai, Madurai, or Delhi office. Sechenov sets in-person, computer-based tests in Chemistry and Russian language, and our counselors brief students on both during the initial session.
• ›Step 2 — Application (2027 dates not yet published): In 2026 Sechenov accepted applications for fee-paying places from 20 June, and applicants sitting its entrance tests had until 18 August (its 2026–27 admission rules). It asks for your passport and your Class 12 certificate, each with a notarised Russian translation, the certificate apostilled or consular-legalised, and a certificate of recognition of your foreign education (its admission FAQ). A.J Trust assists with full document preparation.
• ›Step 3 — Entrance tests: Sit Sechenov's Chemistry and Russian-language tests in person; you need at least 55 out of 100 in each. Sechenov posts each result on its website within three working days of the test (2026–27 admission rules). In 2026 it published the test venues by 1 June, so confirm where you would sit the tests before applying.
• ›Step 4 — Enrolment & Invitation Letter: An invitation can be issued only after you are enrolled. Sechenov then asks the regional office of Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) to issue your study invitation. Sechenov says the invitation takes 21 working days from when its migration department confirms it has your documents, and asks for scans of your passport, medical insurance valid in Russia and a signed fingerprinting notice (its invitation page). Print the invitation: you need it to apply for the visa.
• ›Step 5 — Visa documents: Russia's official study-visa list is your passport (valid at least 1.5 years from the date the visa starts), the application form (filled in online at visa.kdmid.ru), two photographs, the fee, the MVD invitation (on paper, or a printout of the electronic one) and an HIV certificate in English. Take the HIV test within 3 months of applying.
• ›Step 6 — Visa application: Apply at a Russian visa centre (New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata or Mumbai) or at the Embassy or Consulate covering your state, as soon as the invitation arrives. The Embassy's tariff prices a single-entry student visa issued in 4–20 working days, or in 3 working days at a higher fee, and a decision can be extended by up to 30 days. A.J Trust gives full documentation guidance, and our Russian student visa guide lists the official documents and fees.
• ›Step 7 — Arrival in Moscow: A.J Trust's Moscow representative assists with Sechenov campus registration, hostel check-in, and initial settlement. Sechenov's academic year begins on 1 September, though its rules allow the start to move by up to two months (its rules on teaching); ask when international first-years start.