Study MBBS at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy
Shymkent, Kazakhstan · 1979 · 6-Year English-Medium General Medicine
Quick Overview
South Kazakhstan Medical Academy has taught medicine in Shymkent since 1979 — the warmest city on our Kazakhstan roster. It publishes 1,708,000 tenge a year for the English-medium General Medicine track (2025–26) and 250,000 tenge a year for a hostel place for foreign citizens. In the NBEMS 2024 report 134 of its 538 candidates passed (24.91%), and 357 of 1,727 lifetime (20.67%). Listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools; NMC approves no foreign university.
About South Kazakhstan Medical Academy
South Kazakhstan Medical Academy was established in 1979 in Shymkent, and that date is unusually well corroborated — WDOMS records instruction starting in 1979, its ECFMG sponsor note runs from 1979, and its own name history agrees. It is a joint-stock company under Kazakh law and its programme was accredited by IAAR on 21 June 2024.
One structural detail on its WDOMS record deserves your attention before you apply anywhere in Kazakhstan, because it affects FMGL-2021 compliance directly. WDOMS states, verbatim, that "as of 2023, after 5 years a student will graduate with a Bachelor of General Medicine. After an optional 1 year internship, the graduate will be awarded a Doctorate in the Specialty of General Medical Practice." The word doing the work there is "optional" — NMC requires a 12-month internship at the same institution, so the internship year is not optional for you. Get the track and the internship confirmed in writing.
The academy's FMGE record sits in the middle of the Kazakh field: 134 of 538 candidates passed in the 2024 report (24.91%), 140 of 629 in 2025 (22.26%), and 357 of 1,727 across all reports (20.67%). Its cohort has grown quickly — from 36 candidates in 2021 to over 600 — so the rate is measured on a genuinely large recent sample rather than a handful of students.
South Kazakhstan Medical Academy is one of the four universities on our Kazakhstan roster — see the full MBBS in Kazakhstan guide for the country-level picture, including why the two best-known names are not on this roster.
Location
Shymkent, Kazakhstan
WDOMS / FAIMER ID
F0000793
Founded
1979
Total Enrolment
Not published by the academy
Programme
General Medicine (6 Years)
Medium
English
Annual Tuition (published)
1,708,000 KZT a year
Intake
Autumn — entrance test and psychometric test
Clinical Training & Teaching Hospitals
MBBS Fee Structure - As Published by the University
The university's own published figure, in the currency it prints. We do not convert at a rate we picked, and we do not add up multi-year totals the university itself does not publish.
Tuition: 1,708,000 KZT a year
The English-medium General Medicine tariff is 1,708,000 tenge a year for 2025–26. Note that the academy's general tariff order shows a lower figure, 1,300,000, which does not apply to the English-medium track — that difference is exactly the sort of thing that turns into a nasty surprise at the counter, so confirm the current English-track rate with us in writing before you pay anything.
Accommodation: Published in a rector's order rather than a marketing page, which is unusually solid: 200,000 tenge an academic year for students, 250,000 for foreign citizens — so an Indian student pays the 250,000 rate — with a 5,000 tenge daily rate for summer stays and laundry at 800 tenge a kilo. Source is order No. 92 of 4 June 2025, appendix 3.
English requirement: No IELTS or TOEFL is demanded for the undergraduate English-medium programme. The academy runs its own 100-item entrance test across language of instruction, mathematics, biology and chemistry plus a psychometric test; General Medicine requires at least 70 of 100, including at least 5 points in each component. One caveat we would rather you heard from us: the admission-rules PDF the academy currently links is dated 2022, which predates Kazakhstan's July 2025 restatement of the national certificate rule — so its silence on certificates may be a stale document rather than an exemption. We confirm the live route for your intake.
Note: Fees can change by academic year and are set by the university, not by us. Always confirm the current figures with A.J Trust before making any payment.
Get Exact Fees →FMGE Record - Official NBEMS Data
Every figure reads passed of appeared, from the NBEMS institute-wise performance reports.
| Report year | Appeared | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | 10 | 27.78% |
| 2022 | 182 | 43 | 23.63% |
| 2023 | 342 | 30 | 8.77% |
| 2024 | 538 | 134 | 24.91% |
| 2025 | 629 | 140 | 22.26% |
| Lifetime (all reports) | 1,727 | 357 | 20.67% |
Context: the 2024 national average across all countries was 25.80% - 20,382 of 79,000 candidates. A pass rate describes cohorts who enrolled six or more years before the report year, including repeat attempts - treat it as a record, not a promise.
Eligibility Criteria for Indian Students
NEET Qualified
Valid NEET UG score mandatory as per NMC norms. Min. 50th percentile (General), 40th percentile (SC/ST/OBC).
PCB Percentage
Minimum 50% aggregate in Physics, Chemistry & Biology in Class 12 (40% for SC/ST/OBC, 45% for General-PwD).
Age Requirement
Must be 17 years or above as on 31 December of the year of admission.
University Screening
Screening differs by university: Astana asks for an English certificate plus an interview, Karaganda and South Kazakhstan run their own entrance tests, Semey interviews in English.
Admission Procedure
Fill Application Form
Submit basic details and attach required documents through A.J Trust.
English Route Check
Kazakhstan's national rules accept IELTS Academic 5.0, TOEFL iBT 35, TOEFL ITP 417, TOEIC 550 or Duolingo 80 - but several universities run their own test or interview instead. We confirm which applies to your intake before you book anything.
Entrance Test or Interview
Most of these universities screen with their own test or an interview held in English. We prepare you for the one your university actually runs.
Receive Offer & Invitation
The university issues its admission letter and visa invitation. Pay only to the university's own account.
Student Visa & Travel
Apply for the Kazakh student visa with the invitation letter; our team arranges pickup and check-in on arrival.
Begin Your MBBS
Enrol, attend orientation, and start the General Medicine programme.
How it works at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy, specifically
- Admission is by the academy's own 100-item entrance test — language of instruction, mathematics, biology, chemistry — plus a psychometric test; General Medicine needs 70+ of 100 with at least 5 in each component.
- NEET results are explicitly named in the academy's own required-document list for Indian citizens.
- The linked admission-rules PDF is dated 2022 and predates Kazakhstan's July 2025 national certificate rule — we confirm the live requirement for your intake rather than relying on its silence.
- The academy names one exclusive representative for India and warns against dealing with anyone else.
- WDOMS calls the internship year "optional" — for FMGL-2021 it is not, so confirm in writing that your track includes it.
Documents Required
Class 10 pass certificate and mark sheet
Class 12 pass certificate and mark sheet (PCB)
NEET UG score card (valid)
Valid Indian passport
Passport-size photographs (recent)
Medical certificate as per the university's current checklist
English certificate where your university asks for one (IELTS 5.0 / TOEFL iBT 35 / Duolingo 80 all qualify)
Filled university application form
Each university's checklist differs, and fees here are published in the university's own currency - tenge at Astana and South Kazakhstan, US dollars at Karaganda and Semey. Pay only to the university's own account; Astana publishes an explicit anti-fraud warning about this. A.J Trust sends you the current checklist and guides every document step at no cost.
Why Study MBBS at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy?
The Warmest City on This Roster
Shymkent in southern Kazakhstan, rather than six winters in Astana or Karaganda.
A Published English-Track Fee
1,708,000 tenge a year for 2025–26, and we flag that the academy's general tariff shows a lower number that does not apply to the English track.
Hostel Priced in a Rector's Order
250,000 tenge an academic year for foreign citizens, published in a signed order rather than a brochure.
Teaching Since 1979, ECFMG-Eligible Since 1979
Corroborated four separate ways on the WDOMS record.
No Certificate, But a Real Test
A 100-item entrance test plus psychometric testing; General Medicine needs at least 70 of 100 with a minimum in every component.
One Named Representative for India
The academy publicly warns applicants to deal only with its named representative, which is a useful check against anyone else claiming to place you there.
Shymkent - City at a Glance
City
Shymkent
Region
Southern Kazakhstan
Country
Kazakhstan
Shymkent is Kazakhstan's southern city and the warmest place on this roster — a real consideration if you are weighing six winters in Astana or Karaganda. The academy has taught medicine here since 1979 and names one exclusive representative for India, publicly warning applicants to deal with nobody else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about MBBS at South Kazakhstan Medical Academy
The English-medium General Medicine tariff is 1,708,000 tenge a year for 2025–26. Watch one trap: the academy's general tariff order shows 1,300,000, which does not apply to the English-medium track. Hostel is published separately in a rector's order at 250,000 tenge an academic year for foreign citizens. We quote the academy's own tenge figures rather than converting at a rate we picked — ask A.J Trust for a current rupee estimate and a written confirmation of the English-track rate.
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