If uncertainty around NEET has disrupted your career plans, Russian universities are accepting students without NEET certificates for now, and physical classes might resume by December. The classes will be held online for the time being, and according to varsity representatives, it is mandatory for students to produce their NEET scores once the results are out.
While NEET is scheduled to be held on September 12, most Russian universities have begun admissions already - as almost all states in India have passed Class 12 students without a formal exam. This automatically means that many of them have more than the 50% aggregate required by Russian universities.
Ravichandran C, authorised Indian representative for Russian Universities and the Managing Director of Study Abroad Educational Consultants, said “Nobody knows for certain (when classes will begin physically) but if everything goes well, physical classes may start by November or December.’ Another snag is that, as of now, there are no regular flights from India to Russia even though “Russia allows Indian students and there are no restrictions”.
This coincides with an uptick in the interest in medical courses in Russian universities from Indian students as the pandemic gradually eases off. There was uncertainty about everything last year as the pandemic had just hit, Ravichandran said. “People are more clear about the situation now than last year, so there are three to four folds more walk-ins,” he said. Just last year, the number of English medium seats for Indian students in Russian varsities had been increased from 3000 to 5000.
The representatives of leading Russian universities, which included Oleg N Avdeev, Consul General of The Russian Federation In South India, Vladimir V Shkarin, Rector, Volgograd State Medical University, Volgograd, Russia, Aleksey S Sozinov, Rector, Kazan State Medical University, Kazan, Russia, Victoria V Panova, Vice President for International Relations Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia, and Gennadii A Rogalev, Director of The Russian Centre Of Science and Culture, had also said at a virtual press conference that they had initiated talks with leading Indian medical colleges and hospitals, including The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University for clinical training of their students in India, exchange of faculty and students, and joint research work.
READ ALSO: Uttar Pradesh set to have nine more medical colleges by the end of July
What about vaccination?
As with all students wanting to study overseas, students wanting to study in Russia will have to get their jabs. “Russia does not have a stand on which vaccine students should take, the only condition is for students to have a negative RT-PCR report and the test needs to be done 72-hours before the journey.” However, there is no vaccination policy for the 17-year-olds who wish to apply as below-18 vaccination has not yet begun in the country.
The policy on the RT-PCR test, he said, remains the same for all ages. Ravichandran added that another test after arrival is mandatory but the expenses for this will be borne by the universities. “Students will be quarantined at the expense of the university. If the test is positive and a student shows symptoms, they will be transported to a hospital,” Ravichandran said. Currently, there are an estimated 15,000 Indian medical students in Russian universities.
