Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU) MBBS: Fees, Admission and Review for Indian Students

Yerevan State Medical University at a glance

Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi (YSMU) is Armenia's state medical university in the capital, Yerevan. Its history goes back to the medical faculty founded in Yerevan in 1920; it has carried the name of the 12th-century Armenian physician Mkhitar Heratsi since 1989 (Wikipedia). The university reports more than 8,000 students, about 24% of them international, from 33 countries.

The Indian Embassy in Yerevan describes YSMU as the one government university where Indian medical students in Armenia study, alongside four or five private universities. The Embassy counted about 2,066 Indian students in Armenia in June 2026, and a Mahatma Gandhi Center was set up at YSMU in 2021.

Fees for 2026–27

YSMU publishes its English-medium tuition in Armenian drams (official admission page):

Dollar figures use about AMD 361 per US dollar (ExchangeRate-API, 13 November 2026). YSMU says the annual fee stays the same for the whole programme, which protects you from fee rises — but because the fee is in drams, your rupee cost will move with exchange rates. In some cases the fee may be set by individual contract.

Six years of General Medicine tuition total about $43,200 (≈ ₹40.6 lakh). Hostel rooms (two or three students per room) are available but the price is not published. Our MBBS in Armenia hub estimates daily living costs of roughly $220–820 a month in Yerevan.

Admission process and eligibility

YSMU admits foreign students through entrance exams, not just document checks. For the 2026–27 intake:

1. Eligibility: completed secondary education. Indian applicants must also have a qualifying NEET-UG score — YSMU does not admit Indians without it.
2. Apply online at fs.emis.am between 22 June and 30 September 2026 and complete the applicant questionnaire.
3. Entrance exams: pass two of three exams — Physics, Chemistry or Biology — based on the secondary-school syllabus. YSMU publishes English-language exam topics.
4. Preparatory department: if you fail the exams, or could not sit them because your visa was delayed, you can apply in person to the Department of Foreign Students' Preparatory Education.
5. Visa and arrival for the September start, then register with the Indian Embassy's student module.

YSMU lists Indian representatives for admission and NEET queries, but always confirm details directly with the university. Apostille your Class 10 and 12 documents at India's Ministry of External Affairs; the Indian Embassy warns that unapostilled or altered documents are rejected. See our NEET for MBBS abroad guide.

FMGE results

YSMU is Armenia's best performer on FMGE, but its rate dropped in 2025.

Source: NBEMS. Armenia's average was 13.5% in 2025, and several private Armenian universities were under 10%. Plan structured FMGE preparation from your clinical years — see our FMGE guide.

Clinical training

YSMU's Heratsi Hospital Complex No. 1 stands next to the main campus, and the Muratsan Hospital Complex is in Yerevan's Erebuni district (Wikipedia). Patients speak Armenian and often Russian, so ask how much Armenian is taught in the English stream and how ward groups are organised.

FMGL 2021 fit

YSMU's six-year English-medium course meets FMGL's minimum duration on paper. Before paying, ask YSMU in writing how the final-year clinical training is certified as the 12-month internship and whether its graduates can be licensed in Armenia on the same terms as Armenian citizens — we could not confirm this from official English sources. Keep the letter for your NMC eligibility application. Our FMGL rules guide explains the conditions.

Is YSMU right for you?

YSMU is the safest-looking choice in Armenia: a state university with official, fixed fees and the country's best FMGE record. It is not cheap, and its 2025 FMGE result was only slightly above the all-country average. If you are comparing the Caucasus, look at Georgia's public universities on our MBBS in Georgia page, where 2025 FMGE results were higher on average.

Pros and cons of YSMU

Advantages

• Armenia's main state medical university with a history going back to 1920
• Official, fixed annual fee for the whole programme
• Best FMGE results in Armenia in 2024 and 2025
• Own hospital complexes in Yerevan (Heratsi No. 1 and Muratsan)
• Preparatory department for applicants who miss or fail the entrance exams

Drawbacks

• At about $7,200 a year, more expensive than many Central Asian options
• FMGE pass rate fell from 32.8% (2024) to 23.3% (2025)
• Entrance exams required — admission is not automatic
• Hostel price not published; Yerevan rents are relatively high
• Patients speak Armenian or Russian, so language study is essential for clinical years