Global conflicts and political instability are forcing students from Jammu and Kashmir to reconsider traditional destinations for pursuing an MBBS degree abroad.
For years, medical aspirants from the region have travelled to countries such as Iran, Bangladesh and Ukraine to study medicine at comparatively lower costs and through simpler admission processes.
However, conflicts, geopolitical tensions and political unrest in these countries have prompted thousands of students and their families to explore alternative destinations.
“I was planning to send my son to Bangladesh, but after the student unrest in the country I changed my mind and enrolled him at a university in Kazakhstan,” said Ali Mohammad, whose son is currently pursuing MBBS there.
Each year, around 2,000 to 2,500 students from Jammu and Kashmir travel abroad to study medicine.
Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, said most of these students traditionally enrolled in medical colleges in Bangladesh.
The uncertainty surrounding the safety of students and the continuity of academic programmes has prompted many families, like Mohammad’s, to reconsider their plans, with a growing number of aspirants now looking to other countries for medical education.
Rayees Ahmad, who runs United Education and HR Consultancy in Srinagar, said around 3,000 students from India travel to Bangladesh each year to pursue medical education, with a large number of them coming from the Kashmir Valley.
“However, the number declined to around 700 to 800 after the country was caught in the throes of political unrest in 2024 following student-led protests,” Ahmad said.
Data from student groups and consultancies show that around 1,500–1,800 students from Jammu and Kashmir are currently enrolled in universities in Iran, about 200 in Ukraine and more than 3,000 in Bangladesh.
“Following the unrest in these countries, parents now prefer to send their children to relatively stable destinations such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China,” Ahmad added.
Besides these countries, Pakistan was once a preferred destination for many medical aspirants from the Valley until the National Medical Commission declared medical degrees from Pakistani universities invalid in 2022.
Low-cost education
Consultants say the relatively low cost of education in Bangladesh and other overseas destinations has long been the main attraction for students from the region.
“In Bangladesh, it costs a student between ₹30 lakh to ₹35 lakh to complete an MBBS degree, while the cost is three times higher in India,” Ahmad said.
Another education consultant in Srinagar said the demand for overseas medical education has created a large consultancy-driven market in the region.
“It has become a hundreds-of-crores industry. Every year thousands of students go abroad through different consultancies,” the consultant said.
Published on March 13, 2026