There are nearly 4,800 Medical colleges in India which offer Medical courses, out of these nearly 80% colleges are private, over 15% are government and rest are public-private.
Medical courses in India are offered under various specialisations including medical and biomedical sciences, pharmacy, allied health, nursing, health and fitness. A course in medicine and health sciences requires students to learn and abide by the hippocratic oath for ethical conduct which says, that as a medical practitioner a person needs to practice arts and science of medicine honestly in all aspects i.e. patient care, teaching and research. Students holding a degree in medical and health science can get career opportunities from hospitals, private clinics in the Healthcare sector. A medical and health science graduate can work with research centers, laboratories, and pharmaceuticals industry. Healthcare is one of the largest service sector comprising hospitals, medical equipment, clinical procedures, telecommunication and IT for the medical field, medical tourism, and health insurance.
Medical Courses offered in India
To pursue a career in medicine and health science, one must have a degree in medical specialisation. The Medical colleges in India offer multiple undergraduate, postgraduate, doctorate, diploma and certificate courses in the field of Medical and Health Science. Some of the Medical courses are mentioned below:
UG Courses:
- MBBS - Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Science
- BDS - Bachelor of Dental Surgery
- BASLP - Audiology and Speech Language Pathology
- BOptom - Optometry
- BSc - Medical Imaging Technology
- BSc - Medical Laboratory Technology
- BSc- Nursing
- BOT - Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
- BPharm - Pharmacy
- BPT - Bachelor of Physiotherapy
- BSc - Renal Dialysis Technology
- PBBSc - Nursing
PG Courses:
- MD - Respiratory Medicine, Radio Diagnosis, Anaesthesiology, Paediatrics, etc.
- MS - Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, General Surgery, etc.
- MDS - Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, etc.
- MSc - Medical Anatomy, Medical Biochemistry, Medical Microbiology, Medical Physiology, etc.
- MPH - Health Management, Bio-Statistics
- MOT - Hand Rehabilitation, Neurosciences, Mental Health, etc.
- MPharm - Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, etc.
Diploma Courses:
- Diploma in Nursing
- Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology
- Diploma in Optometry
- Diploma in Medical Record Science
Certificate Courses:
- Certificate Course in Ophthalmic Technology
- Certificate Course in Blood Bank Technology
- Certificate Course in Health Inspector
- Certificate Course in Medical Office Management (CcMOM)
Medicine & Health Sciences Admission Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must have passed Class 12th exams with Science subjects, i.e. Physics, Chemistry and Zoology / Botany
- Candidates must have studied English as the main subject in the qualifying examination
- Moreover, candidates also need to fulfil the age limit criteria i.e. they must have completed 17 years of age at the time of admissions
- There are additional eligibility conditions such as mentioned by the regulatory authorities for respective discipline i.e. Medical Council of India (MCI), Dental Council of Indian, and Indian Nursing Council, Pharmacy Council of India, Indian Association of Physiotherapist and respective association/council for other medical and health science courses
Here is the list of top private and government Medical colleges in India:
Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview:
Medical colleges in India accept score obtained by students in numerous national or state-level examinations, including NEET, NEET PG, GPAT, NEET MDS, MHT CET, AP EAMCET, UPSEE, TS EAMCET, TS PGECET and KCET. There are several Medical colleges in major cities across the country such as Delhi/ NCR, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and so on.
Top Ranking Medical Colleges in India
The top Medical Colleges in India are ranked by various ranking agencies like NIRF, Oulook, India Today, etc. based on different categories like state-wise, city-wise, stream-wise, etc.
Top Medical Colleges in India with NIRF Ranking 2020
According to NIRF Ranking, these are the top 10 Medical Colleges in India:
Following is the list of top 10 Medical colleges in India ranked by Outlook:
| Name of the College |
Outlook'19 Ranking |
| All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi |
1 |
| Armed Forces Medical College, Pune |
2 |
| Christian Medical College, Vellore |
3 |
| St. John's Medical College, Bangalore |
4 |
| Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry |
5 |
| Faculty of Medical Sciences (King George's Medical University), Lucknow |
6 |
| Grant Government Medical College & Sir J Group Of Hospital, Mumbai |
7 |
| Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi |
8 |
| Seth GS Medical College & KEM Hospital, Mumbai        |
9 |
| Kasturba Medical College, Manipal |
10 |
Following is the list of top 10 Medical colleges in India ranked by India Today:
| Name of the College |
India Today'20 Ranking |
| All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi |
1 |
| Christian Medical College, Vellore |
2 |
| Armed Forces Medical College, Pune |
3 |
| Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi |
4 |
| Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry |
5 |
| King George`s Medical University, Lucknow |
6 |
| Institute of Medical Sciences Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi |
7 |
| Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi |
8 |
| Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi |
9 |
| Universty College of Medical Science, New Delhi |
10 |
Career Scope for Medical Students
The top recruiters for medical and health sciences degree holders are majorly Hospitals, Medical Research Centers and Pharmaceuticals. A person holding degree in medical and health sciences can also practice from their own clinic after getting practicing license from the medical association. Below are the average salaries offered to Medical professionals in different job profiles:
| Job Profiles |
Average Salary (in Rs) |
| Registered Nurse |
2.90 L and above |
| Medical Researcher |
7.20 L and above |
| Medical Science Liaison |
7 L and above |
| General Surgeon |
5 L and above |
| Physiotherapist |
3 L and above |
| Anesthesiologist |
12 L and above |
| Healthcare Consultant |
12.20 L and above |
| Medical Officer |
5.80 L and above |
| Medical Laboratory Technician |
2 L and above |
| Environmental Health and Safety Manager |
9 L and above |
| Healthcare Manager |
6 L and above |
| Nurse Educator/Trainer |
3.50 L and above |
Top Recruiters for Medical Students
Below is the list of Medical colleges in India and few top companies that recruit Medical graduates along with their placement ratings:
| Colleges |
Placement Ratings (Based on Reviews) |
Top Recruiters |
| Armed Forces Medical College, Pune |
4.9 |
Indian Army, Navy or Air Force |
| IIHMR University, Jaipur |
4.4 |
Sun Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Smartcube Analytic Solutions, IMS, Lintac Solutions |
| Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar |
4.2 |
Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Accenture, Cognizant, Amazon, TCS, IBM, Informatica, Capgemini, SAP, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Bosch, Ashok Leyland, Voltas, Mercedes Benz, Honda, Daikin, Renault Nissan, Sony, Adobe, Virtusa, KPIT, Morgan Stanley, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Trident Group, Infineon, KPMG |
| Parul University, Vadodara |
4.0 |
Aditya Birla Group, TCS, John Deere, Indusind Bank, TATA Motors, Zydus, Atos, Thermax |
| Amity University, Noida |
4.0 |
Cadila, Napier Healthcare, United Health Group, DR. Lal Pathlabs, Zycus, Abbott, ZS Associates |
Mode of Study
Medical courses can be pursued from various colleges through different modes such as full-time, part-time, distance-learning and online. Around 5,037 Medical colleges offer the full-time course and the rest of the colleges offer part-time, distance-learning and online modes to the student for pursuing Medical courses. Some of these colleges are tabulated below:
Full-time Mode of Study
Some of the popular colleges/ universities that offer full-time Medical courses are:
| S.No. |
Colleges |
Location |
| 1. |
Armed Forces Medical College |
Pune |
| 2. |
Maulana Azad Medical College |
Delhi |
| 3. |
Parul University |
Vadodara |
| 4. |
Lovely Professional University |
Jalandhar |
| 5. |
SGT University |
Gurgaon |
Part-time Mode of Study
The colleges that offer courses through distance/ correspondence mode are as follows:
| S.No. |
College |
Location |
| 1. |
University of Mumbai |
Mumbai |
| 2. |
Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences |
Hyderabad |
| 3. |
Rayat Bahra University |
Mohali |
| 4. |
Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology |
Chennai |
| 5. |
Garware Institute of Career Education and Development, University of Mumbai |
Mumbai |
Distance/ Correspondence Mode of Study
The colleges that offer courses through distance/ correspondence mode are as follows:
| S.No. |
College |
Location |
| 1. |
Indira Gandhi National Open University |
Delhi |
| 2. |
Christian Medical College |
Vellore |
| 3. |
University of Madras, Institute of Distance Education |
Chennai |
| 4. |
Vardhman Mahaveer Open University |
Kota |
| 5. |
Symbiosis School for Open & Distance Learning |
Pune |
Online Mode of Study
The following colleges offer online classroom mode:
| S.No. |
Colleges |
Location |
| 1. |
Parul University |
Vadodara |
| 2. |
ICRI- JIMS |
Delhi |
| 3. |
Academy For Clinical Excellence |
Mumbai |
| 4. |
Amity University Online |
Noida |
| 5. |
ICRI Bangalore |
Bangalore |
How affordable is studying Medical Courses at Medical colleges in India?
Based on the below pie chart, it can be estimated that pursuing Medical Courses in India is moderately priced as approximately 26% of the colleges have course/annual fees between Rs 1-2 lakh. Some of these colleges are:
- Amity University, Noida
- Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar
- Chandigarh University, Chandigarh
- M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore
- School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Noida
- International University, Greater Noida
- Institute of Medical Sciences; BHU, Varanasi
Approximately 22% of Medical colleges fee structure ranges between Rs 3-5 lakh. Some of these colleges are:
- Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana
- Era University, Lucknow
- SGT University, Gurgaon
- Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot
- Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospitals, Pune
- ISBR Business School, Bangalore
- Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Pune
The fees of around 22% colleges is between Rs 2-3 lakh. Some of these colleges are:
- Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad
- NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata
- SNDT Women's University, Mumbai
- Amity University, Gurgaon
- University Institute of Pharmacy, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur
- Bundelkhand University, Jhansiand
Only around 14% of Medical colleges in India are economical with a fee structure of less than Rs 1 lakh. Some of these colleges are:
- Lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi
- King George's Medical University; Lucknow
- Parul University, Vadodara
- NIMS University, Jaipur
- ICRI- JIMS, Delhi
- Garware Institute of Career Education and Development, University of Mumbai, Mumbai
- Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana
- Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad
Approximately 16% of Medical colleges in India are expensive with a fee structure of more than Rs 5 lakh. These colleges are:
- Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi
- SGT University, Gurgaon
- Integral University; Lucknow
- Medical College and Hospital, Sangli
- Bharati Vidyapeeth, Sangli
- Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu
- Dharmsinh Desai University, Gujarat
Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview of the break-up of Medical Colleges in India based on fees:
Medical Specialisations offered in India
Medical colleges in India offer diversified specialisations in Pharmaceutical, General Medicine, Pharmocology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopaedics, Microbiology, General Surgery, Pathology, Medical Laboratory Technology, etc. The most popular one is Pharmaceutical followed by General Medicine and Pharmocology. Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview of the top 10 Medical specialisations in India:
Which are the most popular Medical Exams accepted by Medical colleges in India?
The most popular entrance exam for studying Medical courses in India is NEET. While scoring good marks in NEET will help you land in Medical colleges like Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi; NEET PG is your ticket to colleges like AIIMS Delhi and Christian Medical College, Vellore.
Rest of the colleges accept GPAT, NEET MDS, MHT CET, AP EAMCET, UPSEE, TS EAMCET, TS PGECET, KCET, etc., for admission into their colleges.
Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview:
