Avicenna International Medical University Accreditation 2026: Licence Revoked and How MBBS Students Transfer

Quick overview

What happened

The Avicenna International Medical University accreditation decision did not begin on campus. It began with Decree No. 250, signed by the President of Kyrgyzstan on 28 August 2025, which made the training of doctors and pharmacists a state monopoly. Law No. 6 of 23 January 2026 followed and introduced a state accreditation that every medical school in the country had to pass.

The standards were published on 16 April 2026. A few weeks later, in May, the assessment teams arrived. Private medical universities had asked through their association for six more months to prepare, but the timetable did not move. The Ministry of Health examined five areas: teaching staff, clinical training bases, equipment, study programmes and the organisation of teaching.

The results came on 4 June 2026. Of the 34 institutions that offer medical programmes in Kyrgyzstan, 24 had applied. Four were accredited for six years and seven for one year. Thirteen did not pass, among them Avicenna International Medical University, a private medical school in Bishkek whose English-taught General Medicine programme is attended mostly by students from South Asia.

The other twelve are ADAM University, Royal Metropolitan University, Altamimi International University, Ala-Too International University, International Medical University, the Kyrgyz Medical and Dental Institute, Salymbekov University, Eurasian International University, Bishkek International Medical Institute, the International University of Medicine and Science, Central Asian International Medical University and Osh International Medical University.

Licence and diplomas

Is Avicenna International Medical University closed? For medicine, the answer today is yes in practice. Institutions that did not pass lost the right to admit new medical students and to issue state diplomas, and their licences were revoked. The Ministry of Health made clear that they may not hold classes from 15 September 2026 and may not charge tuition for the new academic year.

The door is not locked forever. A university can apply for a new licence and go through accreditation again. Nobody can tell you when Avicenna International Medical University will do that, or whether it will succeed, so waiting is a gamble with your own time. What is certain is your transcript: every subject you passed is documented and stays yours.

Student transfer 2026

The state did not leave students alone with this. A centralised transfer started in August 2026. In total, 7,137 students were enrolled at the institutions that did not pass. 1,637 of them completed their studies this year, which leaves about 5,500 who need a new university.

By 11 September 2026, 3,391 students had already been moved to accredited institutions. The figures also show where things go wrong. 242 students were expelled because of academic debts, and 1,867 foreign students had a place assigned but could not start because they were outside the country. If you are at home in India, Pakistan or elsewhere right now, contact your assigned institution before you book a flight.

Credits and study year

The question we hear most from Avicenna students is whether they lose a year. Usually you do not. The ministry's transfer commission decided that students must not be placed in a lower year without good reason. Where the curricula differ only slightly, you continue in the same year and make up the missing subjects alongside. A lower year is offered only when the differences are large.

A faculty outside Kyrgyzstan decides for itself. It lays your transcript next to its own curriculum and compares subject by subject, hours by hours. European faculties count in ECTS, 60 credits per year. The better your documents, the better the result. And if you failed an exam at Avicenna, that does not block a transfer: passed subjects keep their value, open ones are clarified.

Student visa

Inside Kyrgyzstan, the receiving university takes over the visa procedure for transferred foreign students. You do not have to solve this alone, but you do have to be reachable and present.

If you continue in another country, you need a residence permit there. The timing matters: one status should end when the next begins. We plan these dates with you.

Transfer abroad

Can you transfer from Avicenna International Medical University to a medical school in another country? Yes. English-taught medical faculties in Europe and other regions accept transfer students. The receiving faculty checks your transcript and sets your entry year. A degree from a medical faculty in the EU is recognised throughout the EU under Directive 2005/36/EC, and tuition at English-taught European faculties starts at about €3,500 per year.

Which faculty fits you depends on your transcript, your budget and the country where you want to work later. That is an individual answer, and we give it to you personally. Book a free transfer consultation and we will tell you which options are realistic.

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Documents

Everything else builds on your papers. You need the official transcript with subjects, hours and grades, the syllabus of the subjects you passed, a confirmation of your enrolment period, your school-leaving certificate and your passport.

The Ministry of Health confirmed that the transfer itself is free of charge and that academic documents must be issued in line with Kyrgyz law. Request them in writing, keep copies, and do it now rather than next month.

NMC and PMDC

Many Avicenna students come from India and ask about the National Medical Commission. Under its 2021 licentiate regulations, the commission expects the medical course to be completed at one institution. In earlier cases where students had to leave a university for reasons outside their control, it issued specific guidance. Check the current position for Kyrgyzstan before you commit to your next university.

Students from Pakistan should confirm with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council that the receiving institution is accepted. We go through both points with you in the consultation.

Timeline

The state transfer inside Kyrgyzstan follows the ministry's deadlines. For a faculty abroad, allow three to six months from the first consultation to your first lecture. Several faculties admit transfer students in autumn and again in February, so a start in early 2027 is realistic if you begin now.

Medschool Experts

A study transfer is a complicated undertaking, and here it comes with time pressure. Our experts have close to ten years of experience in study transfers worldwide and therefore plan and carry out a transfer from Avicenna International Medical University with confidence. We work with 25+ partner universities, and the consultation is free. Read more on our services page or in our student stories.