Over 10,000 Indian students, mostly studying medicine, are now enrolled in the Central Asian country’s universities – a sharp rise on the 3,500 enrolled last year.
“Thousands of Indian students are currently pursuing their education in Uzbekistan, and they feel completely at home,” said Sardor Mirzayusupovich Rustambaev, Uzbekistan’s ambassador to India.
“The people of Uzbekistan are very hospitable, and the weather is quite similar to that of Kerala.”
Rustambaev made the remarks at the inauguration of the Mediclick Expo in Kozhikode, a platform that enabled students to interact directly with representatives and alumni from international medical universities.
India and Uzbekistan, bound by historical ties through the Silk Road and a shared Mughal heritage, now define their modern relationship through collaboration in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors.
With bilateral trade valued at USD$756.6 million, India and Uzbekistan are now aiming to strengthen ties through expanded cooperation in business, education, and cultural exchange.
Just last month, the Indo-Uzbek Education and Business Summit 2025 took place in New Delhi, bringing together over 100 participants, including university rectors, investors, senior officials, and business leaders from both countries.
Post the Russia-Ukraine war, we’ve seen a significant shift, with many Indian students opting for other Central Asian countries, especially Uzbekistan
Anuj Goyal, Get My University
Delegates from leading Uzbek universities, including Samarkand State Medical University, Bukhara State Medical Institute, and the Journalism and Mass Communications University of Uzbekistan, showcased their academic programs and signed MOUs with Indian institutions to encourage more student exchanges, joint training, and research.
According to Anuj Goyal, co-founder of Get My University, an education consultancy that has been instrumental in helping Central Asian universities attract students from India, the growing interest in Uzbekistan has become especially prominent since the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“Post the Russia-Ukraine war, we’ve seen a significant shift, with many Indian students opting for other Central Asian countries, especially Uzbekistan,” Goyal told The PIE News.
“A large number of students who were previously studying in Ukraine and Russia have been transferred to institutions in Uzbekistan, and we’re seeing that this move has worked out well for them.”
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2021, the Indian Embassy facilitated transfer options for affected students.
As a result, over 1,000 Indian students, out of the nearly 19,000 studying in Ukraine at the time, enrolled at Samarkand State Medical University in Uzbekistan.
With over 2 million Indian students aspiring to pursue undergraduate medical education and only around 100,000 MBBS seats available within India, there has been a growing trend of students opting for more affordable study destinations abroad, such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Poland, the Philippines, Malaysia, and others.
“Uzbek medical universities offer six-year MD programs, which include a one-year internship,” explained Goyal.
“The instruction is entirely in English, students receive clinical training in government hospitals, and they are eligible for medical licensure upon completion.”
Apart from education, the summit also focused on investment opportunities in fields such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, infrastructure, and IT.
“We welcome Indian investors with open arms,” said Rustambaev.
“Our government supports direct collaboration in many sectors,” he added.
