The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a major clarification regarding MBBS fee structures, directing all medical colleges, institutions, and universities to charge tuition fees only for the prescribed academic duration of 4½ years (54 months).

The clarification was issued after NMC received complaints that some medical colleges were charging fees for the entire MBBS course duration of 5 or 5½ years, including the compulsory internship period. The Commission stated that such practices are not in line with the official academic structure of the MBBS programme.

As per the Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) Guidelines, 2024 under the Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER), the MBBS course consists of 4½ years of academic study followed by a 1-year Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI). 

MBBS Course Duration Structure

NMC clarified that the internship period is a compulsory training phase and not part of academic classroom teaching. Therefore, colleges cannot include the internship period while charging tuition fees.