Everyone says "abroad is there" as plan B. Is that realistic or a rich-people thing?
Ananya Reddy11th Sample
21 Sept 2026 · 1 min read
Class 11, PCB. At every family function someone says "if NEET doesn't work, abroad is there", usually after a pause and a sip of tea. I can't tell if this is real advice or a polite way of changing the subject.
I tried reading about it. There are agents with big promises, a lot of videos, and a cousin's friend who "did it and is settled". None of them told me the boring things.
What I'd like to understand:
- Is it affordable for a middle-class family once you add hostel, food, flights, language courses and everything else? What should we be adding up?
- If someone studies medicine in another country, can they practise in India afterwards? I heard there's an extra exam.
- How do you tell a genuine college from a dodgy one? Who checks?
- Are there non-medical options abroad (biotech, nursing, pharma) that make more sense?
- What are the risks nobody mentions (safety, visa, wars, language, loneliness)?
What I've tried: asked my dad, who said "we'll see" (the family motto). Asked a senior, who said "depends". I'm not planning to go. I just want to know if "abroad is there" is an actual plan or a comfort phrase.
10 answers & replies
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[+][–]Dev Agarwal12thSample· 28d ago
Any degree from abroad is valid in India straight away, so no extra exam. The real question is cost. Fees in a lot of places are lower than a private college here, so it's actually a good plan B.
[+][–]Ishita GoyalDropperSample· 28d ago
Dev, not for medicine. As far as I know, if you do a medical degree in another country you have to clear a screening exam in India to practise, and the college has to be on the list of recognised ones. The rules have changed over the years so check the current notice from the official medical regulator, not an agent. Cost is the part that people get wrong too: fees may look low but add living, flights, language, visa and the years, and compare the total.
[+][–]Dev Agarwal12thSample· 28d ago
ah okay, I was thinking of general degrees, not medicine. Fair point, thanks for the correction. For non-medical courses the recognition is a different process but I'd still check.
[+][–]Vivek Mishra12thSample· 28d ago
Cost reality from a family like mine: it would not be possible without a big loan. So we do not plan like that. If your family is considering it, I would say: write the total for the whole course in one line, including flights home, and ask: can we pay this without selling something we need? If no, then it's not a plan B, it's a risk.
[+][–]Zoya Khan12thSample· 28d ago
The part not many people say is that living in another country at 18 is a big emotional step. A different language in the street, different food, you can't go home when you are unwell, and a few countries have had situations where students had to leave suddenly. I am not saying don't, just that it's good to look at the safety situation and the support system of the college, and talk to students who are there now, not the agent. Ask them what their worst month was.
[+][–]Rahul DubeyDropperSample· 28d ago
Honest version: "abroad" is a plan for some families and a comfort phrase for others. The test is whether anyone in the family has written down a total cost and a list of the exam steps. If there's a number and a list, it's a plan. If it's a sentence at a function, it's a phrase. Also watch the agents. A genuine counsellor shows you the official sites and risks; a salesperson shows you photos and a deadline.
[+][–]Nisha Verma12thSample· 27d ago
Non-medical: yes there are courses in biotech, pharma, nursing, data etc. but then the question changes. It's not "which country is cheap", it's "what do I want to do after, and will this degree help me do that where I want to live?" For some courses you apply on grades and language scores, and for some there are scholarships, but they are competitive and the paperwork is real. It's a project, not a fallback.
[+][–]Ananya Reddy11thSample· 27d agoAuthor
this is so helpful. so basically it's not really "plan B", it's a different plan with its own homework?
[+][–]Nisha Verma12thSample· 27d ago
yes exactly. Plan B should be something you can do within a few weeks of results. Abroad needs a year of planning. Put it on the list as plan C or "separate plan", and don't use it to feel safe.
[+][–]Siddharth RaoDropperSample· 27d ago
Also keep the screening-exam bit in mind. Some people go and then spend years working on a second exam here. Not impossible, but it's a second hard exam, and it's another reason to read the official page before paying anything.
