Concerned over instances of medical students being cheated by contractors, the Indian embassy in Moscow [Images] has asked students from India to directly contact the Russian educational institutions about available facilities.

"The 'contractors' get large commissions for recruiting students. They can make false promises and give misleading information. There are also complaints against them of cheating and high-handed behaviour," the Embassy said on its web site.

"It is therefore in the interest of prospective students to make enquiries from the medical institutions directly about the courses or facilities available," it said.

While it is possible for students to directly apply for admission, most Russian medical institutions have appointed "contractors" for recruiting students from different countries and insist on using this channel for admission. They prefer to work through "contractors" for provision of hostel facilities, general welfare of the students, and even collecting fee.

This is done ostensibly for the convenience of students, who are new to Russia [Images] and do not speak the local language. In many cases, senior Indian students themselves function as contractors and agents and have their sub-agents in India.

Of the 5,000 Indian students in various medical and technical institutions in the Russian Federation, 99 per cent are pursuing medical studies in about 20 academies spread over the country, the Embassy said.

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