Essentially, the foreign students joins their Indian counterpart at the medical college in the course of study that interests them. The College allows up to three months for foreign students with official government approval. To be recognized as an official participant in the elective program and receive certification from CMC, permission must be obtained from both the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Medical Council of India. This takes from 6 to 8 months, so students considering applying for the program should do so with that lead time in mind. There is one other area worth noting, and that is doing research in India.
Some students are interested in being involved in some study or project while in India.
However, there is some historical sensitivity to foreign nationals coming to India to do research projects of their own, collect specimens, and write up and publish the results without any reference to Indian counterparts or co-investigators or any transfer of technology. There are government restrictions which must be met. If you are thinking of a research component to your experience at Vellore, you should contact the Vellore Board USA which can explain the policies and restrictions and put you in touch with the appropriate people to help plan and approve such an experience. The Vellore Board USA helps to facilitate the program specifically for medical students in the USA and Canada. We also have copies of the necessary forms if you are interested in applying.