Unani Doctor in India (NEET-UG, BUMS & Internship)
From Class 11-12 PCB and NEET (UG), through AACCC or state AYUSH counselling and the 4½-year BUMS course, to the 12-month compulsory rotatory internship and registration
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Where it leads
- Unani doctor in a hospital or clinic
- Unani practitioner in private practice
- Regimenal therapy (Ilaj bit Tadabeer) specialist (with further training)
- Unani researcher or teacher (after postgraduate study)
0 of 8 steps done
Before you spend money or years
Check these first; they can end the journey before it costs you
Go / no-go check
Red light: check these before paying any fees.
BUMS is a full medical degree in its own system, not a route into MBBS. The course is long (5½ years including the internship) and uses Urdu, Arabic and Persian terms throughout. Check that your college is recognised by NCISM before you pay any fees: only a recognised degree leads to registration.
Is this you?
Tick the ones that are true for you.
8 steps to your licence
Your route to practise: 8 steps in 4 stages. Tap a step to read it; log the date when you finish it.
Meet NCISM’s Class 12 and language requirements, qualify NEET (UG) and secure a seat through AACCC or your state’s AYUSH counselling.
Unani’s principles, the human body, medicines and pathology, with clinical training in the attached hospital from the first year.
The clinical subjects, taught with OPD and IPD training in the attached hospital.
A twelve-month compulsory rotatory internship, then registration to practise.
More about this career
About the job, pay where you live, questions people ask, and where this career can take you next.
About the job
What you’d do
- Take case histories, examine patients, order tests, and diagnose and manage general medical conditions
- Use Unani diagnostic methods, such as examining the pulse (Nabz), urine and stool
- Give regimenal therapies (Ilaj bit Tadabeer), such as cupping, leech therapy, massage and exercise
- Carry out minor surgical procedures, such as suturing, dressing wounds and draining abscesses
- Give antenatal and postnatal care, and care for newborns, including immunisation
- Help prevent and control local endemic diseases and advise on diet therapy (Ilaj-bil-ghiza)
Where you’d work
- Unani hospitals attached to colleges
- Primary health centres and community health centres
- District, civil and rural hospitals
- Unani hospitals and dispensaries
- Clinical units of the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine and the National Institute of Unani Medicine
Licence to practise
Registration is with National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM)
- Pass all professional exams and get provisional registration from your State Board or Council to start the internship
- Complete the one-year compulsory rotatory internship, including NCISM's online public health course
- Register with your State Board or Council; NCISM publishes the state entries in its National Register
- If you were admitted from 2021–22 onwards, expect NCISM's National Exit Test (NExT), tentatively from March 2027
Directions you can take
- Moalajat (medicine), including skin and cosmetology
- Ilaj bit Tadabeer (regimenal therapy)
- Jarahat (surgery)
- Ain, Uzn, Anf, Halaq wa Asnan (eye, ENT and dentistry)
- Qabalat wa Niswan (obstetrics and gynaecology)
- Ilmul Atfal (paediatrics)
- Tahaffuzi wa Samaji Tib (preventive and social medicine)
Every step in full
The complete text of every step, to read or print. Work through them in the journey above.
NEET (UG) and Counselling 2 steps
Qualify NEET (UG)
Admission to BUMS is through NEET (UG), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). NCISM’s regulations also allow up to 10% of seats through a one-year Pre-Tib programme for candidates with an oriental qualification equivalent to Class 12; NEET does not apply to that route.
Real-world task: Download this year’s NEET (UG) bulletin and mark the chapters on BAMS, BSMS, BUMS and BHMS admission (chapters 7 and 9 in 2026).
Why it matters: Without a NEET (UG) result (or a Pre-Tib seat) you cannot be admitted to BUMS.
Checklist
- Study Class 11–12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology to meet NCISM’s minimum marks
- Check that you studied Urdu, Arabic or Persian in Class 10 or 12, or be ready to study Urdu in the First Professional year
- Read the current NEET (UG) information bulletin on neet.nta.nic.in for dates, eligibility and the exam pattern
- Register for and appear in NEET (UG) in the year you want to start
Get a seat through AACCC or state counselling
AACCC counsels the all-India quota for BUMS; your state’s AYUSH counselling authority counsels the state-quota seats.
Real-world task: Make a shortlist of NCISM-recognised Unani colleges and compare government and private seats.
Why it matters: Only a degree from a recognised college leads to registration and practice.
Checklist
- Register on aaccc.gov.in for the all-India quota rounds
- Register with your state’s AYUSH counselling authority for state seats
- Confirm on ncismindia.org that the college is recognised by NCISM before paying fees
- Ask the college its medium of instruction: NCISM allows Urdu, Hindi, a recognised regional language or English
First and Second Professional BUMS 2 steps
First Professional: principles and the human body
NCISM’s subjects: Kulliyat Umoore Tabiya (basic principles of Unani medicine), Tashreehul Badan (human anatomy), Manafeul Aza (human physiology), Tareekhe Tib (history of medicine), and Urdu, Arabic and Mantiq wa Falsafa for students who need them, plus at least three electives.
Real-world task: Make a table linking each Unani principle you study to the matching physiology topic.
Why it matters: Every later clinical subject builds on these principles.
Checklist
- Learn the Unani concepts of temperament (Mizaj), humours (Akhlat) and the essential factors of health
- Build a strong base in anatomy and physiology
- Take part in the clinical training that starts in the First Professional year: patient registration, history and vital signs
Second Professional: medicines, pathology and public health
NCISM’s subjects: Ilmul Advia (pharmacology), Ilmul Saidla wa Murakkabat (Unani pharmacy and compound drugs), Mahiyatul Amraz (pathology), Tahaffuzi wa Samaji Tib (preventive and social medicine), Ilme Tibbe Qanoon wa Ilmul Samoom (medical jurisprudence and toxicology) and Sareeriyat wa Usoole Ilaj (bedside clinic and principles of management), plus at least three electives.
Real-world task: Keep a notebook of the single and compound drugs you study, with their uses and preparation.
Why it matters: Medicines and pathology are the core of clinical practice in the final stage.
Checklist
- Learn to identify common Unani drugs and their actions
- Follow the preparation of compound drugs in the teaching pharmacy
- Practise case sheet writing and bedside examination
Third (Final) Professional BUMS 2 steps
Clinical subjects
NCISM’s subjects: Moalajat (medicine), Ilmul Qabalat wa Amraze Niswan (obstetrics and gynaecology), Ilmul Jarahat (surgery), Amraze Ain, Uzn, Anf, Halaq wa Asnan (eye, ENT and dentistry), Amraze Jild wa Tazeeniyat (dermatology and cosmetology), Ilaj bit Tadabeer (regimenal therapy), Amraze Atfal wa Naumaulood (paediatrics and neonatology) and research methodology and medical statistics, plus at least three electives.
Real-world task: Write up five supervised patient cases from different departments, with diagnosis and management.
Why it matters: This stage prepares you to manage patients on your own after the internship.
Checklist
- Take histories and examine patients under supervision in every department
- Assist in Ilaj bit Tadabeer (regimenal therapy) procedures
- Learn to recognise emergencies and when to refer
Research methodology
Research methodology and medical statistics are part of the final stage.
Real-world task: Summarise one published clinical study and list its strengths and limits.
Why it matters: Evidence skills matter in practice and for postgraduate study.
Checklist
- Read published Unani research critically
- Learn basic study designs and statistics
Compulsory Rotatory Internship and Registration 2 steps
Complete the 12-month compulsory rotatory internship
You join the internship after passing every subject, including nine electives, with a provisional degree certificate from your university and a provisional registration certificate from your State Board or Council. NCISM allows two patterns: six months in the college’s Unani hospital and six months in a government health centre or hospital, or all twelve months in the college’s Unani hospital.
Real-world task: Keep a monthly log of the cases you managed and the procedures you performed.
Why it matters: The degree is awarded only after the internship is complete.
Checklist
- Apply for provisional registration with your State Board or Council before the internship
- Complete every rotation and keep your logbook signed
- Ask your college for the internship completion certificate at the end
Register and choose your path
After the internship, follow your State Board or Council’s process to register as a Unani practitioner, then choose practice, government service or postgraduate study.
Real-world task: Find your State Board or Council of Indian Medicine and list the documents it asks for.
Why it matters: Practising without registration is not allowed.
Checklist
- Check your State Board or Council’s registration requirements
- Compare government posts, hospital jobs and private practice
- If you plan postgraduate study, read the current entrance notice
Questions people ask about Unani Doctor in India (NEET-UG, BUMS & Internship)
Clear answers regarding timelines, prerequisites, salaries, and study strategies.
How long is BUMS?
Five years and six months: three professional stages of eighteen months each and a twelve-month compulsory rotatory internship (NCISM regulations, 2022).
Is admission to BUMS through NEET?
Yes, for most seats: AACCC counsels the all-India quota and each state counsels its own seats. NCISM also allows up to 10% of seats through a one-year Pre-Tib programme, to which NEET does not apply.
Do I need to know Urdu?
NCISM asks for Urdu, Arabic or Persian as a subject in Class 10 or 12. If you did not study one, you study Urdu with Arabic and logic and philosophy in the First Professional year.
Who regulates BUMS?
The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM). Check that a college is recognised by NCISM before you pay fees.