Do I need to have attended a U.S. undergraduate program to apply to an American medical school? Some schools do only accept students who have earned an undergraduate degree in the U.S.; others will expect at least a year in a U.S. undergrad program. Others still will consider your international transcript—but more on that in the next response.
Will my international credits count at a U.S. medical school? Maybe. Most schools use the American Medical School Application Service (AMCAS) application. The bad news is that this adds a step to your application process. “[AMCAS] does not accept foreign transcripts (or translated/evaluated transcripts) or verify foreign coursework unless they were accepted by an accredited U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution,” notes the AAMC. “If these courses were not accepted by an accredited U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution, then you are still welcome to add these courses with the understanding that these courses will not be verified, and an AMCAS grade point average (GPA) will not be calculated. However, individual medical schools may ask you for your transcriptthrough their secondary application.”
Other services will translate your GPA and course-by-coursework. You can send their transcript assessment to a school directly after your AMCAS application has been verified. You can use World Education Services, Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., or Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
Interested in more useful application tips? Check out our med school application tutorials (including the interview and post application process) here or get in touch here.
Will my international credits count at a U.S. medical school? Maybe. Most schools use the American Medical School Application Service (AMCAS) application. The bad news is that this adds a step to your application process. “[AMCAS] does not accept foreign transcripts (or translated/evaluated transcripts) or verify foreign coursework unless they were accepted by an accredited U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution,” notes the AAMC. “If these courses were not accepted by an accredited U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution, then you are still welcome to add these courses with the understanding that these courses will not be verified, and an AMCAS grade point average (GPA) will not be calculated. However, individual medical schools may ask you for your transcriptthrough their secondary application.”
Other services will translate your GPA and course-by-coursework. You can send their transcript assessment to a school directly after your AMCAS application has been verified. You can use World Education Services, Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., or Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
Interested in more useful application tips? Check out our med school application tutorials (including the interview and post application process) here or get in touch here.
