What steps do I need to take to apply to allopathic medical school in the U.S.? You can search which programs accept international students on AAMC’s Medical School Admission Requirements database.
If you’re an undergraduate at a U.S. school or a recent graduate, contact your on-campus pre-health advisor as early on in your college career as possible. You might already know who that is; they’ll help you with your application process. If you don’t know of a pre-health advisor on your campus, you can search for one using the National Association of Advisors for Health Professions (NAAHP) database. If your school doesn’t have a pre-health advisor, doesn’t work with alumni and you’ve graduated, or you did not attend an undergraduate program in the U.S., theNAAHP may help you nd a volunteer advisor.
Then contact each school you’re interested in directly and ask them what the best process is to make sure you’re a viable candidate for their school. Yes, that’s time-consuming, but because U.S. medical schools have different ways of handling international applicants—and because they accept so few of them—it’s a good idea to make sure your application is as perfect-for-them as possible. Reaching out is also a terrific opportunity to build a rapport with someone in an admissions office.
Will I qualify for federal loans? Medical school tends to be more expensive for international students because they often don’t qualify for federal loans. If you need money for school, you’ll likely have to take out a private loan.
According to the Federal Student Aid office, a non-citizen is eligible for federal aid if they’re a U.S. national, permanent resident, or have an Arrival-Departure Record (I94) from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office that lists their status as a “refugee,” “asylum granted,” and a handful of other designations. You can find out what those designations are by visiting the eligibility requirements page on their website. That page shares some more requirements for qualification as well.
Are there osteopathic programs that accept international students? Yes. For a complete list of which ones do, check out AACOM’s DO Explorer.
Are there Caribbean MD programs that accept international students? Yes. All of the “Big Four” accept international students, but each in their own way.
AUC says it accepts applicants from “around the world.” See their International Medical School Applications Page for specific instructions on applying from Canada and the U.K., and access the international admissions team’s contact info if you’re applying from elsewhere.
RUSM asks that international candidates not from the U.S. or Canada contact their admissions team for further instruction on applying. They say that such international applicants “…will be evaluated on their merits but a completed pre-medical curriculum comparable to that completed by U.S. and Canadian students is one of the med school prerequisites for admission.”
Saba is the top offshore school for Canadian medical students. It accepts “a large number of Canadian applicants, ”but the application process is different from that of U.S. applicants. Find out more on their Canadian Applicants page.
St. George’s University is open to applicants outside of the U.S. and offers International Peace Bursary awards (grants that do not have to be repaid) to offset costs for international students in financial need. St. George’s accepts Canadians, as well as applicants from African, East Asian, Middle Eastern, and South Asian countries, among others. As of March 2021, 520 SGU graduates were from Africa, 262 from East Asia, 284 from the Middle East and North Africa, and 559 from South Asia.
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.
If you’re an undergraduate at a U.S. school or a recent graduate, contact your on-campus pre-health advisor as early on in your college career as possible. You might already know who that is; they’ll help you with your application process. If you don’t know of a pre-health advisor on your campus, you can search for one using the National Association of Advisors for Health Professions (NAAHP) database. If your school doesn’t have a pre-health advisor, doesn’t work with alumni and you’ve graduated, or you did not attend an undergraduate program in the U.S., theNAAHP may help you nd a volunteer advisor.
Then contact each school you’re interested in directly and ask them what the best process is to make sure you’re a viable candidate for their school. Yes, that’s time-consuming, but because U.S. medical schools have different ways of handling international applicants—and because they accept so few of them—it’s a good idea to make sure your application is as perfect-for-them as possible. Reaching out is also a terrific opportunity to build a rapport with someone in an admissions office.
Will I qualify for federal loans? Medical school tends to be more expensive for international students because they often don’t qualify for federal loans. If you need money for school, you’ll likely have to take out a private loan.
According to the Federal Student Aid office, a non-citizen is eligible for federal aid if they’re a U.S. national, permanent resident, or have an Arrival-Departure Record (I94) from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office that lists their status as a “refugee,” “asylum granted,” and a handful of other designations. You can find out what those designations are by visiting the eligibility requirements page on their website. That page shares some more requirements for qualification as well.
Are there osteopathic programs that accept international students? Yes. For a complete list of which ones do, check out AACOM’s DO Explorer.
Are there Caribbean MD programs that accept international students? Yes. All of the “Big Four” accept international students, but each in their own way.
AUC says it accepts applicants from “around the world.” See their International Medical School Applications Page for specific instructions on applying from Canada and the U.K., and access the international admissions team’s contact info if you’re applying from elsewhere.
RUSM asks that international candidates not from the U.S. or Canada contact their admissions team for further instruction on applying. They say that such international applicants “…will be evaluated on their merits but a completed pre-medical curriculum comparable to that completed by U.S. and Canadian students is one of the med school prerequisites for admission.”
Saba is the top offshore school for Canadian medical students. It accepts “a large number of Canadian applicants, ”but the application process is different from that of U.S. applicants. Find out more on their Canadian Applicants page.
St. George’s University is open to applicants outside of the U.S. and offers International Peace Bursary awards (grants that do not have to be repaid) to offset costs for international students in financial need. St. George’s accepts Canadians, as well as applicants from African, East Asian, Middle Eastern, and South Asian countries, among others. As of March 2021, 520 SGU graduates were from Africa, 262 from East Asia, 284 from the Middle East and North Africa, and 559 from South Asia.
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.
