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Requirements for American Medical Schools that Accept International Students

Many international students wonder exactly how challenging it is to apply to US medical schools. Though not impossible, it is incredibly difficult for international students to gain admission and attend medical school in the United States. If you’re an international student hoping to get your medical license in this country, you should look carefully at which schools fall on the list of American medical schools that accept international students to begin with. 

To guide you through this challenging journey, we’ve outlined the American medical schools that accept international students, different policies on international admission for some of these programs, and why it’s so difficult for international students to gain acceptance at US-based medical schools in the first place. 

Why Don’t Most Medical Schools Accept International Students?

Not all of the 141 accredited medical schools accept international students. Only about 35% of US medical schools accept international applications at all, so your chances have already decreased. Why is this the case?

Many schools will not even accept an application from a student who is not a US citizen or permanent resident. Students need a work visa for their residency, but a work visa is very difficult to obtain. The student has to get a residency placement first, the place of residency has to sponsor the student, and the student then enters a visa lottery, where the typical entrant has only a 38% of winning and getting the visa. Medical schools don’t want their graduates to have issues with visas and don’t want to take on that hassle. So they don’t leave that option for themselves in the first place. 

Since international students aren’t guaranteed work visas for residency, they’re likely to go back home after their first four years. Many American medical schools - especially public schools - want students who will stay in the states and practice. Overall, medical schools want to reduce the attrition rate as well as increase the percentage of students who receive a residency match.

American medical schools that accept international students

Out of the 141 accredited medical schools, only 49 are American medical schools that accept international students. Look at the list below:

• Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
• Alpert Medical School at Brown University
• Boston University School of Medicine
• Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
• Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
• Creighton University School of Medicine
• Duke University School of Medicine
• Emory University School of Medicine
• Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
• Georgetown University School of Medicine
• George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Harvard Medical School
• Howard University College of Medicine
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
• Loma Linda University School of Medicine
• Mayo Medical School
• Medical College of Wisconsin
• Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
• New York Medical College
• Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
• Oakland University School of Medicine
• Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
• Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• Rutgers Johnson Medical School
• Stanford University School of Medicine
• State University of New York Upstate Medical University
• Stony Brook University School of Medicine
• Tulane University School of Medicine
• University of California Davis School of Medicine
• University of California Los Angeles Geffen School of Medicine
• University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
• University of Connecticut School of Medicine
• University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
• University of Kentucky College of Medicine
• University of Maryland School of Medicine
• University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
• University of Utah School of Medicine
• University of Virginia School of Medicine
• Vanderbilt School of Medicine
• Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
• Wayne State University School of Medicine
• Weill Cornell Medical College
• West Virginia University School of Medicine
• Yale School of Medicine

You might have noticed that many of the schools on the list are top schools - Ivy League universities, the likes of top institutions such as Johns Hopkins, UChicago, and Stanford, and schools known for prestigious medical programs such as Mayo and Mount Sinai. These schools tend to have more successful residency placements in the national match and can afford to take a risk by accepting international students whom they might need to sponsor. 

Policies at Top Schools

The requirements for international student admission at all of these schools are not the same. Take a look at the admissions and financial aid policies from the American medical schools that accept international students that are in the Top 30.

The requirements for students who aren't US citizens or permanent residents are extremely restricted at American medical schools that accept international students. 99% of the time, schools expect you to have some level of coursework completed in the United States or Canada to keep up with the high standards of a medical education. These schools require you to convert your GPA into a 4.0 scale for fair comparison with other students. If you are currently at an undergraduate institution outside of the US, UK, or Canada, you will have to complete significant additional coursework (30 credit hours) in the US to qualify for admission.

Many schools require proof that you can afford to pay the full cost of medical school. Financial criteria are in place to ensure that international students will be able to complete their medical education in the US.

Analyzing the Difficulties for International Students 

It goes without saying that the process is far from easy when it comes to American medical schools that accept international students. The already cutthroat med school application process is an even further uphill battle for international students for the following reasons:

US Medical schools are incredibly competitive - even more so for international students.

According to the AAMC website, the average GPA of students entering medical school was a 3.72 and the average MCAT scores was 511 in 2018-19. Additionally, DO schools are becoming increasingly competitive, with an average admission GPA of 3.54 and average MCAT score of 503.8. While the AMCAS doesn’t specifically release data on scores of accepted international students, you don’t have to be a detective to guess that you need an incredibly strong profile for American medical schools that accept international students. 

As an international student, you are competing for limited seats at 49 schools. You must be a VERY competitive candidate with an extremely unique story to compete for these limited number of seats. According to the AAMC, in 2018, there were 52,777 applicants to U.S. medical schools. Only 1195 (2.26%) were not U.S. residents or citizens (foreign students) and only 97 (8%) of those students were accepted and enrolled, compared to a rate of 40.9% for US students. This is a significant decrease even from 5 years ago, when 3% of applicants were non-US citizens, and 13% of applying international students were accepted.

The already intense medical school admissions process becomes all the more competitive for international students with each passing year. This is why international students need to bring the highest numbers to the application table, along with a strong personal statement and activities list.

As an international citizen you will likely not qualify for financial aid.

International students do not qualify for aid at many of the American medical schools that accept international students, including federal student aid, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and Direct PLUS loans. Under some conditions you may be able to obtain need-based or merit-based scholarships, but those opportunities are few and far between, and are more likely if you are pursuing an MD/PhD. As you saw in the table, there are schools that require you to have one year or even the full four years of tuition in escrow at the time of enrollment. With the average cost of medical school for 4 years ranging between $165,000-240,000, this is a huge financial investment right up front.

International applicants should also take into account their long term goals after medical school. Although international applicants who train at an American Medical Association accredited medical school may be able to secure a postgraduate training spot in the US without US citizenship, it may be more difficult to become licensed and practice medicine in the US after your residency depending on your visa status.

For further learning and noteworthy information more specific to your case, check out the AAMC’s Medical School International Admission Requirements. If you have additional questions, you can reach out to the schools directly about questions specific to your application. If you’re absolutely set on applying to American schools that accept international students, start looking at undergraduate coursework and prerequisite options. Prepare to work extra hard and build an application that can compete with strong applicants not just from the US, but around the world. Yes, you have your work cut out for you. But, if you’re determined and have strong components, it’s not impossible. Good luck!