Last Updated on October 1, 2026
Quick answer: Few US medical schools accept international students: in 2025, 43 schools told the AAMC they accept international applicants. [1] Medical schools that accept international students often require coursework at a US or Canadian college, proof of funding for all four years, and solid English skills. Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and Yale are among them.
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 remarkably 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 help you plan, 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. [1]
Why Don’t Most Medical Schools Accept International Students?
Most US medical schools do not accept international students. In 2025, only 43 schools indicated on the AAMC’s Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) website that they accept applications from international applicants. [1] 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 secure a residency position first, and the residency program then has to be willing to sponsor the student’s 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
The list below includes American medical schools that have accepted international students. Policies change often, so confirm each school’s current policy on its website or in the MSAR before you apply.
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
- Alpert Medical School at Brown University
- Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
- Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
- Columbia University Vagelos 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 Clinic Alix School of Medicine
- 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 Robert Wood 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 policies for international students at several top American medical schools. Confirm each one on the school’s website before you apply, since policies change.
| School | Policy for International Applicants (as posted, September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Harvard | Applicants educated outside the U.S. or Canada need at least one year of college or university study in the U.S. or Canada; applicants without a U.S. or Canadian degree are rarely admitted; fluent English is expected. |
| Johns Hopkins | Study abroad must be supplemented by a year or more at an accredited U.S. university (not required for Canadian bachelor’s degrees); TOEFL required if undergraduate instruction was mainly in a language other than English. |
| Stanford | Holders of international degrees must complete at least one academic year of in-person study at an accredited college or university in the U.S., Canada, or the U.K. before applying; degree equivalency may need WES confirmation. |
| UPenn (Perelman) | Same admissions standards for all applicants; those with a bachelor’s degree from outside the U.S. or Canada must complete a full-time year of AMCAS-classified science and math coursework before applying. |
| Columbia (Vagelos) | Requires premedical training at a U.S. or Canadian institution; applicants from universities outside the U.S. and Canada are rarely admitted. |
| WashU St. Louis | At least 90 semester hours (or equivalent) from a U.S.-accredited institution, a Universities Canada member, or an American college overseas. |
| Cornell (Weill) | Equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree plus chemistry, physics, biology and English prerequisites; applicants without a U.S.-equivalent degree are encouraged to complete at least one full-time year at an American college. |
| Duke | Undergraduate degree from an accredited American college or university; applicants with a foreign degree need at least two years (minimum 48 credit hours) at an American-accredited institution. |
| Yale | Applicants educated outside the U.S. are eligible, but required courses must be completed at an accredited U.S., U.K., or Canadian college or university. |
| UChicago (Pritzker) | Applicants with a bachelor’s degree from outside the U.S. or Canada must complete at least one year of full-time coursework, mainly in the sciences, at a U.S. or Canadian institution; courses from other English-speaking countries may be considered. |
| Vanderbilt | International students are eligible to apply and may need to submit additional documentation. |
| Icahn Mount Sinai | Some U.S. coursework (post-baccalaureate or graduate) is highly recommended; applicants with a foreign degree must submit a course-by-course evaluation from a NACES member organization. |
| Northwestern (Feinberg) | All applicants need the MCAT and 90 semester hours (135 quarter hours) of coursework from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university. |
| Case Western | University Program: applicants with a degree from outside the U.S. or Canada need one or two years of science coursework at an accredited four-year U.S. or Canadian college. Lerner College: one degree from a U.S. or Canadian school plus one to two years of residence in the U.S. or Canada. |
| Emory | Applicants with a degree from outside the U.S. and Canada must complete all 32 semester hours of required science coursework at an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution. |
| Boston University | A degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution, or at least two years of accredited U.S. or Canadian advanced education including all prerequisites. |
The requirements for students who aren’t US citizens or permanent residents are extremely restricted at American medical schools that accept international students. Most 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 Remarkably Competitive – Even More So for International Students.
According to the AAMC website, students entering US MD programs in 2025 had a mean GPA of 3.81 and a mean MCAT score of 512.1. [2] Both averages rose from the year before. 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 a remarkably solid profile for American medical schools that accept international students.
As an international student, you are competing for limited seats at a few dozen 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, 3,404 foreign applicants applied to US MD programs in 2025. [1] Only 845 of them received an acceptance, and 755 enrolled. Those numbers show how few seats are open to international applicants each year.
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 solid personal statement and activities list.
Plan Early for Funding and Visa Requirements
International students on student visas are not eligible for federal student aid. [3] Some schools make limited exceptions, so check each school’s policy directly. Some schools also require proof that you can fund all four years of medical school, or ask you to hold the full amount in an escrow account. [1] Plan for this requirement early, since it affects which schools are realistic for you.
International applicants should also take into account their long term goals after medical school. Although international applicants who train at an LCME-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.
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, including post-bacc classes for medical school if you studied outside the US or Canada. Prepare to work extra hard and build an application that can compete with solid 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 solid components, it’s not impossible. Good luck!
Give Your Application the Best Possible Chance
If you are aiming for one of the few U.S. medical schools that admit international applicants, every part of your application must be outstanding. Start with our step-by-step guide to the AMCAS application, and read how to succeed as an international medical student once you are admitted.
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