International Applicants
International students face two major obstacles to pursuing an MD degree at a U.S. medical school: limited number of available slots and scarcity of funding. Many medical schools do not accept any international applicants (i.e., not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident); other schools may accept only a few. A table compiled by AAMC entitled, "Applicants to U.S. Medical Schools by In- or Out-of-State Matriculation Status, 2008," notes that of 1,364 foreign applicants in 2008, only 160 matriculated. You should refer to individual schools' websites or see Dr. Thurlow for more information. International students should consult the individual medical school entries in "Medical School Admission Requirements" (published by AAMC) to determine whether applications are accepted from international applicants. (A copy of MSAR is on reserve in the Science Library and may also be purchased from AAMC, Amazon, or ordered at a local bookstore.)
The schools listed below do not accept applications from international applicants:
U. of Alabama School of Medicine
U. of Arizona College of Medicine
U. of Arkansas College of Medicine
U. of California, Irvine School of Medicine
U. of California, San Diego School of Medicine
Florida State U. College of Medicine
U. of Central Florida College of Medicine
U. of Florida College of Medicine
U. of Miami Miller School of Medicine
U. of South Florida College of Medicine
Mercer U. School of Medicine
Morehouse School of Medicine
Loyola U. Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Rush Medical College of Rush U.
Southern Illinois U. School of Medicine
U. of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
U. of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
U. of Kansas School of Medicine
Louisiana State U. School of Medicine in New Orleans
Louisiana State U. Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in Shreveport
Uniformed Services U. of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine
U. of Massachusetts Medical School
U. of Michigan Medical School
U. of Mississippi School of Medicine
U. of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine
U. of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
U. of Nebraska College of Medicine
U. of Nevada School of Medicine
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson
U. of New Mexico School of Medicine
SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine
Stony Brook U. School of Medicine
U. of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina U.
U. of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences
U. of Toledo College of Medicine
Northeastern Ohio U. College of Medicine
The Ohio State U. College of Medicine
U. of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Wright State U. School of Medicine
U. of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Oregon Health & Science U. School of Medicine
Drexel U. College of Medicine
Temple U. School of Medicine
U. of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
U. of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
Medical U. of South Carolina College of Medicine
U. of South Carolina School of Medicine
U. of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine
Texas Tech U. Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech U. Health Sciences Center at El Paso
U. of Vermont College of Medicine
U. of Washington School of Medicine
Marshall U. Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
West Virginia U. School of Medicine
U. of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
The schools listed below accept applications from Canadian international applicants:
Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine
U. of Maryland School of Medicine
Michigan State U. College of Human Medicine
Wayne State U. School of Medicine
New York U. School of Medicine
U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Wake Forest U. School of Medicine
The Commonwealth Medical College
East Tennessee State U. James H. Quillen College of Medicine
Meharry Medical College School of Medicine
U. of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio
Virginia Commonwealth U. School of Medicine
Sanford School of Medicine of the U. of South Dakota accepts applications from international applicants who are South Dakota residents.
Medical School Links for International Students:
U. of South Alabama College of Medicine
Keck School of Medicine of the U. of Southern California (scroll down to "Foreign Students")
Loma Linda U. School of Medicine
Stanford U. School of Medicine
U. of California, Davis School of Medicine
U. of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (scroll down to "Foreign Applicants" under "Admissions Information")
U. of California, San Francisco School of Medicine (scroll down to "I'm not a U.S. citizen...")
U. of Colorado School of Medicine
U. of Connecticut School of Medicine
Yale U. School of Medicine
George Washington U. School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Howard U. College of Medicine
Emory U. School of Medicine
Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin U. School of Medicine and Science Chicago Medical School
Northwestern U. Feinberg School of Medicine (scroll down to "International Students Policy")
U. of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences, The Pritzker School of Medicine
Indiana U. School of Medicine (scroll down to "International Applicants")
U. of Kentucky College of Medicine (scroll down to "Transfer and International Students")
U. of Louisville School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
U. of Maryland School of Medicine
Boston U. School of Medicine (see first paragraph)
Harvard Medical School (scroll down to "International Students")
Tufts U. School of Medicine (scroll down to "I'm an international student.")
Wayne State U. School of Medicine
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Mayo Medical School
U. of Minnesota Medical School-Twin Cities
Saint Louis U. School of Medicine (scroll down to sixth paragraph beginning "Admission is possible...")
Washington U. in St. Louis School of Medicine
Creighton U. School of Medicine
Albany Medical College (see second paragraph under "Admissions")
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva U.
Columbia U. College of Physicians and Surgeons (see fifth and sixth paragraphs beginning "It is rare for individuals..." under "Entrance Requirements")
Weill Medical College of Cornell U. (scroll down to "Do you consider foreign students...")
New York Medical College (scroll down to "International Students")
SUNY Upstate Medical U. College of Medicine
U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine (scroll down to question 6 "If I am not a citizen of the United States...")
Wake Forest U. School of Medicine (see paragraph under heading "International Applicants")
Case Western Reserve U. School of Medicine
Jefferson Medical College
Pennsylvania State U. College of Medicine
U. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (scroll down to "International Students")
Ponce School of Medicine
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (scroll down to "Does Brown accept international students?")
Eastern Tennessee State U. James H. Quillen College of Medicine (scroll down to "Does Quillen accept Canadian and/or foreign students?"
Vanderbilt U. School of Medicine
Texas A&M U. System Health Science Center College of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School
U.of Virginia School of Medicine (scroll down to "International Students")
Most federally funded scholarship and loan programs are available only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Accordingly, international students must often assume the full financial burden of applying to and attending medical school. This can be done using personal resources or securing non-federally funded loans. An additional hurdle at some schools is a requirement to put from one to four years of costs (tuition, fees, and living expenses) in escrow before matriculation.
There are schools that have privately-funded programs for which international students may be eligible. There are also private loan services to which international students may apply. In many cases, you will need a U.S. citizen to co-sign your loan application (i.e., someone willing to pay back the loan if you are not able to).
Research-oriented international applicants may also want to explore joint MD/PhD programs in which the student might be supported by his or her research mentor's grant.
Financial Resources and Information Links for International Students:
Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme
American Association of University Women International Fellowships
Canadian Higher Education Loan Program (CanHELP)
Education USA Financial Assistance Guide (for international students)
Education USA Financial Assistance Links
EStreetLoans Federal Graduate PLUS Loans (for eligible non-U.S. citizens)
Federal Stafford Loans for International Students
Foundation Center Reference Guide for International Students
Funding for US Study Online
Getting Accepted to a U.S. Medical School
Global Student Loan Corporation
Guide to State Residency
How to Apply for an International Student Loan
Information for Non-U.S. Citizens Interested in a Career as a Physician
International Applicants
International Education Finance Corporation (IEFC) International Student Loan Program (ISLP)
International Education Financial Aid (IEFA)
International Education Loan Inc.
International Federation of Medical Students' Associations
International Financial Aid Blog
International Financial Aid Resources and Information
International Scholarships
International Student Information
International Student Loan Center
International Student Loan Links
International Student Loans
International Student Loans: A Lifeline for Foreign Students
International Students and Medical Education: Options and Obstacles
International Students Applying to U.S. Medical Schools
International Students Planning to Study Medicine in the U.S.
Leo S. Rowe Pan American Fund (Student Loan Program)
Loans for International Students
Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) Educational Grant Program
Medical School Admission Policies Towards Non-U.S. Citizens
Medical Scientist Training Programs (MSTP)
My Student Loans Web Loans for International Students
NellieMae Student Loan Program
Private Loans for International Students (article in US Journal of Academics)
Rochester Institute of Technology List of Co-op/Internship Opportunities That May Not Require US Citizenship or PR Status
SallieMae Loans for International Students Studying in the United States
The Education Resources Institute (TERI)
