Underrepresented Applicants
There is a critical need for underrepresented doctors in the United States. Many medical schools are looking specifically for individuals who are committed to serving communities with high underrepresented populations. Accordingly, special consideration may be given to such students when their applications are reviewed. Less emphasis may be placed on GPA and MCAT scores and more on life experiences, the personal essay, and the interview. If you belong to an underrepresented group, have a respectable academic record, and are committed to serving underrepresented communities, then your chances of being accepted to medical school are very good.
There are also several summer programs intended to provide educational and training opportunities for students from groups that are underrepresented in US medicine, including Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians. One such program is the Summer Health Professions Education Program, SHPEP. Each SHPEP site offers a unique program: some designed for students who have finished their first or sophomore years, some for upperclassmen, and some for those who have graduated from college. You can only attend one of these programs, so be sure to closely evaluate what they have to offer and what you need to strengthen your credentials. For example, only some of the sites offer help in preparing for the MCAT.
Summer programs are also offered by individual medical schools and new programs are being developed.
International Applicants
International students face two major obstacles to pursuing an MD degree at a US medical school: limited number of available slots and scarcity of funding. Many medical schools do not accept any international applicants (i.e., not a US citizen or permanent resident); other schools may accept only a few. A table compiled by AAMC titled, “Applicants to US Medical Schools by In- or Out-of-State Matriculation Status, 2020-2021,” notes that of 1,264 foreign applicants in 2020-2021, only 131 matriculated. You should refer to individual schools’ websites or see Dr. Larochelle for more information. International students should consult the individual medical school entries in “Medical School Admission Requirements” to determine whether applications are accepted from international applicants.
Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva U.
California U. of Science and Medicine
Carle Illinois College of Medicine
Central Michigan U. College of Medicine
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin U. of Medicine and Science
City University of New York School of Medicine
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Drexel U. College of Medicine
East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine
East Tennessee State U. James H. Quillen College of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Florida Atlantic U. Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Florida International U. Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Florida State U. College of Medicine
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall U.
Indiana U. School of Medicine
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the U. at Buffalo
Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple U.
Louisiana State U. School of Medicine in New Orleans
Louisiana State U. School of Medicine in Shreveport
Loyola U. Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Marshall U. Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta U.
Medical U. of South Carolina College of Medicine
Meharry Medical College School of Medicine
Mercer U. School of Medicine
Michigan State U. College of Human Medicine
New York Medical College
New York U. Long Island School of Medicine
Northeast Ohio Medical U.
Nova Southeastern U. Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Oakland U. William Beaumont School of Medicine
Ohio State U. College of Medicine
Pennsylvania State College of Medicine
Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine
Quinnipiac University School of Medicine
Rush Medical College of Rush U. Medical Center
Southern Illinois U. School of Medicine
SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine
Texas Tech U. Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
Texas Tech U. Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
Uniformed Services U. of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine
University of Alabama School of Medicine
University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix
University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine
University of California, Irvine School of Medicine
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
University of Florida College of Medicine
University of Houston College of Medicine
University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
University of Kansas School of Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
University of Minnesota Medical School
University of Mississippi School of Medicine
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine
University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
University of South Carolina School of Medicine
University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville
University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine
University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine
University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Medicine
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Southwestern Medical School
University of Vermont College of Medicine
University of Washington (Seattle) School of Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Washington State U. Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Western Michigan U. Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Wright State U. Boonshoft School of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine (MD/PhD applicants only)
California Northstate U. College of Medicine
Creighton U. School of Medicine
George Washington U. School of Medicine and Health Sciences MD Program for International Students
Loma Linda U. School of Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
New York U. School of Medicine
Oregon Health & Science U. School of Medicine
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
San Juan Bautista School of Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
University of Louisville School of Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Nebraska College of Medicine
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (scroll down to “International Students”)
Virginia Commonwealth U. School of Medicine
West Virginia U. School of Medicine
Boston U. School of Medicine (also see second sentence of first paragraph under “Requirements“)
Case Western Reserve U. School of Medicine (scroll down to “International Frequently Asked Questions”)
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
Columbia U. Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (see second paragraph under “Academics” beginning “We rarely admit…”)
Duke U. School of Medicine (see “Can international students apply?” and “Are international students eligible for financial aid?”)
Emory U. School of Medicine
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Howard U. College of Medicine (scroll down to “HUCM Basics”; see line 4 “International students accepted on a limited basis”); Financing options (scroll down to “Financial Aid for International Students”)
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (scroll down to “As an international student can I apply to the MD program?”); Financial aid
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Keck School of Medicine of the U. of Southern California
Morehouse School of Medicine (scroll down to “Evaluation of Foreign Studies”)
Northwestern U. Feinberg School of Medicine (see questions pertaining to international students)
Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the U. of Pennsylvania (scroll down to “Does Perelman accept international students?”)
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Saint Louis U. School of Medicine
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson U. (scroll down to “International Students” section)
Stanford U. School of Medicine (scroll down to “Non-U.S. Citizens” section)
Stony Brook U. School of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical U. College of Medicine
TCU (Texas Christian University) and UNTHSC (University of North Texas Health Science Center) School of Medicine
The University of Toledo College of Medicine
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (see second paragraph under “Eligibility”)
Tufts U. School of Medicine
Tulane U. School of Medicine
University of California, Davis School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (scroll down to “Application Process FAQs” and click on “Eligibility”)
University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences, The Pritzker School of Medicine (click on “International Students/Out-of-State Residents”)
University of Colorado School of Medicine
University of Connecticut School of Medicine (click on “Does the school accept foreign students?”)
University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine (click on “International Applicants” heading)
University of Illinois College of Medicine
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine (scroll down to “International Applicants and Degrees” section)
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (scroll down to “International Students” section)
University of South Alabama College of Medicine
University of Utah School of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine (scroll down to “General Requirements” and select “General Requirements for International Students”)
Vanderbilt U. School of Medicine
Washington U. in St. Louis School of Medicine (scroll down to “International Students” section); Office of Student Financial Planning
Wayne State U. School of Medicine (scroll down to “International Coursework” under “Additional Requirements”)
Weill Cornell Medical College (scroll down to “Residency and Citizenship” section)
Yale School of Medicine
Most federally funded scholarship and loan programs are available only to US 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 US 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.