Most US Medical Schools have clearly stated policies about accepting International Medical Graduates. The key is that these policies are very specific. The decision is based on the number of applicants, and the need for students in that specialty area. If you want to go to medical school in the US, your first step should be finding out if that school accepts international medical grads and how they are ranked in the medical school of your choice.

Medical Schools That Accept International Transfer Student

If you are an international student, who wants to study in the United States, you may have a hard time finding out which medical schools that accept international students. The fact is, there are many medical schools in different regions in the US, and each school has its own admission requirements.

Can you get into medical schools in the US as an international student?

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), of the 1,890 foreign candidates who applied to MD programs in the U.S. in 2019, just 325 were admitted. That translates to 17.2 percent, less than half the admissions rate for all students.

But that doesn’t mean admission is impossible. While fewer than 50 medical schools in the U.S. accept international students, you still have some options, including many of the most prestigious institutions in the country and world.

List of Medical Schools that Accept International Students

According to the AAMC, the U.S. medical schools listed below accept international students (NB: a longer list of schools also accept Canadian students).

international student medical school acceptance rate

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.

List Of Medical Schools That Accept International Students In Canada

Best Medical Schools in Canada

1. University of Toronto
   Medical Program Page
   With its extensive medical education and cutting-edge research, The University of Toronto has been recognized as the top university in Canada by almost every ranking platform. The institution also belongs to the top 20 medical schools in the world. Its medical education is evidence-based and student-centered, which allows students to be extremely knowledgeable.

And with the training conducted on world-renowned hospitals, it is no wonder that their student success rate is high. The best thing about it is despite being the best medical school in Canada, the University of Toronto is one of the few medical schools in the country that is open to international students.

2. McGill University
   Medical Program Page
   McGill University is the oldest medical faculty in Canada, established in 1829. As one of the present leading medical research universities, the school values innovation; and practice putting the patient at heart, Science in hand, which translates into their medical education as transforming students to become highly skilled empathic physicians. The university also accepts international students but of a small proportion.
3. McMaster University
   Medical Program Page
   Unlike the previous two medical universities, the medical education at McMaster University only lasts for three years with 11-months per school year. But like the first two, it requires completion of a four-year undergraduate program for international applicants and Canadian students, at least three years of post-secondary studies. Aside from the excellent medical education, this top medical school in Canada also claims to provide one of the best clinical clerkship experiences in partnership with Hamilton Health Sciences faculties and Hamilton Hospitals.
4. University of Montréal
   Medical Program Page
   The University of Montréal, one of the best medical schools in Canada, is a French-speaking schools in Quebec with 175 years of service. The school also has one of the largest admission of students in medicine and produces a third of the medical personnel in Quebec. It is recognized globally for its outstanding education, research, and contribution to health care improvement.

Their medical program duration is 4-5 years consisting of a preparatory year for those who did not meet the minimum units required from previous undergraduate programs; a two-year pre-clerkship, and the last two-years for clinical internships. If you want to study at the University of Montréal, learn French and pass the proficiency language exam, as their only language of instruction is French.

5. University of Calgary
   Medical Program Page
   Like most medical schools in Canada, The University of Calgary gives priority to Canadian citizens or permanent residents, especially to students in the same province, in this case, in Alberta. The University of Calgary generally does not accept individual applications of international students.

The only international students they admit are those from institutions or countries with formal and contractual agreements with their Cumming School of Medicine. The completion of their medicine program only takes three-years. It is patient-centered and presentation-based learning that the students can already work with patients in their first year.

6. Queen’s University
   Medical Program Page
   Unlike the previous schools, Queen University has a relatively high percentage of international students, with 11.9% in the undergraduate and 27.4% in the graduate population. The Queen’s University School of Medicine accepts up to five international students per year. They offer a four-year medical program with an emphasis on hands-on clinical engagement. This top medical school in Canada also provides post-graduate medical education or residency program, a pre-requisite to practice in Canada.
7. Dalhousie University
   Medical Program Page
   Dalhousie University also offers a four-year program for medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS). The program has three phases: Med 1, Med 2, and a Clerkship (Med 3 and 4). Med 1 and 2 focuses on basic sciences like Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, and more. It also includes a discussion of the different philosophical, ethical, and practical views in health care.

Between the succeeding sections, from Med 2 to 3, 3 to 4, and 4 into the residence, there will be four discussions incorporating the Introduction to Clerkship and Critical Review and Mastery (CRAM). Research in Medicine program will also be introduced during the first year in Med 1 and resumed at the last year in Med 4 as part of the requirement to graduate. After graduation, the students can also opt to take their post-graduate training at Dalhousie University concerning family medicine.

8. Laval University
   Medical Program Page
   The three medical universities in Quebec, the University of Montréal, University of Sherbrooke, and Laval University, are all French-speaking institutions. The medical program Laval University offers usually lasts for four years. They do not have a preparatory-year as such in the University of Montréal, but if the student did not pass the French Proficiency test, he/she must have to take one or more French courses before admission. The program also has two consecutive and complementary stages. After at least two years of fundamental medical education, the students can then take pre-externship courses and proceed to the clinical internship for the remaining two years.
9. University of Sherbrooke
   Medical Program Page
   Next on our list of best medical schools in Canada is the University of Sherbrooke, whose medical program also takes place for four years. The first and a half years involves pre-clinical training and the remaining one and a half years to clinical training, done on-campus or international-partnership facilities. The program is competency-based with an emphasis on clinical practice and collaboration. The University of Sherbrooke is also the first Canadian francophone medical university recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) for its excellent health education.
10. Memorial University of Newfoundland
    Medical Program Page
    The Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty of Medicine is at the heart of many health facilities and hospitals such as H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre, Janeway Children Hospital, Medical Education Centre, and a Health Sciences Centre. That said, medical education in the university is highly conducive to medical research and training. Memorial University only accepts five international students per year despite being one of the largest medical schools in Canada.

list of medical schools that accept transfer students europe

The following universities rank according to a comprehensive rating system that considers educational, financial, cultural, and transfer factors. Here are the best medical schools that accept international transfer students:

European University in Tbilisi – Georgia
Sofia Medical University – Bulgaria
Trakia University – Bulgaria
Pavol Jozef Šafárik University – Slovakia
University of Silesia – Poland
Near East University – Cyprus
Humanitas Medical University of Milan – Italy
University Of Sofia St Kliment Ohridski – Bulgaria
Titu Maiorescu University – Romania
University Targu Mures Medical Campus Hamburg – Germany
University of Debrecen – Hungary
Riga Stradins University – Latvia
Acibadem University – Turkey
University of Nis – Serbia
Medical University of Bialystok – Poland
Semmelweis Medical University of Budapest – Hungary
Poznan University of Medical Studies – Poland
Medical University of Lublin – Poland
European University Cyprus – Cyprus
University Of Warmia And Mazury In Olsztyn – Poland
Wroclaw Medical University – Poland
Charles University Third Faculty Of Medicine – Czech Republic
Vilnius University – Lithuania
University Of Medicine & Pharmacy Craiova – Romania
Szeged University – Hungary