<p>Greetings. As you can see I'm an international student from Asia. In my country, admission into medical schools is greatly different from that in the USA. I have been seeking information by browsing some websites but I am still utterly baffled :/ So can anyone explain and clear up a few myths for me?</p>
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<li>Rumor has it that financial aid for medical students is limited; thus international students DO NOT get any financial aid or receive very little money.</li>
<li>How can I major in Medicine? Does it take any qualification? It is not compulsory for me to choose a field to major in during my first year right? So during my second year, if I opt for Medicine and finish the rest 3 years, then I'll have to apply for Medical School, won't I? What if I am not admitted? Does that mean I won't be able to practice medicine?</li>
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<p>There is no such thing as “majoring in medicine” in the US. You must take premed requirements and then apply for med school, but there is no “premed” major per se. You can major in something like a science (biology, chemistry, etc) or any other subject as long as you take the requisite premed courses. Many students major in something other than a science. There are some schools that offer guaranteed admission to medical school, and you can apply to the BA/MD programs, but I do not know if there is any intenational funding or not.</p>
<p>Very few US schools accept internationals into their medical schools. Keep that in mind.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply ^^ I’ve known about the whole pre medical thing before but now I’ve finally understood =) It’s really different from my country’s though. </p>
<p>Anw, thanks. If there’s any further information, please reply to this thread.</p>
<p>From what I understand, the major obstacle international students face in gaining admission to medical school are finances. Almost all financial aid for medical students comes in the form of loans. It’s not rare for American students to finish medical school with $200,000 in debt. However, American banks don’t lend that sort of money to foreigners and foreign banks are probably not gonna give you that money without a huge collateral either. </p>
<p>I have come across medical schools which require that international students “prepay” for all 4 years (pay for the first year and place the rest in an escrow account) before they can enroll. </p>
<p>Do keep in mind that med school is more expensive than college. The current cost of attendance hovers between $60,000 and $90,000 per year. If you can’t pay that out of pocket - on top of 4 years of college - you should not come to the US with the intention of studying medicine.</p>
<p>Getting into any US med school is very hard for intnls. Getting in with money is impossible.</p>
<p>Many US medical schools do not accept international students at all, and among those that do, many require that you completed your pre-med at an American college. Financial aid for medical school is very limited, for both American and international students. Most Americans would finance their medical education through loans, which are typically not available to international students. In 2011, less than 200 foreign students matriculated at US medical schools (about 19,000 students total matriculated that year). So it is quite difficult, although obviously not impossible.</p>
<p>There’s more information here on admissions policies and other ways to study medicine in the US as a foreign student, if you’re interested: [Can</a> International Students Attend American Medical School? VOA Student Union](<a href=“News for Students about College and University - Voice of America (VOA News)”>Can International Students Attend American Medical School?)</p>