<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I am an international (that is totally international - European, not from Canada, or Mexico) student at Columbia College (in the NYC) and I am taking pre-med requirement courses now, but recently I was told that it is almost impossible for an international student to be admitted to an American Medical school...</p>
<p>Is that true? Should I even bother trying go get to a medical grad school?</p>
<p>Thanks!!!</p>
<p>It is very hard for an int’l to go to an American med school. Many will not accept ANY int’l students. Most American med schools are set up to educate future American doctors. They receive large fed grants to do so.</p>
<p>Additionally most US med students rely on federal loans to finance their education–and these loans are not available to international applicants. There is very little in the way of grant or merit aid for medical school–and generally international students will not be considered for any available merit awards.</p>
<p>International students will have to provide either an escrow account with 4 years tuition on deposit with the school or supply proof they have the resources to pay for 4 years of medical education (including living expenses) such as a letter of support from a foreign sponsor or bank statement showing sufficient funds to cover 4 years of tuitions and expenses.</p>
<p>For a list of schools and their international admissions policies, try looking here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www2.fiu.edu/~preprofc/International_Students_School_Policies.htm[/url]”>http://www2.fiu.edu/~preprofc/International_Students_School_Policies.htm</a></p>
<p>Even if an int’l student can full pay and show funds, which med schools will admit int’ls…and how many int’l students will each admit?</p>
<p>if you can establish permanent residency in the u.s, it will be a lot easier for you to go to med. school.</p>
<p>2Colleges00701: Do you have any easy way to do THAT? :)</p>
<p>@Brunox13, it’s hard to establish permanent resident status. I don’t think that’s a viable option as an international college student. Correct me if I’m wrong everyone.</p>
<p>Well, he could always marry an American citizen and pay about $10,000-$15,000 in legal fees** to get a green card.</p>
<p>** This is how much it cost friends to arrange their (now) DIL’s fiancee visa and green card last year.</p>
<p>Yeah… That’s — what I meant by “impossible”.
6 people admitted per year at most of these schools that take at least some int’l students, that’s just sick.</p>
<p>I mean you could apply for a green card. I don’t know the fees or anything else involved, but I know my roommate who is from Korea was able to do it. BTW this guy didn’t marry an american citizen or w/e. The U.S. tends to give green cards more easily to Western Europeans than it does to Asians or Latinos.</p>
<p>It’s not easy to get a green card. This describes the process and eligibility—</p>
<p>[USCIS</a> - Green Card](<a href=“http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=ae853ad15c673210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=ae853ad15c673210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD]USCIS”>http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=ae853ad15c673210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=ae853ad15c673210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD)</p>
<p>ANd Brunox–it’s not “sick”. The purpose of US medical education to provide US doctors for US residents. International students have their own medical education programs in their home countries.</p>
<p>Since it costs considerably more to educate a MD than even the very high tuition at private med schools, it’s reasonable that these schools would want to reserve as many spots as possible for those who are committed to remain and serve US patients.</p>
<p>If you really, really want to practice medicine in the US, you can study in your home country, then get licensed in the US. It’s not an easy process and the failure rate is around 50%, but it is possible.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>While residency programs are federally funded, med schools themselves (i.e. undergraduate medical education) are not.</p>
<p>But everyone is right - it is extremely difficult for an international student to get accepted to a US med school. Almost all international students at US schools are from Canada (which probably has something to do with the fact that med schools in Canada are accredited by the same body - the LCME - as US med schools)</p>
<p>It is very hard for a int’l student to gain residency because I think you have to either be self-supporting or have some kind of financial sponsor here in the US. The US doesn’t want to give residency to someone who has no income and will be a burden to society. </p>
<p>Bruno…can’t you apply to med school in your own country?</p>
<p>Medicare and Medicaid subsidies to medical schools are indirect (e.g. they tend to go to teaching hospitals and are ostensibly meant for taking care of uninsured patients or taking care of the more sick patients that are required for thorough education), but they sort of exist.</p>
<p>@ mom2collegekids & WayOutWestMom: This is not the question. Of course I could apply back in Europe to go to medical school, but then my American undergraduate education wouldn’t make sense, would it? Now I am trying to figure out a way to study medicine here, since I am at an American college already.
If this doesn’t work out, I’ll either study something else or go back to Europe.</p>
<p>Any other ideas how to improve my chances?</p>
<p>Even U.S. citizens have only a limited number of medical schools they can apply to. Nearly all state supported medical schools will not consider applicants who are legal residents of other states. For example, the University of California has five campuses with medical schools but only one, UCSF, will accept any applicants who are not legal residents of California. Generally, an American citizen can only apply to his or her state medical school, if it has one, and in or out of state private medical schools which are often the most selective medical schools in the country.</p>
<p>Bruno–There is very little you can do to improve your chances except by becoming the most incredibly compelling candidate ever. (Perfect GPA, very high MCAT, brilliant UG research with multiple publications, one-in-a-million LORs, extraordinarily compelling PS, founding and funding a major charitable organization that benefits US residents, demonstrating significant ties to the US and an intent to remain here permanently–like by starting the permanent resident application process)</p>
<p>It’s very difficult for US residents to get accepted into a medical school; you would have have to be 10x more compelling a applicant than any US candidate.</p>
<p>And it would help to be wealthy—since you will have to demonstrate that you have about $250,000 in US funds to pay for your education.</p>
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<p>Whoa there - thats just not true. I know of only 1 or 2 schools (such as ECU) that truly only accept their own residents.
I have lots of friends who were accepted to or are now attending a state school outside of their home state.</p>
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<p>I am an international students who plans on applying to medical school. I’m also planning on residing in the United States. If I demonstrate that by applying for the green card, in addition to doing something such as investing in a propriety and thus creating a permanent link with the United States, and prove that I can pay the full tuition, would my chances increase exponentially?</p>
<p>Could you please give me some tips?</p>
<p>I am obviously planning on doing everything I can to be a stellar applicant, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Re #18: So far as I know, every single UC (my home state) will accept applications from OOS. I know for a fact that UCLA claims not to even FAVOR California residents.</p>