UK undergraduate to US medical school?

Pre-Med & Medical School Foreign Medical Education
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Hey, I am a US senior who wants to attend medical school in the US. The problem is, I desperately want to study in England. So if you assume that I have no choice other than going to the UK for my undergraduate studies, what are my options?

I have heard that it is extremely difficult to go from UK undergraduate studies to studying in a US medical school. Is there any way that I can achieve this? Even if it is difficult, I want to try to do it. Can someone outline what I would have to do?

Thank you so much for reading.

PS: I am a US citizen.

2

Only 2 US allopathic med schools will consider UK undergrad degrees–and they do so on a very limited basis. (One hasn’t admitted a UK degreed student in close to 2 decades. You need to be truly exceptional to get considered.)

Basically, every US med school requires that all pre-reqs plus a minimum number of credits (typically 90) be earned at a US or Canadian college or university if you want to be considered for admission.

AMCAS, which is central processor for all US med school applications, will not accept transcripts from UK colleges. And unless AMCAS verifies your transcripts & application, you can’t apply to med school.

If you attend undergrad in the UK, you will need to return to the US and take (or retake) all your pre-reqs and complete a second bachelor’s or a master’s degree so that you meet the minimum number of required US credits.

1 Like
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Thank you for your reply. Sounds like doing an undergraduate course in the UK is not worth the time alone. What if I also do medical school there, will I be able to practice in the US?

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Short answer: no

Longer answer: Possibly, but it will be very difficult. For a graduate of a foreign medical school to practice in the US, the individual would need to :

  1. get your degree certified by the ECFMG
    See: http://www.ecfmg.org

  2. *take and pass all the USMLEs (US Medical Licensing Exams) *
    USMLE --see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Medical_Licensing_Examination and http://www.usmle.org
    US med schools prepare their students for these critical exams, but foreign schools do not. This will require a great deal of effort on your part to study independently and prepare for the exams since UK programs do not help their students prepare for these exams.

  3. apply for the NRMP (National Residency Match Program) and Match.
    Currently fewer than 40% of IMGs match into a US residency. See: http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/NRMP-and-ECFMG-Publish-Charting-Outcomes-in-the-Match-for-International-Medical-Graduates-Revised.PDF-File.pdf
    With the increasing number of US MD and DO graduates, it’s estimated that by 2020, all US residencies will be filled by US grads. See: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1475200
    In order to be competitive candidate for the Match, as a IMG, you’d need to score much higher than what a US grad would score to match into the same specialty. (This means that fields outside of primary care/low competitive specialties are out of reach for IMGs.) You’d also need to complete at least one, but ideally several, clinical rotations in US hospitals in order to secure the LORs needed to apply for a US residency. A UK program may or may not not permit its students to take US rotations during MS3-4 since they have their own clinical requirements for graduation.

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As a US citizen interested in practicing medicine in the US, you would be far better off going to US undergrad and doing a semester or even a year abroad in the UK, and then going to a US medical school.