If you are an international student and you hope to go into medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine in the United States, it is important for you to know that international applicants (those without U.S. citizenship or Permanent Resident status) have a particularly difficult time gaining admission to U.S. medical schools.

Most state-supported U.S. medical schools do not consider applications from international students.

Private U.S. medical schools that will consider international student applications may require that funding sufficient to cover tuition and fees (for at least one year and sometimes up to four years) be placed in an escrow bank account before matriculation.

Most U.S. citizens and permanent residents attend medical school using loans underwritten by the U.S. government. International applicants are not eligible for these types of loans and must seek alternative funding from private sources.

Please keep this information in mind as you make your decision about whether to enroll in a U.S. undergraduate college or university with the goal of attending a U.S. medical school after graduation.

You can find more information about U.S. Medical Schools that accept international students in the MSAR, or the MSAR Report called “Applications Accepted Information.” The cost of attending a private U.S. medical, dental, or veterinary school is substantial, and scholarship and fellowship assistance to is limited regardless of citizenship status.

For general information about applying as an international student, refer to the AAMC resource Applying to Medical School as an International Applicant.

You may also consider visiting F-1 Doctors, a mentorship program that provides support and hands-on information to international students considering medicine or dentistry.

Applicants with DACA status can find a list of medical schools that will consider your application via the MSAR Report called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

A list of internships and summer programs that are known to accept International Students can be found on the Experiential Opportunities webpage.