Choosing a Medical School

Choosing a medical school is a long-term decision. The program will take several years, and the qualification will shape where you can train and work afterward. No list or ranking can make that decision for you, because the right school depends on where you want to practise, what you can afford, which languages you speak and which route into medicine you are eligible for. This guide sets out the questions worth answering for any school, in any country, before you apply or pay.

Start with where you want to practise

The most important question is not "which school?" but "which regulator?" Each country's medical regulator decides which qualifications it accepts, and the rules differ widely. Two examples:

• The UK General Medical Council (GMC) sets out criteria an overseas qualification must meet (labeled A to E), covering a recognized degree, duration, transfers between institutions, clinical experience and teaching methods. It also publishes lists of institutions whose qualifications it does not accept or accepts only in some cases.
• India's National Medical Commission requires people with foreign degrees to have studied for at least fifty-four months, completed a twelve-month internship in the same foreign institution, received a degree "with medium of instructions in English," and be registered to practise in the country that awarded the degree, among other conditions.

Access to postgraduate training has its own rules too. In Canada, the residency match run by CaRMS requires applicants to "be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada," with some exceptions, and international medical graduates must hold a degree from a school listed in the World Directory "that is recognized in Canada." Provinces and individual programs can add further requirements.

If you are not sure where you will practise, check the rules of your home country and of any country you are seriously considering. Accreditation in one country never guarantees eligibility elsewhere. Our guide Understanding National Recognition of Medical Schools explains the layers involved.

Check the school's legal standing

A school should be authorized by the government of the country where it operates, and its graduates should be able to register there. ECFMG's requirements for a Sponsor Note, for example, include that the school "must be recognized as a medical school by the appropriate government authority in the school's host country," and that its degree meets that country's eligibility requirements for licensure.

The World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS) is a useful starting point, but its own disclaimer says a listing "does not denote recognition, accreditation, or endorsement." Use it to find official details, then confirm them with the national authority. Sponsor Notes on a school's WDOMS page describe the requirements of the sponsoring organizations for graduates; ECFMG states that it "does not recognize, accredit, or endorse medical schools."

Check accreditation, and who accredits the accreditor

Accreditation is a review of a school or program against published standards by an accrediting agency. It is a different question from whether the government permits the school to operate. Questions to ask:

• Which agency accredits this school or program, and until when?
• Is the agency itself recognized? WFME runs a Recognition Programme that evaluates accrediting agencies, not schools. WFME says it "does not accredit individual medical schools." To check a school, WFME suggests asking the school which agency accredits it, verifying that on the agency's website, then checking the agency's status on the WFME site.
• Is the program newly opened? In the United States, AACOM explains that new osteopathic colleges "hold provisional accreditation status during their first four years of student enrollment." New programs elsewhere may also have interim status.

Intealth reports on the Sponsor Notes tab when a school meets its Recognized Accreditation Policy, meaning it is accredited by an agency recognized by WFME or NCFMEA. Intealth states this is for information only and "does not affect anyone's eligibility for ECFMG Certification."

Look closely at clinical training

Clinical training is where programs differ most, and it is the part foreign regulators scrutinize. The GMC, for instance, expects clinical placements that provide "exposure to a range of specialties, which must include medicine and surgery," in-person interaction with patients, and formal agreements between the school and placement providers covering supervision and learning objectives. It also expects "the majority of the programme of study" to be completed in person.

Ask the school:

• Where are the teaching hospitals, and does the school have formal agreements with them?
• In which language will you talk to patients? See Teaching Language and Clinical Language.
• Are any clinical rotations held in another country? India's 2021 regulations require the entire course, training and internship to be done in the same institution, and none of it in India or in any third country.
• How many hours are clinical, and how is attendance recorded? Regulators may ask the school to confirm clock hours year by year.

Consider transfers and program stability

Students sometimes need to move schools. The GMC usually accepts a qualification only when the person "transferred between institutions no more than once," and it scrutinizes credits transferred from other programs. Before enrolling, ask how the school handles transfers in and out, what happens if a program closes, and whether degrees are awarded by the school itself or by an affiliated university. Keep every transcript and syllabus.

Language, cost and support

• Language. Check both the language of instruction and any language test required by the regulator where you intend to practise.
• Cost. Compare the full cost over the whole program, not just first-year tuition, and find out how fees change for later years. See /tuition/ and Questions to Ask Before Paying a Deposit.
• Support. Ask how the school handles academic support, appeals and complaints, and get the answers in writing.
• Visas and work rights. These depend on your nationality and change often. Check the current official government source for your situation; do not rely on a school or agent.

A short checklist

1. Which regulators do I need to satisfy, and do their published criteria fit this program?
2. Is the school authorized by its own government, and can graduates register there?
3. Which agency accredits it, and what is that agency's WFME or other recognition status?
4. Where and in what language does clinical training take place?
5. What is the total cost, and what happens to my money if I leave or the program changes?

Use the school directory and the compare tool to gather facts, then confirm each one with the official body. Graduating from any school does not guarantee residency, licensure or employment.