The Best Caribbean Medical Schools for Students with Low Stats
/The top Caribbean medical schools—including an overview of the Big 4—and which ones to attend if you want to practice medicine in the United States
not all caribbean medical schools are created equal
Introduction
Getting into an American medical school is currently harder than ever. According to AAMC data, only 44 percent of candidates who applied to begin medical school in 2022-2023 successfully matriculated in Fall 2023. In other words, around 56 percent of medical school applicants in the most recent cycle probably didn’t get in anywhere.
With an increasing number of applicants and limited number of spaces, even students with competitive GPA and MCAT scores are being turned away by admissions committees.
If you’re an aspiring doctor, this might make you feel panicky, particularly if your academic stats are less than ideal. You’re probably carefully researching every available option that will make it easier for you to get into medical school with a low GPA. You might even be wondering, should I apply to Caribbean medical schools?
Who should consider applying to Caribbean medical schools?
Due to their less competitive admissions standards, medical schools in the Caribbean have historically provided an alternative path to students with lower stats who might have otherwise given up on their dreams of practicing medicine. And the benefits are mutual; according to the 2022 Federation of State Medical Boards’ biennial Census of Licensed Physicians, international medical graduates (IMGs) play an important part in the American healthcare system, comprising about 23 percent of the current U.S. physician workforce.
Of these IMGs, 20 percent are graduates of Caribbean medical schools. This means that approximately 4 percent of all licensed doctors in the U.S. today earned their MD in the Caribbean. And this is only becoming a more popular option. From 2010 to 2022, there was a 115 percent increase in the number of licensed doctors in the U.S. who graduated from Caribbean medical schools. And whereas in 2010, just 48 percent of this group were US citizens, that number jumped to 67 percent in 2022.
However, a word of caution: although many graduates of the best Caribbean medical schools go on to have successful careers in the United States, it can still be more difficult to do so than for their U.S.-educated counterparts. Caribbean medical students must achieve a very high GPA, score high on the USMLE exams (especially Step 1), secure prestigious rotations during M3 and M4, and receive strong letters of recommendation from clinical supervisors to give themselves the best odds.
On top of this, graduates of American medical schools are still the most likely to secure a spot in a U.S. residency program. Generally speaking, matching into residencies in highly competitive specialties like anesthesiology or plastic surgery is the exception and not the rule for Caribbean med school grads—most IMGs become primary care physicians.
To illustrate this point, consider that in the 2023 NRMP Main Residency Match, around 67 percent of IMGs who successfully matched into a residency ended up in one of the three primary care specialties: internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics.
And, overall, the odds of matching into any residency are significantly lower for IMGs than for those applying from American medical schools: around 64 percent vs. nearly 93 percent.
Therefore, due to the positive impact attending an American medical school can have on your future career prospects, we strongly recommend retaking the MCAT or enrolling in a post-bacc or Special Master’s Program before abandoning all hope of attending an MD or DO program in the U.S.
Nevertheless, for those who have exhausted these options and are still committed to becoming a physician, top Caribbean medical schools can provide a viable route to a career in medicine.
(Suggested reading: How to Get Into Residency Programs as an IMG: The Ultimate Guide)
How does attending a Caribbean medical school affect your eligibility to practice in the U.S.?
If your goal is to practice in the United States, one of your first questions might be: which Caribbean medical schools are accredited in all 50 states? Technically, the answer is 0.
Currently, foreign-operated medical schools cannot seek accreditation from U.S. accreditors. Thus, the more appropriate question is: which Caribbean medical schools give graduates eligibility to practice in all 50 states?
To make things easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of six medical schools in the Caribbean whose graduates are eligible to apply for licensure in all 50 states.
What are the best Caribbean medical schools?
Although there are no official Caribbean medical school rankings, the four schools below, collectively known as “The Big 4,” are generally regarded as the best due to relatively high USMLE pass rates and match rates, the ability to receive federal loans, and the ability of graduates to apply for licensure in all 50 states.
Below, we’ve provided the most recent available statistics related to each of the Big 4 Caribbean med schools.
In reviewing the data, you might notice that we’ve listed residency attainment rates rather than match rates. That’s due to the reality that, when it comes to residency matching, most Caribbean medical schools do not report the percentage of their graduates who matched through the NRMP Match (as is typical), but rather the percentage who attained a residency via any route, including SOAP week and last-minute postings for unfilled positions.
The “Big 4” Caribbean medical schools
St. George’s University School of Medicine
Location: Grenada
Average GPA: 3.3
Average MCAT: 497
Attrition rate: Around 16%
Residency attainment rate: 95%
Beginning in 2024, IMGs must graduate from a medical school approved by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) in order to receive certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), which is needed to apply to U.S. residencies. In 2021, St. George’s University voluntarily withdrew from CAAM-HP, one of its two accrediting bodies, leaving the Grenada Medical and Dental Council (GMDC) as its sole accreditation. On September 3, 2022, the GMDC was awarded Recognition Status by the WFME, enabling SGU graduates to be eligible for ECFMG certification.
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
Location: St. Maarten
Average GPA: 3.27
Average MCAT: 496
Attrition rate: Not published, but rumored to be 12–20%
Residency attainment rate: 97%
Saba University School of Medicine
Location: Saba Island
Average GPA and MCAT: Not published
Attrition rate: Not published
Residency attainment rate: 97%
Ross University School of Medicine
Location: Barbados
Average GPA: 3.2
Average MCAT: 495
Attrition rate: Around 20%
Residency attainment rate: 98%
(Suggested reading: Ross University School of Medicine: What You Need to Know)
Honorable mentions
Medical University of the Americas (MUA)
Location: Nevis
Average GPA and MCAT: Not published
Attrition rate: Not published
Residency attainment rate: 96%
American University of Antigua (AUA)
Location: Antigua and Barbuda
Average GPA and MCAT: Not published
Attrition rate: Not published
Residency attainment rate: Not published
The application process for Caribbean medical schools
If you are interested in the Caribbean Medical Schools route, the application process is quite similar to American medical schools if you’re a US-based applicant. As in the States, each school may have different requirements so be sure to check with them directly. For example, a few medical schools in the Caribbean don’t require the MCAT for admission.
However, most schools will accept applications through AMCAS or ACOMAS just as an American school would. You may come across private application services such as UMCAS, but the AMCAS route is our preferred, tried and true application method.
What should I complete to apply to Caribbean medical schools?
Just like medical schools in the United States, you’ll need to make sure you have completed your premed requirements; garnered clinical, volunteering, and shadowing experience; and crafted excellent personal statements tailored to the schools to which you are applying.
For example, St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada requires applicants to have completed a minimum of:
A year of biology
A year of organic chemistry
A year of inorganic chemistry
A semester of physics
A semester of English
A semester of Mathematics
That’s similar to the requirements in the USA, however, since all medical schools differ slightly you will likely be planning on taking courses that satisfy the requirements wherever you ultimately apply. To do this, you’ll need to include the classes below to what St. George’s lists.
A biology lab
A general chemistry lab
An organic chemistry lab
A semester of biochemistry
A semester of physics with and one lab
A semester of English
A semester of Mathematics that could include calculus or statistics
Will I need to show volunteer, clinical and/or shadowing experience?
Most Caribbean medical schools don’t explicitly say that they require volunteer, clinical, or shadowing experience to be considered. However, they do tend to evaluate applicants holistically, similar to their US counterparts.
If you’ve engaged in extracurriculars while a premed student at a US undergraduate institution and you’ve hit our recommended hours for volunteering, shadowing, and patient exposure, you should be in the clear for Caribbean med schools.
What about personal statements and letters of recommendation?
You should plan your time around writing your personal statement for Caribbean medical schools just as you would for American medical schools. While not all Caribbean med schools detail what kind of personal statement they want, The Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados explicitly mentions requiring a 750-word personal statement.
All schools in the Caribbean will require letters of recommendation, but the amounts may vary. Both Ross University and St. George’s require 2 letters. If you’re unsure, we recommend contacting the school you’re interested in directly.
Final Thoughts
Attending a Caribbean medical school is a viable path to a fulfilling career in medicine but is by no means an easy one. While the barriers to entry are lower than in the US, you’ll still have to achieve stellar grades and do extremely well on USMLE exams to have a shot at an American residency program.
However, for students with stats just out of range of acceptance to a US medical school, the dream of wearing a white coat is still possible.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
