Gaining admission to US medical schools and obtaining funding to pursue that education can be difficult for individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Many medical schools will review the application of an international student without any bias, but others, particularly state schools, admit few if any international students. Therefore, international students are usually only eligible for the more selective private schools.
Students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the US are not eligible for the federal government-sponsored loans that are used by most US medical students to fund their medical educations. Some medical schools require that students prepay tuition or deposit money sufficient to cover one or more years of tuition and fees into escrow accounts. Private US medical schools are quite expensive with tuition ranging from $35,000 to $40,000 per year for most schools. NIH-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program grants for MD/PhD positions are limited to US citizens or permanent residents.
However, there are some special circumstances that make the overall picture less bleak. A small number of medical schools have merit scholarships that are awarded without regard to US residency status. Some medical schools have independent funding for MD/PhD positions and this independent funding may be available to international students. Canadian students can often secure loans for medical school through the Canadian government. Some students may be able to secure loans or grants from their home countries, but this varies greatly from country to country.
Students or alumni who are not US citizens or permanent residents and who are considering studying medicine in the US should contact the Premedical and Health Career Advising Counselors at the Office of Career Services to discuss the issues involved.
Medical Schools that accepted Harvard international students (1995-2002, 2005)
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons: 11 accepted
Harvard Medical School: 9 accepted
Yale University School of Medicine: 9 accepted
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: 7 accepted
Albany Medical College: 5 accepted
Albert Einstein College of Medicine: 5 accepted
Stanford University School of Medicine: 5 accepted
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine: 5 accepted
Baylor College of Medicine: 4 accepted
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine: 4 accepted
Tufts University School of Medicine: 4 accepted
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine: 4 accepted
Boston University School of Medicine: 3 accepted
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine: 3 accepted
Georgetown University School of Medicine: 3 accepted
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California: 3 accepted
University of California, Los Angeles: 3 accepted
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: 3 accepted
Washington University School of Medicine: 3 accepted
Duke University School of Medicine: 2 accepted
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine: 2 accepted
New York University School of Medicine: 2 accepted
University of Michigan Medical School: 2 accepted
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry: 2 accepted
Weill Medical College of Cornell University: 2 accepted
Dartmouth Medical School: 1 accepted
Howard University College of Medicine: 1 accepted
Indiana University School of medicine: 1 accepted
State University of New York at Syracuse: 1 accepted
University of Connecticut School of Medicine: 1 accepted
University of Minnesota Medical School: 1 accepted
University of Texas, Southwestern at Dallas: 1 accepted
University of Vermont College of Medicine: 1 accepted
University of Virginia School of Medicine: 1 accepted
