- What are your admissions requirements?
- How do I apply?
- Is there an application deadline?
- Are MCATs required, and how old can the scores be?
- What are the prerequisite courses?
- Is there a minimum GPA required?
- What if my scores are low? Is there a minimum MCAT or SAT score?
- What are the Tuition and Overall Costs?
- How long does it take to process an application?
- What about international study--does it matter where I take undergraduate courses?
- Is there a preferred undergraduate major?
- Do I need a Bachelor's degree to apply?
- Are extracurricular activities important? Do I need volunteer experience as part of my application?
- What is the Admission Committee looking for in letters of recommendation?
- Does an advisor have to write a letter of recommendation?
- How can I prepare for an interview?
- How can I find out about my application status?
- Do you have a supplemental application process, such as through AMCAS?
- How is UMHS accredited?
- Do you offer advanced standing status to allied health professionals (Physician Assistants, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Chiropractors, Podiatrists, etc.?)
- Where do students conduct their clinical rotations?
- Are graduates of UMHS able to obtain United States residency?
- Are UMHS' teaching hospitals D.O. or M.D. rotations?
- In what states can your graduates be licensed?
- What additional living expenses might I incur?
1) What are your admissions requirements?
The UMHS Admissions Committee reviews every applicant in a comprehensive fashion. It reviews overall GPA, pre-requisite course GPA, advance science GPA, graduate GPA, test scores, submitted essays, and applicants' experience and knowledge in the medical and other related fields, as well as life experience. UMHS is looking for students with the necessary academic preparation and motivation to pursue a medical education and to eventually become outstanding physicians. Members of the admissions committee have many years of experience in the United States and realize that outstanding GPAs are not the only criteria for determining whether a student is qualified to pursue a medical education.
2) How do I apply?
The UMHS application may be completed online. Is is also available on our website as a .pdf file,
In addition, all of your official undergraduate and graduate college transcripts must be sent to the Office of Admissions at UMHS.
UMHS requires letters of recommendation.
While the University does not require that students submit MCAT scores, you have the option of doing so if you believe that it will assist the University in its admission decision.
UMHS admissions counselors will assist you in determining whether your academic preparation is acceptable for admission to the medical school. We encourage you to contact the Office of Admissions for a preliminary evaluation of your admissibility into the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts.
Please note: The University accepts unofficial transcripts for use in making preliminary evaluations. Full documentation, however, must include official transcripts.
3) Is there an application deadline?
UMHS does not have any application deadlines. The University has a rolling admissions policy and reviews applications on an ongoing basis.
The University accepts three first semester classes a year: January, May, and September.
If a class is filled when we receive your application, we will roll your application over into the pool for the following semester, and with your permission, proceed to process your application for that semester.
4) Are MCATs required, and how old can the scores be?
UMHS admissions requirements do not include MCAT scores; however, we do ask that you send us any MCAT scores that have been recorded for you.
Currently, we have no established date by which the MCAT must have been taken. For instance, test scores obtained prior to 1995 are acceptable.
We encourage applicants to take the MCAT (and have the option of submitting a report of the results). The test is given several times each year at sites within the US as well as in 60 other nations around the world.
Inquiries concerning application, test dates, and locations for the MCAT should be directed to:
Medical College Admission Test Registration
The American College Testing Program
P.O. Box 414
Iowa City, IA 52243
(319) 337-1276
You must request that all official test scores and reports be sent to the UMHS Office of Admissions.
5) What are the prerequisite courses?
In order for you to be considered for admission to our medical program, you must have completed the following prerequisite coursework at an accredited university or college:
| Inorganic or General Chemistry (with labs) |
1 year |
| Organic Chemistry (with labs) |
1 Year |
| General Biology or Zoology (with labs) |
1 Year |
| Physics (with labs) |
1 Year |
College-level Mathematics
(preferably Calculus or Statistics) |
1 Semester |
| English |
1 Year |
6) Is there a minimum GPA required?
We are not looking for a specific cumulative grade point average which is listed at the end of your transcript. Rather, we are seeking to determine whether or not you have the intellectual capability to perform in a challenging medical school curriculum. The Office of Admissions will compute as many as four or five separate GPA's in order to determine if you meet our criteria. We are more interested in the pattern of your academic development than whether or not you have had difficulties some years past. This is a much more intense and involved calculation than the one used by most medical school offices of admission.
7) What if my scores are low? Is there a minimum MCAT or SAT score?
With respect to test taking ability, UMHS is interested in seeing all of your standardized tests including SATs, ACTs, MCATs, GREs or any and all tests that will assist us in evaluating your application.
Students who have previously taken USMLE Step I should provide their scores, whether passing or not, so that we may profile your needs relative to placement in our curriculum.
8) What are the Tuition and Overall Costs?
Tuition for initial entry into the UMHS medical program is presently $7,800 + fees for health insurance, malpractice liability and evacuation insurance, which is very competitive with respect to other international medical schools.
Overall costs and tuition can be found in the Tuition Section of the UMHS web site.
9) How long does it take to process an application?
A decision on your application will usually be made within one week of your interview. If it is determined that you do not satisfy our current standards, you may appeal this decision and supply additional supporting documents. Once we have received your completed application and a personal interview has been conducted, it takes approximately two weeks for your application to be processed.
10) What about international study--does it matter where I take undergraduate courses?
Undergraduate coursework can be taken at any accredited college or university in the United States.
Coursework taken outside of the United States must be evaluated by an accreditation evaluation agency such as the World Education Service (WES). They may be reached toll-free at (800) 937-3899 or via email:
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11) Is there a preferred undergraduate major?
We look for a diversity of interests that will contribute to a well-rounded class. There is no required major, but any baccalaureate program concentrated in the sciences will be helpful in meeting all prerequisites.
12) Do I need a Bachelor's degree to apply?
UMHS requires at least 90 credits of college work, but strongly recommends that the applicant complete four years in a liberal arts college before entering medical school.
13) Are extracurricular activities important? Do I need volunteer experience as part of my application?
Extracurricular activities can help. The Admissions Committee is focused on looking at all aspects of the applicant. Volunteering in a clinical/hospital setting is ideal. However, the Admissions Committee recognizes that many students must work while attending college, or choose to be heavily involved in extracurricular activities.
14) What is the Admission Committee looking for in letters of recommendation?
The Admissions Committee seeks comments about the applicant's character, integrity, work ethic, intelligence, motivation, people skills, and problem-solving skills.
15) Does an advisor have to write a letter of recommendation?
At least one of the letters of recommendation should be from a pre-medical professor acquainted with the applicant's academic ability; committee recommendations from colleges and universities are acceptable.
The other letter should be from a physician or physician educator who is familiar with the applicant's experience in a health care setting, if available.
No more than three letters of recommendation will be accepted. All letters must be sent directly from the recommender to the Office of Admissions at UMHS.
16) How can I prepare for an interview?
The best preparation for an interview is to remember to relax. The purpose of the interview is to understand you as a total person and to help you show us what motivates you to be a doctor.
17) How can I find out about my application status?
In order to obtain accurate information about the status of your file, it is best for you to call our Office of Admissions toll-free at (866) 868-0855. Our Office of Admissions is available to assist you Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm (Eastern Time).
18) Do you have a supplemental application process, such as through AMCAS?
UMHS is not currently affiliated with the AMCAS application process. You apply directly to UMHS, either through a paper application or online through the UMHS website: http://www.umhs.org/
19) How is UMHS accredited?
UMHS is approved by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis. UMHS has been chartered to offer the degree "Doctor of Medicine" (M.D.). Based on evaluation and provisional accreditation by the St. Kitts Accreditation Council, we expect the Ministry of Education to grant official certification in the near future, stating that "graduates of UMHS are eligible for physician licensure in the federation" and, by extension, eligible to practice in the various states after completion of residency training.
UMHS, through the Government of St. Kitts, anticipates recognition by the Education Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) as an approved medical school in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED), permitting UMHS students to sit for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE) and allowing graduates to be eligible for residency training and licensure in the United States.
The Government of St. Kitts has sent written notification to the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) that UMHS is a documented international medical school to be listed in the next edition of the World Directory of Medical Schools (WHO).
20) Do you offer advanced standing status to allied health professionals (Physician Assistants, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Chiropractors, Podiatrists, etc.?)
We do not offer advanced standing status to Allied Health Professionals. Our Admissions Committee, however, looks favorably upon applicants who have demonstrated success in prior medical programs and interacting with patients.
21) Where do students conduct their clinical rotations?
UMHS has clinical sites located at United States teaching hospitals and various clinical out-patient programs that are affiliated with United States medical schools.
In addition, UMHS is unique among Caribbean medical schools in that UMHS is affiliated with the International University of Nursing, our sister institution in St. Kitts.
22) Are graduates of UMHS able to obtain United States residency?
Yes, UMHS students are able to obtain Unites States residency based on satisfactory academic progress and completion of all coursework and required clinical experiences (or clerkships).
Graduates of international medical schools who successfully complete Step I and Step II of the USMLE and who receive ECFMG certification are eligible for residency training in the United States.
Students gain a residency position by participating either through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP), or outside of the Match, if those positions have not been already filled.
United States citizens who attend an international medical school have a distinct advantage in obtaining residency training if they have participated in clinical rotations in a United States hospital. The U.S. teaching hospital clinical training enables the student to obtain the necessary skills needed to pass the clinical skills assessment test (USMLE-Step II CS & CK) which is now required for students who wish to participate in residency training in hospitals located in the United States.
23) Are UMHS' teaching hospitals D.O. or M.D. rotations?
All clinical sites have Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approval for the relevant clinical training in medical specialties and sub-specialties.
This also allows students who to make themselves known to the directors of medical education (DMEs), which enables the hospital to evaluate a student's ability to participate in residency training. It should be noted that there are approximately 23, 000 first year residency position and only 16,500 US medical school graduates. Therefore, there is a surplus of residency positions that are open to graduates of international medical schools.
24) In what states can your graduates be licensed?
UMHS graduates will shortly be eligible for licensure in the United States. All states require ECFMG certification for international medical school graduates, which includes passing Steps I and II of the United States Medical Licensing Exam, and having successfully completed a minimum of three years of residency training.
In addition, all states have individual requirements relating to such areas as number of undergraduate credits received, age of the applicant, moral character of the applicant, etc. UMHS will provide you with the necessary skills to pass the requisite examinations and to obtain a residency training position and licensure in the United States. Students can request the licensing application as well as rules and regulations for medical licensure from each state.
25) What additional living expenses might I incur?
Additional expenses you will incur include: books and supplies, room and board, transportation, health insurance, fees and personal items.
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