Student FAQ - UMHS - University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts

Student FAQ

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. It 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: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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?

Applicants, who have completed their pre-medical coursework as an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student at a college or university where there is a Pre-Professional Advisory Committee, are required to submit a letter of recommendation from that committee. Students who do not submit a letter should explain, in writing, why they have opted not to do so.

Applicants who have attended a school at which there is no Pre-Professional Advisory Committee must have at least two letters of recommendation from faculty members at that school. One of these letters should be from a faculty member in the department of the applicant's major and the other from a science faculty member. If the applicant's major is science, the second letter should be from a second member of the science department.

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 understands the importance of having its programs accredited so that our students may be eligible to sit for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE) and apply for certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (EDFMG). This certification is required for international medical school graduates to obtain residencies and licensing to practice medicine in the United States.

An important first step is to be accredited in the country where the school is located. UMHS was granted provisional accreditation by the St. Christopher and Nevis Accreditation Board, an arm of the Ministry of Education, on January 1, 2008.

The next step is for the school to be listed in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED) of the Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER). UMHS received this listing in June 2008.

As a result of the IMED listing and our accreditation, students at UMHS are now eligible to sit for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations. Graduates who have successfully passed Step 1 and Step 2 CK and CS of the USMLE may be eligible for ECFMG certification. USMLE Step 3 is taken after graduations.

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?

The Clinical Science Program at UMHS is designed to give students a broad spectrum of medical practice, training in clinical skills, and patient contact. The program consists of fifth semester then core and elective rotations that are completed at U.S. teaching hospitals affiliated with UMHS.

UMHS students complete their fifth semester studies at the UMHS campus in Portland, Maine. The fifth semester consists of the following required courses: Introduction to Clinical Medicine II and Biological Basis of Clinical Medicine.

Prior to beginning clinical rotations, students must take and pass the USMLE Step 1. To assist students in this endeavor, UMHS has contracted with Kaplan Medical to give UMHS students access to the highest quality comprehensive USMLE review available.

After passing Step 1 of the USMLE, students will be placed in clinical rotations at one or more affiliated teaching hospitals throughout the United States. UMHS has established affiliations with a number of teaching hospitals in Georgia, Connecticut, New York, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Puerto Rico. In addition, UMHS continues to expand core clinical affiliations and is in negotiations with a significant number of teaching hospitals in a variety of states including, but not limited to Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan.

These clinical clerkships include 48 weeks of mandatory course clinical rotations, as well as 34 weeks of elective clinical rotations. The core rotations represent the primary areas of medial practice and the elective rotations provide students with an understanding of the various specialties in medicine.

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) 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.