Updated
Best Caribbean Medical Schools: How to Judge Them (2026)
There is no official ranking of Caribbean medical schools. The best one for you is accredited by an agency recognized by WFME, publishes its USMLE pass rates, residency rate and graduation rate with clear definitions, and is approved for US federal loans. St. George's, Ross, AUC, Saba and MUA all publish these numbers on their own sites.
Below are five schools' own figures side by side, what each number does and does not count, and the questions to ask before you deposit. Every figure links to the school's page, read on October 30, 2026. We left out third-party rankings because none of them say where their numbers come from.
Five Caribbean medical schools, by their own numbers
Read each number with its window and definition. A single year is not the same as a five-year average, and the pass rates count only students the school allowed to sit.
| School | Accreditor | Step 1, first try | Step 2 CK, first try | Residency rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. George's University (SGU), Grenada | Accreditor: Grenada Medical and Dental Council (GMDC), through 2030 | Step 1, first try: 82% (US students, 2020-2024) | Step 2 CK, first try: 89% (US students, 2021-2025) | Residency rate: 95% US placement for US graduates (five-year average, 2021-2025) |
| Ross University School of Medicine, Barbados | Accreditor: CAAM-HP | Step 1, first try: 82% (five-year cumulative) | Step 2 CK, first try: 90% (five-year cumulative) | Residency rate: 96% first-time attainment (latest year) |
| American University of the Caribbean (AUC), St. Maarten | Accreditor: ACCM | Step 1, first try: 79% (2021-2025) | Step 2 CK, first try: 92% (2021-2025) | Residency rate: Above 97% first-time attainment (three years, 2023-24 to 2025-26) |
| Saba University School of Medicine, Saba | Accreditor: NVAO (Netherlands and Flanders) | Step 1, first try: 98% (2024) | Step 2 CK, first try: 98% (2024) | Residency rate: 99% placement (three years, 2023-24 to 2025-26) |
| Medical University of the Americas (MUA), Nevis | Accreditor: ACCM | Step 1, first try: 85% (2024) | Step 2 CK, first try: 96% (2024) | Residency rate: 93% placement (three years, 2023-24 to 2025-26) |
All five say their US students can borrow federal Direct Loans. Costs differ by more than $90,000, so see the cost section before you shortlist.
1. Is the school accredited, and is its accreditor recognized?
This comes first because it decides everything else. A school's accreditor should be recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) or found comparable by the US National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA). Intealth, which runs ECFMG certification, accepts those two, per its Recognized Accreditation Policy. NCFMEA comparability is also required before a country's schools can offer federal Direct Loans.
The five schools above use four accreditors: Ross uses CAAM-HP, AUC and MUA use ACCM, Saba uses NVAO from the Netherlands, and St. George's uses the Grenada Medical and Dental Council, which it says WFME recognizes through 2032. Our accredited Caribbean medical schools guide shows how to check any school yourself.
2. What do the USMLE pass rates really count?
Each school divides students who passed Step 1 on the first try by students who took it for the first time. The catch is who gets to take it. Ross says plainly that not all matriculants sat for Step 1, because students must finish the medical sciences curriculum and pass a school-approved comprehensive exam first. AUC requires a simulated Step 1 exam, and St. George's requires passing all basic sciences courses.
So a high pass rate can mean strong teaching, a strict gate before the exam, or both. That is why the next two numbers matter as much.
Ross's Step 1 pass rate by entering MCAT score
Ross publishes its first-time Step 1 pass rate by MCAT range for students who entered in 2021-2023: 79.6% for 472-489, 84.6% for 490-501, 88.0% for 502-513 and 100.0% for 514-528. No other school we checked breaks its rate down this way. It is a useful way to see where your own score sits.
3. What does the residency rate measure?
Every school here divides graduates who got a residency by graduates who applied that year, inside the Match or outside it. St. George's counts US students who applied to US residencies. AUC, Saba and MUA count active Match applicants plus anyone placed outside the Match. None of these rates start from the entering class, and few break them down by specialty.
Ask each school for a list of where last year's graduates matched, by specialty and state. Then read our IMG residency interview guide, because that interview is where the residency rate is won.
4. How many students finish?
Few schools put this on their facts page. St. George's does: 82% of students who began in 2018-19 had completed the MD by September 2025. Ross says its completion rates may differ from schools that admit only the highest scorers, because it admits a wider range of MCAT scores. Ask every school for its graduation rate by entering year.
Where do the clinical years happen?
After basic sciences on the island, students rotate at affiliated hospitals. St. George's lists 85+ hospitals and health systems in the US, Canada and the UK. Ross lists 18 core clinical sites in the US and 100+ elective sites. Saba and MUA each list more than 25 affiliated teaching hospitals and clinics. Ask how many core rotations are in the states you care about, and how long students wait between the island and the first rotation.
5. What does it cost, and will federal loans cover it?
St. George's lists $389,987 in tuition and administrative fees for all years of its 4-year MD. Saba lists $298,750 for students starting in September 2026. Ross lists rates per semester, and adding its posted tuition and fees over 11 semesters comes to about $346,000 before health insurance (our sum). Housing, travel and living costs are on top.
The federal loan rules changed on July 1, 2026. As St. George's explains, new professional students can borrow at most $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total in Direct Loans, and Grad PLUS loans end for new borrowers. At these prices, plan where the rest comes from before you enroll. Students who borrowed before July 1, 2026 may keep the old rules for a time.
Questions to ask each school before you deposit
We wrote these from the gaps in what schools publish. Ask them by email so you have the answers in writing.
- What percent of students who start term 1 sit for USMLE Step 1, and what percent graduate?
- What score on your internal comprehensive exam do I need before I can sit for Step 1, and how many tries do I get?
- How many core rotations are in the US, in which states, and how long do students wait between basic sciences and rotations?
- Is your accreditor recognized by WFME, and does the World Directory listing show the Recognized Accreditation Policy notation?
- Can US students borrow federal Direct Loans, and what is the full cost of attendance compared with the new federal caps?
- Which state approvals do you hold, and do they cover the states where I want to train and be licensed?
If you have no MCAT yet, check each school's rule in our Caribbean schools without the MCAT guide. Courses and documents are in Caribbean medical school requirements.
Practice the question every Caribbean interview asks
Ross, AUC and MUA all interview applicants before they admit them. See how six schools run theirs in our Caribbean interview guide, then try this one out loud.
“Why are you applying to a Caribbean medical school?”
Interviewers hear a lot of answers about rolling start dates. Give one real reason tied to your path, show you know what the school asks of you, and say why you will finish.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
I worked full time as a respiratory therapist through college, and my grades in my first two years show it. My last 60 science credits are a 3.7, and I have seen in the ICU that I can learn under pressure.
I looked at your Step 1 rules and your rotation sites before I applied. I want a school that holds me to the same exams as US students and puts me in US hospitals for my clinical years. I plan to treat basic sciences like a full-time job, and I already have a study group lined up from my post-bacc.
Sources: each school's own facts, accreditation, admissions and tuition pages, the Intealth/ECFMG accreditation policy and 34 CFR 600.55, linked throughout and checked as of October 30, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Caribbean medical schools?
No official ranking exists. Judge each school on its accreditor's recognition, its published USMLE first-time pass rates, its residency rate, how many students finish, and its cost. St. George's, Ross, AUC, Saba and MUA all publish these numbers and are approved for US federal loans. See MUA's federal loan statement.
Are Caribbean medical school pass rates comparable to US schools?
Not directly. Each school counts only students who passed its basic sciences and, at most schools, an internal comprehensive exam before Step 1. Students who left earlier are not in the rate, so ask how many students starting term 1 go on to sit. Read Ross's footnotes.
What does a Caribbean school's residency rate mean?
It is the share of graduates who applied for residency in a year and got a position, in the Match or outside it. It is not the share of the entering class. Saba reports 99% over three years, and St. George's 95% for its US graduates over five. See Saba's definition.
Can I get federal student loans for a Caribbean medical school?
At some. MUA says only seven Caribbean medical schools are approved for US federal student aid, and the five in our table each say their students can use Direct Loans. From July 1, 2026, new professional students can borrow at most $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total in federal Direct Loans, and Grad PLUS loans end for new borrowers. See SGU's summary of the new limits.
How much does a Caribbean medical school cost?
St. George's lists $389,987 in tuition and administrative fees for all years of its 4-year MD. Saba lists $298,750 for students starting in September 2026. Housing, insurance and travel are extra. See SGU's tuition page.
Do Caribbean medical schools have higher attrition?
Most do not publish attrition. St. George's publishes a graduation rate: 82% of students who began in 2018-19 had finished the MD by September 2025. Ask every school for the same number. See SGU's facts and figures.
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