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Caribbean Medical School Acceptance Rates: What Schools Publish
Caribbean medical schools rarely publish an acceptance rate. None of St. George's, Ross, AUC, Saba or MUA posts one on its own site. The closest official figure is Ross's: 3,635 applications and 1,676 admission interviews for its 2025 intakes, so about 46% of applications led to an interview, per Ross's facts page.
Rates of 40% or more circulate on other sites, but we could not find them on any school's own page, so we leave them out. This page sticks to what the schools publish, read on October 30, 2026, and what each number tells you.
What do Caribbean schools publish instead of an acceptance rate?
Four kinds of numbers, and only some schools post each one:
- Applicant and interview counts. Only Ross, of the five.
- Entering-class GPA and MCAT averages. Ross and AUC.
- USMLE pass rates and residency rates. All five. Our best Caribbean medical schools guide puts them side by side.
- Graduation rate. Only St. George's: 82% of students who began in 2018-19 had finished by September 2025.
How many Ross applicants get an interview?
Ross counts 3,635 submitted applications and 1,676 committee interviews across its January, May and September 2025 intakes, leaving out its MERP and MedOrigin pathways. That is 46% (our math). Ross does not say how many interviewees got offers, so the acceptance rate is lower than 46% by an unknown amount.
You also need your MCAT in before that interview. Ross and AUC both ask US applicants for scores before the interview. Check the MCAT test dates if you have not booked yours.
What GPA and MCAT do accepted students have?
Two schools publish averages for students admitted straight into term 1 in the 2025-26 academic year (September 2025, January 2026 and May 2026 classes):
| School | Average GPA | Average MCAT |
|---|---|---|
| Ross | Average GPA: 3.32 (prerequisite GPA 3.18) | Average MCAT: 493 |
| AUC | Average GPA: 3.35 (science GPA 3.15) | Average MCAT: 495 |
Averages are not cutoffs. Ross says it has no minimum GPA and no minimum MCAT, and reviews applicants as a whole. AUC adds that 44% of its first-semester students are 25 or older.
Getting in is easier. Staying in is the real test.
The schools say this themselves in their footnotes. Ross notes that not every student who enrolls sits for Step 1, because students must first pass the medical sciences curriculum and a school-approved comprehensive exam. It also says its completion rates may differ from schools that admit only the highest scorers.
So the number to weigh with any acceptance rate is how students like you do once enrolled. Ross is the only school we found that answers this by MCAT score.
| Entering MCAT | Passed Step 1 on the first try |
|---|---|
| 472-489 | Passed Step 1 on the first try: 79.6% |
| 490-501 | Passed Step 1 on the first try: 84.6% |
| 502-513 | Passed Step 1 on the first try: 88.0% |
| 514-528 | Passed Step 1 on the first try: 100.0% |
Read it with care: these rates count only students who reached Step 1. If your score sits in the lowest band, a retake may move you up a row.
Why one acceptance rate would mislead
Caribbean schools admit on a rolling basis for several start dates a year. Ross and AUC start in January, May and September, and both list December 11, 2026 as the deadline for January 2027. St. George's starts in January, April and August. Applying early in a cycle and applying near a deadline are different odds.
Some offers are also conditional on a bridge program, which a single rate would hide.
Bridge and extended-track programs at four schools
Saba runs a 15-week Gateway Medical Program for applicants with a conditional acceptance, who then join the next MD class. St. George's offers 5-, 6- and 7-year MD tracks beside its 4-year MD. Ross and AUC both point applicants to MERP, their Medical Education Readiness Program. Ask what share of each bridge class moves on to the MD.
For the full list of courses and documents, see Caribbean medical school requirements. For each school's MCAT rule, see Caribbean schools without the MCAT, and to check a school's standing, accredited Caribbean medical schools.
Practice the question a lower GPA invites
If your numbers sit near the averages above, expect this question in some form. Our Caribbean interview guide covers the rest of the format.
“Your GPA is lower than most of our students'. Why should we believe you will pass the basic sciences?”
Do not argue with the number. Name what caused it once, show the evidence that it changed, and end on the habit you will bring to term 1.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
My first two years I worked 30 hours a week to help at home, and my 2.9 cumulative GPA reflects that. When I cut back, my last 45 credits of upper-level science came out at 3.6, including biochemistry and physiology.
What changed was structure. I study in fixed blocks, I test myself every Sunday and I go to office hours before I am lost, not after. That is exactly how I plan to handle your medical sciences terms.
Sources: each school's facts, admissions and home pages, linked throughout and checked as of October 30, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the acceptance rate for Caribbean medical schools?
None of St. George's, Ross, AUC, Saba or MUA publishes one on its site. The closest official number is Ross's: 3,635 applications and 1,676 interviews for its 2025 intakes, so about 46% of applications led to an interview. See Ross's facts and figures.
What GPA and MCAT do Caribbean medical schools accept?
AUC's students entering in 2025-26 averaged a 495 MCAT, a 3.35 overall GPA and a 3.15 science GPA. Ross's students entering in 2025-26 averaged a 493 MCAT, a 3.32 overall GPA and a 3.18 prerequisite GPA, and Ross says it has no minimum GPA or MCAT. See AUC's student statistics.
Is it easier to get into a Caribbean medical school?
Getting in is usually easier than at a US MD school, because these schools admit a wider range of scores and take three classes a year. Staying in is the harder part: St. George's reports an 82% graduation rate for students who began in 2018-2019, while first-time residency attainment among graduates is over 98% at AUC for 2025-26 and 96% at Ross for 2024-25. How to compare Caribbean schools.
Why don't Caribbean schools publish acceptance rates?
AUC and Ross both run rolling admissions with three start dates each year in January, May and September, alongside conditional offers that lead into bridge programs. Because one annual rate would mix three intakes and multiple entry pathways, ask each school for its interview and offer numbers for the term you want.
What if my MCAT is low for a Caribbean school?
Ross publishes its Step 1 first-time pass rate by entering MCAT: 79.6% for scores of 472-489, 84.6% for 490-501, 88.0% for 502-513 and 100.0% for 514-528. A higher score or a bridge program before term 1 may be worth more than applying now. See Ross's table.