Updated
Caribbean Medical Schools That Don't Require the MCAT (2026)
If you are a US citizen or permanent resident, the large Caribbean medical schools all require the MCAT: St. George's, Ross, AUC, Saba, MUA and Trinity. For the first five, which take US federal loans, federal law requires it. Several of these schools waive it for Canadian or international applicants, and a few smaller schools, such as Avalon, say they do not require it at all.
Below is each school's rule from its own admissions page, read on October 30, 2026, the law behind it, and what to check before you apply anywhere that skips the test.
Which Caribbean medical schools require the MCAT?
| School | US applicants | Canadian applicants | Other applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. George's (SGU) | US applicants: Required | Canadian applicants: Only if you have taken it or have a test date | Other applicants: Not required (outside North America) |
| Ross | US applicants: Required, before your interview | Canadian applicants: Not required, strongly encouraged | Other applicants: Not required, strongly encouraged |
| AUC | US applicants: Required, before your interview | Canadian applicants: Not required (may send UCAT, NEET or GAMSAT) | Other applicants: Not required (may send UCAT, NEET or GAMSAT) |
| Saba | US applicants: Required | Canadian applicants: Send scores if you have them | Other applicants: Send scores if you have them |
| MUA | US applicants: Required | Canadian applicants: Send scores if you have them | Other applicants: Send scores if you have them |
| Trinity | US applicants: Required, from the last 10 years | Canadian applicants: Encouraged | Other applicants: Encouraged |
None of these schools sets a minimum score in what we read. Ross says so directly, and its students entering in 2025-26 averaged a 493. St. George's MCAT code is 21303, per its admissions page, and it charges no application fee.
Why do Caribbean schools require the MCAT for US students?
Because of a federal rule. Under 34 CFR 600.55, a foreign graduate medical school taking part in the US federal student loan programs must require students it accepts who are US citizens, nationals or permanent residents to have taken the MCAT and reported their scores to the school.
That is why the rule tracks citizenship, not ability. It also gives you a quick test: a school that admits US students without the MCAT is not offering them federal Direct Loans. MUA says only seven Caribbean medical schools are approved for US federal student aid.
Which Caribbean schools say they don't require the MCAT?
These three state it on their own pages:
- Avalon University School of Medicine (Curaçao)
- Columbus Central University (Belize)
- Caribbean Medical University (Curaçao)
Avalon adds that it strongly recommends taking the MCAT anyway, because a higher score can qualify you for its accelerated MD track and scholarships. In place of the MCAT, these schools say they weigh your GPA, prerequisites, letters, personal statement and interview.
Check accreditation for each one yourself. Avalon names CAAM-HP and ACCM on its page, and CAAM-HP lists Avalon among its recently assessed schools. Columbus Central and Caribbean Medical University say they are accredited but do not name the accreditor on the pages we read. The list is not complete, since small schools change their rules, so treat it as a starting point.
What to check before you apply to a no-MCAT school
Three checks matter more than the test waiver:
- Its World Directory listing. Look the school up in the World Directory of Medical Schools and open the Sponsor Notes tab. The ECFMG Sponsor Note there is what makes a school's students eligible to apply for ECFMG certification, which US residency programs require of international graduates.
- Its accreditor. Under the Recognized Accreditation Policy, the accreditor should be recognized by WFME or NCFMEA. Our accredited Caribbean medical schools guide walks through it.
- How you will pay. Without federal loans, you need savings or private loans for the full program. Get the total cost in writing.
Does skipping the MCAT hurt you later?
The skills the MCAT tests come back in the USMLE. Ross publishes its first-time Step 1 pass rate by entering MCAT range: 79.6% for 472-489 and 88.0% for 502-513, per its home page. A school that takes no score cannot show you a table like that, so ask it for its Step 1 first-time pass rate and graduation rate instead.
If you still need the MCAT, when do you need it?
Before the interview, at the schools that say when. Ross lets you apply before you test but wants scores before your admission interview, and AUC asks US applicants for scores before the interview too. Both list December 11, 2026 as the application deadline for January 2027. Pick a date from our 2027 MCAT test dates list that lands scores in time for the term you want.
For averages and how schools use your score, see Caribbean medical school acceptance rates. For everything else you submit, see Caribbean medical school requirements.
Practice the question that replaces your score
Without a strong MCAT, the interview is where you show you can handle the science. Our Caribbean interview guide covers each school's format.
“How did you prepare for the science in medical school?”
With no MCAT or a low one, this question stands in for it. Name the hardest courses you took, your results and the study system you will bring with you.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
My strongest evidence is my last two years. I took biochemistry, physiology and genetics in the same year while working as a scribe, and finished them with an A, an A minus and a B plus.
I also did a full MCAT content review last spring. I build a weekly plan, I do practice questions every day instead of rereading and I track what I miss. I will use the same system from my first week of medical sciences.
Sources: each school's admissions page, 34 CFR 600.55 on eCFR and the Intealth/ECFMG accreditation policy, linked throughout and checked as of October 30, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which Caribbean medical schools don't require the MCAT?
For US applicants, St. George's, Ross, AUC, Saba, MUA and Trinity all require it. Avalon, Columbus Central University and Caribbean Medical University say on their own pages that they do not require it. Several large schools waive it for Canadian or international applicants. See Avalon's page.
Why do Caribbean schools require the MCAT for US students?
Federal law. Under 34 CFR 600.55, a foreign graduate medical school in the US federal loan programs must require its US citizen, national and permanent resident students to take the MCAT and report the scores. Read the rule.
Can I get federal student loans at a no-MCAT Caribbean school?
Not as a US student admitted without the MCAT. A school in the federal Direct Loan program must require it of US students, so a school that admits them without it is not offering those loans. Plan for private loans or savings. See 34 CFR 600.55(c).
Do Canadians need the MCAT for Caribbean medical schools?
Often not. Ross and MUA do not require it of Canadian applicants, and St. George's requires it only if you have already taken it or have a date. Saba and MUA ask you to send scores if you have them. See St. George's MCAT rule.
Is there a minimum MCAT for Caribbean medical schools?
Ross says it has no minimum MCAT score. Its students entering in 2025-26 averaged 493, and AUC's averaged 495. See Ross's requirements.
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