Transfer to a Caribbean Medical School: Credit & ECFMG Rules

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You can transfer to a Caribbean medical school with prior medical or premedical credits, and since March 14, 2025, ECFMG's transfer credit source restrictions no longer apply if you graduate from a school that meets Intealth's Recognized Accreditation Policy. Schools set their own advanced-standing rules: St. George's University awards zero credit for partial pre-clinical coursework and requires 80 weeks of clinical studies for Year 3 transfers, while Ross University School of Medicine reviews transcripts case by case for Medical Sciences or Clinical Sciences placement. Sources: ECFMG News: Update to ECFMG's Transfer Credit Policy (March 14, 2025), ECFMG 2026 Information Booklet: Policy on Transfer Credits, ECFMG 2026 Information Booklet: Transcript(s) to Document Transferred Credits. Last checked November 3, 2026.

How Caribbean medical school credit transfers work

When you apply to a Caribbean medical school with prior credits, the admissions committee separates undergraduate prerequisites from medical school coursework. Undergraduate science courses satisfy general admission prerequisites for a four-year MD program, or apply toward the pre-medical portion of a multi-year track. Medical school courses taken at another institution are evaluated as transfer credits toward the MD degree itself.

According to the ECFMG 2026 Information Booklet (updated January 9, 2026), transfer credits are defined as credits earned for a course taken at one institution that are accepted by a medical school toward meeting its degree requirements. For example, if you finish one year of medical school and earn credit for 12 courses, and your new medical school counts those 12 courses toward your MD degree, ECFMG treats all 12 as transfer credits.

Schools that accept transfer applicants divide entry points into two stages: Basic Sciences (Years 1 and 2) and Clinical Sciences (Year 3). Where you land depends on whether you have finished your pre-clinical curriculum at an accredited medical school and whether you have taken or passed USMLE Step 1. If you are preparing for a transfer admissions interview, Confetto runs AI mock interviews that help you practice explaining your academic history and transfer motivation. Start your free week.

SGU vs. Ross Med transfer and advanced standing policies

St. George's University School of Medicine (SGUSOM) and Ross University School of Medicine (Ross Med) publish very different rules for applicants who have completed part of their pre-clinical coursework elsewhere. SGU does not grant advanced standing for partial basic sciences, while Ross Med evaluates prior medical or premedical coursework for placement into either phase of its curriculum.

At SGU, students who have completed a portion of their pre-clinical coursework at another medical school and have not yet attempted USMLE Step 1 can be considered only for Basic Sciences Term 1. Under the SGUSOM Transfer and Advanced Standing Policy in the school's catalog, advanced standing is not granted for Term 1 entry, no credit is awarded for prior medical school coursework, and accepted students must complete the full Basic Sciences curriculum.

For Year 3 Clinical Training at SGU, you must have completed, or be in the process of completing, your pre-clinical coursework within a four-year medical curriculum at an accredited medical school. You must also be eligible to take USMLE Step 1 for the first time or have passed USMLE Step 1 on your first attempt, and you must pass Step 1 before matriculating into Year 3. Once admitted to Year 3, you must complete SGU's full 80-week clinical curriculum of core clerkships, additional required rotations, and electives. SGU also states in its catalog that it has not entered into any articulation agreement under which another institution agrees to accept credits earned at SGU, and that the transferability of credits earned at SGU is entirely at the discretion of the accepting institution.

Ross Med welcomes U.S., Canadian, and international transfer applicants from accredited medical or premedical programs into either its Medical Sciences or Clinical Sciences curriculum. The Admissions Committee individually reviews your completed coursework, academic performance, and USMLE scores (if available) to decide your entry point and eligible course credit recognition.

If you transfer into Ross Med's Clinical Sciences curriculum, the school offers single-location clinical tracks for Year 3 core rotations so you can stay in one geographic area. Ross Med places clinical transfer students into one of two tracks depending on USMLE status:

Clinical transfer with a current USMLE Step score: After Admissions Committee review and admission, you must register for and complete the next available 4-week hospital medicine clerkship at Cleveland Clinic Florida before starting the core clerkships program.
Clinical transfer without a USMLE Step score: Following Admissions Committee review, Ross Med determines your curriculum placement while you prepare for USMLE Step 1. After you pass Step 1, you must complete the 4-week hospital medicine clerkship at Cleveland Clinic Florida before progressing to core clerkships.

Official transfer policies at St. George's University and Ross University School of Medicine
Policy area	St. George's University (SGUSOM)	Ross University School of Medicine (Ross Med)
Basic Sciences (Years 1-2) transfer credit	None. Students with partial pre-clinical coursework and no Step 1 attempt enter at Basic Sciences Term 1 with zero prior credit.	Yes. Individual review of completed coursework and grades for Medical Sciences placement and credit recognition.
Clinical Sciences (Year 3) eligibility	Completed (or completing) pre-clinical coursework in a 4-year curriculum at an accredited medical school.	Qualified applicants from accredited medical programs, reviewed individually by the Admissions Committee.
USMLE Step 1 rule for clinical entry	Must be eligible for first attempt or have passed on first attempt. Must pass Step 1 prior to Year 3 matriculation.	Two tracks: enter with a current Step score, or enter curriculum placement to prepare for and pass Step 1 first.
Clinical curriculum requirement	80 weeks of clinical studies (core clerkships, additional required rotations, and electives).	Must complete a 4-week hospital medicine clerkship at Cleveland Clinic Florida before starting core clerkships.
Entry terms per year	January, April, August	January, May, September (2027 starts: Jan 11, May 10, Sept 6)

ECFMG transfer credit policy and the 2025/2026 accreditation update

Every international medical graduate (IMG) who wants to enter a U.S. residency program must earn ECFMG Certification. On March 14, 2025, ECFMG announced a major change to its Policy on Transfer Credits.

Under the updated policy, ECFMG's strict criteria for acceptable transfer credits no longer apply to applicants who graduate (or will graduate) from a medical school that meets the requirements of Intealth's Recognized Accreditation Policy. According to ECFMG, medical schools currently accredited by an agency recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) or the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) satisfy the Recognized Accreditation Policy. You can read more about how these agencies evaluate schools in our guide to accredited Caribbean medical schools.

What has not changed is the mandatory disclosure rule. Even when you graduate from a school that meets the Recognized Accreditation Policy, you must disclose and document every credit transferred to your degree-granting medical school when you submit your Application for ECFMG Certification, regardless of when the credits were earned. Failure to disclose and document transfer credits can delay your application evaluation and result in a finding of irregular behavior, which leaves a permanent annotation on your ECFMG record.

If your degree-granting medical school does not meet Intealth's Recognized Accreditation Policy, your transferred credits must meet all three of ECFMG's standard criteria:

Source of credits: All credits must be transferred from a medical school located in the United States or Canada and listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (World Directory), or listed in the World Directory with an ECFMG Sponsor Note stating it meets ECFMG eligibility requirements.
Passed courses only: Credits must be for courses that you passed at the medical school where you took them.
Single-transfer limit: Credits may only be transferred from one medical school to the medical school that awards your final degree.

Exceptions, pre-medical credits, and ECFMG transcript rules

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If your medical school does not meet the Recognized Accreditation Policy and your transfer credits do not satisfy all three criteria above, you do not meet the requirements for ECFMG Certification. However, ECFMG notes that you may request an exception from the ECFMG Medical Education Credentials Committee.

ECFMG also separates pre-medical credits from medical school credits. The rule requiring credits to come from an eligible medical school does not apply to credits transferred only to the pre-medical portion of your degree-granting medical school's curriculum. If you transferred credits into the pre-medical portion from an institution that does not meet the medical school criteria, you must provide ECFMG with an official letter from the medical school that awarded (or will award) your degree. That letter must be on the medical school's letterhead, be signed by an authorized official, confirm that the credits were transferred only to the pre-medical portion of the curriculum, and be submitted along with your examination application.

To document any transferred credits for ECFMG Certification, you must follow strict transcript rules:

Submit a copy of an official transcript issued by the school or institution where the course was taken as part of your Application for ECFMG Certification.
Provide the transcript in its original language. If it is not in English, attach an official English translation that meets ECFMG translation requirements.
Do not submit professional transcript evaluations. ECFMG explicitly states that it does not accept professional evaluations in lieu of your official transcript.
Check that the name on your transfer transcript matches your ECFMG name of record exactly. If it does not match, you must submit documentation verifying that the name on the transcript is (or was) your name.

Because your ECFMG transfer credit flexibility depends on whether your receiving school satisfies Intealth's Recognized Accreditation Policy, verify the school's status before you submit an application or seat deposit.

In the Caribbean, the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and launched in Jamaica on July 14, 2004, to prescribe standards and accredit medical programs. Ross Med notes on its admissions requirements page that it is accredited by CAAM-HP. SGU states on its School of Medicine overview page that its MD program is accredited and offers 5-, 6-, and 7-year MD tracks alongside its 4-year MD program.

ECFMG gives a simple step-by-step method to confirm whether any school meets the Recognized Accreditation Policy:

Open the World Directory of Medical Schools (wdoms.org) and search for the medical school where you plan to finish your degree.
Click the Sponsor Notes tab on the school's World Directory listing.
Check for an ECFMG Sponsor Note confirming that the school's students and graduates are eligible to apply for ECFMG Certification and examination.
Look directly below the ECFMG Sponsor Note. If the school meets Intealth's Recognized Accreditation Policy, a specific note stating that the school meets the requirements of the policy will appear there.

Prerequisites, application checklist, and 2026-2027 deadlines

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Even when you apply as a transfer student, you must submit undergraduate transcripts and meet baseline admissions requirements. You can compare how schools evaluate applicants in our guides to Caribbean medical school requirements and Caribbean medical school acceptance rates.

At SGU, there is no application fee, and you can start an application using the SGU online portal or an existing AMCAS, AACOMAS, or TMDSAS application. SGU requires official transcripts from every college, university, and professional school you have attended, two letters of recommendation, and MCAT scores.

At Ross Med, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree or higher upon admission and complete the required prerequisite coursework before starting the first semester: two semesters of inorganic or general chemistry, one semester of organic chemistry, two semesters of general biology or zoology, one semester of physics or one semester (three semester hours) of college-level mathematics (preferably calculus or statistics), and two semesters of English if you did not attend an English-instruction institution. Ross Med requires U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents to submit MCAT scores prior to the admissions interview, though it sets no minimum MCAT or GPA cutoff.

For the 2027 calendar year, Ross Med lists three start dates and application deadlines on its admissions requirements page:

January 2027 semester: Starts January 11, 2027. Apply by December 11, 2026.
May 2027 semester: Starts May 10, 2027. Apply by April 16, 2027.
September 2027 semester: Starts September 6, 2027. Apply by August 13, 2027.

Step-by-step checklist for transfer applicants (our plan)

Use this six-step checklist written by our team to keep your school applications and future ECFMG paperwork aligned from day one.

1. Verify the World Directory Sponsor Note first: Look up your target school in the World Directory of Medical Schools and confirm both its ECFMG Sponsor Note and the Recognized Accreditation Policy note below it.
2. Map your USMLE Step 1 status against school rules: If you have partial pre-clinical credits and have not taken Step 1, note that SGU will require you to start at Basic Sciences Term 1 with no prior credit, whereas Ross Med will evaluate your transcript for Medical Sciences credit.
3. Request official transcripts from every institution: Order official transcripts from all undergraduate colleges and medical schools you attended. Keep an official copy from your prior medical school ready for ECFMG, and do not pay for a third-party credential evaluation for ECFMG since ECFMG rejects them.
4. Check name consistency across all records: Confirm that your legal name on your prior medical school transcript matches your passport and MyIntealth record letter for letter.
5. Get a letterhead confirmation for pre-medical transfers: If any non-qualifying credits are applied only to a 5-, 6-, or 7-year track's pre-medical phase at a school not under the Recognized Accreditation Policy, get a signed letter on medical school letterhead confirming they counted only toward the pre-medical curriculum.
6. Prepare for the structured admissions interview: Ross Med requires a personal interview consisting of multiple conversations with a trained admissions representative covering your motivation, decision-making process, academic preparation, and fit.

How to explain your transfer in the admissions interview

Ross Med states on its admissions requirements page that applicants participate in a structured personal interview made up of multiple interview conversations. The interviewer evaluates your academic preparation, decision-making process, career goals, and why the school is the right fit for you.

When you are transferring from another medical program, your interviewer will want a clear, accountable explanation of why you are leaving your current school and what you have changed to succeed in the remaining terms. Rehearse your explanation out loud with Confetto's AI interviewer so your answer sounds calm, direct, and forward-looking. Start your free week.

Practice question

Walk me through your decision to transfer medical schools at this point in your training, and tell me why Ross University School of Medicine is the right place for you to finish your MD.

See an example answer

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented. "After finishing my pre-clinical coursework and passing USMLE Step 1 this spring, I realized I needed a clinical education structure where I would not have to relocate every few months between rotations. At my current school, third-year core clerkships are scheduled across four different states based on lottery availability, and several sites had delayed start dates for my class. When I spoke with Ross Med's admissions team, two specific parts of your Clinical Sciences transfer pathway stood out. First, every clinical transfer student starts with a four-week hospital medicine clerkship at Cleveland Clinic Florida before beginning core rotations, which gives me a structured transition into U.S. hospital teaching teams. Second, Ross Med offers single-location clinical tracks for Year 3 core clerkships. Staying in one geographic area lets me focus all of my energy on patient care and shelf exam preparation instead of moving apartments every six weeks. I am leaving my current program in good academic standing with Step 1 completed, and I am ready to start the hospital medicine clerkship in the next available term."

It directly addresses the topics Ross Med lists for its personal interview (decision-making process, academic preparation, and school fit), states the applicant's Step 1 status clearly in the first sentence, and cites two real features from Ross Med's transfer page (the 4-week Cleveland Clinic Florida clerkship and single-location Year 3 tracks).

Frequently asked questions

Does St. George's University accept transfer credits for Year 1 or Year 2 basic sciences?

No. Under SGUSOM's Transfer and Advanced Standing Policy, students who completed part of their pre-clinical coursework at another medical school and have not attempted USMLE Step 1 can apply for Basic Sciences Term 1, but SGU grants no advanced standing and awards zero credit for prior medical school courses.

Can I transfer into clinical rotations at SGU or Ross Med?

Yes, both schools offer Year 3 clinical transfer pathways. SGU requires completion of pre-clinical coursework at an accredited four-year medical school and a first-attempt pass on USMLE Step 1 prior to Year 3 matriculation, followed by 80 weeks of clinical studies. Ross Med accepts clinical transfers with or without a USMLE Step score and requires a 4-week hospital medicine clerkship at Cleveland Clinic Florida before core clerkships.

How did the ECFMG transfer credit policy change in 2025 and 2026?

ECFMG's specific transfer credit criteria no longer apply if you graduate from a medical school that meets Intealth's Recognized Accreditation Policy (schools accredited by WFME- or NCFMEA-recognized agencies). However, you must still disclose all transferred credits and submit official transcripts from the institution where the courses were taken.

What happens if I do not disclose prior medical school transfer credits to ECFMG?

According to ECFMG, failing to disclose and document transferred credits can delay the evaluation of your Application for ECFMG Certification and result in a finding of irregular behavior, which adds a permanent annotation to your ECFMG record.

Does ECFMG accept WES or other professional transcript evaluations for transfer credits?

No. ECFMG explicitly states that you must submit a copy of an official transcript issued by the school where the course was taken, and that ECFMG does not accept professional transcript evaluations in place of an official transcript.