Accreditation certifies that a medical school has met the educational standards that allows students to sit the USMLE, match into US residencies, and eventually become a licensed physician.
SGU School of Medicine is accredited by the Grenada Medical and Dental Council (GMDC).
Is St. George’s University’s School of Medicine accredited?
Yes, St. George’s University School of Medicine (SGUSOM) is accredited by the GMDC. The US Department of Education’s National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA), has deemed the Grenada Medical and Dental Council’s (GMDC) accreditation standards to be comparable to those utilized in the United States.
Did St. George‘s University lose its School of Medicine accreditation?
No, SGU is accredited by the Grenada Medical and Dental Council (GMDC). The U.S. Department of Education’s National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) deemed GMDC to be comparable to the U.S. Liaison Committee of Medical Education (LCME) medical accreditation system, ensuring continued student eligibility to participate in the U.S. Department of Education student loan program.
Can SGU graduates practice in the US?
Yes, SGU graduates are eligible to apply for licensure to practice medicine in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, and beyond. In fact, SGU has more than 18,000 School of Medicine graduates in the US and around the world.
Can SGU students sit the USMLE?
Yes, SGU students are eligible for certification from the Educational Committee for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), which is required to sit for the USMLE.
Are SGU students entitled to receive federal loans under US Title IV?
Yes, the US Department of Education’s National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA), has deemed the Grenada Medical and Dental Council’s (GMDC) accreditation standards to be comparable to those utilized in the United States which allows MD students at St. George’s University School of Medicine (SGUSOM) to qualify for government sponsored loans.
Is the Grenada Medical and Dental Council (GMDC) approved by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME)?
GMDC has applied for recognition with the WFME and expects to receive it well before 2024.
Based on the U.S. DOE’s 2019 rigorous review of the GMDC, and the successful outcome demonstrating comparability to U.S. medical school accreditation standards, we are confident that GMDC is taking every step necessary to receive WFME approval. GMDC states on its website: By letter dated October 31, 2020, WFME notified GMDC that it is “eligible for the WFME Recognition of Accreditation Programme” and GMDC can proceed with its application.
Starting in 2024, individuals applying for ECFMG certification must be a student or graduate of a medical school that is accredited by an accrediting agency that is officially recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). The WFME recognition process will be accepted by ECFMG for the recognition of medical school accrediting agencies beginning in 2024, based on this new requirement.
This change impacts all international medical schools and medical school accrediting agencies. Agencies that are currently approved by WFME will need to maintain, and in some cases, renew, their recognition status prior to 2024, and other agencies are in the process of pursuing WFME recognition. Medical schools need to be accredited by, and in good standing with, a WFME-recognized accreditor by 2024 in order for their graduates to be eligible for ECFMG certification and licensure in the United States.
Do medical schools require multiple accreditations?
No, multiple accreditations are not a requirement to be as accredited as a school of medicine.
The Grenada Medical and Dental Council (GMDC) is St. George’s University School of Medicine’s (SGUSOM) primary and sole accreditor. The GMDC was recognized in 2019 by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) as an accreditor whose standards are comparable to U.S. medical school accreditors – ensuring continued student access to the U.S. Department of Education Title IV student loan program. GMDC was empowered by the Government of Grenada in 2017 to prepare to become the government’s designated accreditor for SGU’s School of Medicine.
Since 2019, the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) served as our secondary accreditor. For a number of reasons, including Grenada’s designation of GMDC as its official accreditor for SGU, and to ensure the school’s focused attention on the demanding process of meeting GMDC’s high standards, we voluntarily chose to withdraw from CAAM-HP’s accreditation process. Importantly, this change has no impact on SGU’s programs, ability to sit for the USMLE, match into US residencies, become a licensed physician, or access US DOE student loans.
In the future we may seek secondary accreditation, but only if we feel it is beneficial to our students.
Some US states or countries require additional approvals for recognition.
New York State Education Department
Approved by the New York State Education Department for long-term clinical clerkships in New York for seven years, subject to standard reporting requirements, in March 2015.
New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners
Approved by the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners to conduct clinical clerkship programs at SGU-affiliated New Jersey teaching hospitals and was designated as an alternatively accredited medical school by the Advisory Graduate Medical Education Council of New Jersey (AGMEC) within the New Jersey Commission of Higher Education as a result of legislation passed in 2003.
Georgia Composite Medical Board
Approved by the Georgia Composite Medical Board for clinical clerkships.
Medical Board of California
The Medical Board of California has included St. George’s University School of Medicine (SGUSOM) on its list of recognized medical schools.
Florida Commission on Independent Education
Licensed by the Florida Commission on Independent Education.
International Approvals
SGU School of Medicine has been reviewed and approved by the following bodies internationally:
St. George’s University is home to a thriving veterinary school, graduate studies school and arts and sciences school. Each has been accredited and approved by the appropriate bodies.
The Government of Grenada has recognized St. George’s University School of Arts and Sciences since 1996. The School of Arts and Sciences is fully authorized by the Government of Grenada to confer bachelors, masters and PhD degrees upon those candidates who successfully complete its academic requirements.
The US Accreditation authority for public health programs, Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), has granted full accreditation to St. George’s University’s Master of Public Health degree program through 2022. The program originally gained accreditation in 2010, and was re-accredited in 2015 for seven more years, the maximum term for re-accreditation. SGU is one of only a few non-US institutions approved by the CEPH to hold this coveted distinction.