In an ideal scenario, a medical student will enroll in a Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at their institution of choice and then complete the duration of their medical training at that school. But that’s not always the case.
Reasons students consider transferring to a different medical school will vary. Perhaps you are dissatisfied with the academic support you are receiving, or you are looking for a broader range of clinical training options. Maybe you’re just interested in changing schools for a more personal reason.
Whatever the reasons are, you’re now wondering, “Can you transfer medical schools?” The short answer is yes. But your ability to transfer will depend on several different factors.
Transferring medical schools: What you should know
While it’s true that medical schools can accept transfer students, it’s also true there are no requirement to do so. Guidelines set by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) indicate that each individual MD program will determine whether it will accept transfer students.
Your eligibility to transfer may depend on factors such as your academic performance, the amount of time you have completed in medical school so far and your performance on important exams such as the USMLE Step exams. Medical school transfer policies will differ by institution, so it’s good to check with each school you are considering.
For example, at St. George’s University (SGU), transfer students have several options for transfer:
- Entry into Basic Sciences (Year 1) – Students who have completed a small portion of their pre-clinical coursework at another medical school and who have not yet passed the USMLE Step 1 can be considered for transfer into SGU’s Basic Sciences Term 1.
- Entry into Clinical Training (Year 3) – Students who are in the process of completing or have completed their pre-clinical coursework at another medical school and are eligible to take or have passed the USMLE Step 1 can be considered for transfer into the beginning of SGU Year 3: Clinical Training.
Finally, it’s worth noting that eligibility criteria for students interested in transferring medical schools is similar to the criteria you encountered when applying to MD programs originally.
Your undergraduate GPA and MCAT scores will likely still be evaluated. But as a transfer student, admissions committees will also be looking to ensure you have no record of failures, or academic- or behavior-related discipline at your current medical school.
Make a smooth transition as a medical school transfer student
When all is said and done, where you choose to complete medical school can have a sizeable impact on your career trajectory as a physician. If your current medical school isn’t working out for whatever reason, however, all hope is not lost.
Many MD programs accept transfer students, provided they apply at the right time and meet the necessary criteria. Curious to learn more about transferring to the medical school that is the largest provider of new doctors to the US healthcare system?*
Visit SGU’s Transfer Student Page for more information.
*As the medical school graduating the largest number of students annually, SGU places the largest number of graduates into residency programs each year, based on internal SGU graduate and residency placement data as of May 2022.
