Top Caribbean Medical Schools for U.S. Residency Placements

What Matters Most for U.S. Residency Success

When evaluating Caribbean medical schools based on their residency outcomes, prospective students should take into account several interrelated factors that determine the success in matching. USMLE performance is the primary variable. Residency program directors put a lot of emphasis on Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores when screening applications of international medical graduates, and schools with good board prep support and high first-time pass rates produce graduates who are able to compete against U.S. medical school applicants. Look for programs that have USMLE preparation as an integral part of their curriculum rather than as an afterthought.

The quality of clinical rotation and its location are also factors that directly impact the competitiveness of residency. Students who do rotations in ACGME-approved teaching hospitals in the United States are the ones who get to learn about the healthcare systems, patient populations, and professional networks that the residency directors know and trust. Good performance in rotation leads to good evaluations and letters of recommendation from U.S.-based attending physicians, which are very important in residency applications. Schools that have good connections with hospitals and have clinical placement coordinators assigned to the students help students difficulty in getting high-quality rotation experiences.

Lastly, consider the support given by the institution for residency preparation as well. The top Caribbean programs offer the service of career advising which helps students to discover specialty interests, prepare competitive applications, rehearse interviews and also to go through the NRMP matching process. Some schools provide dedicated advisors, organize residency fairs, help make connections with alumni in different specialties, and provide mock interview programs. This all-inclusive approach allows the students to present themselves

Top 6 Caribbean Medical Schools for U.S. Residency Placements

1. American University of Antigua (AUA) – Best for Direct U.S. Hospital Partnerships

American University of Antigua excels in terms of U.S. residency outcomes owing to its distinct clinical training approach that integrates a remarkable collaboration with Florida International University's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. This joint venture, initiated in 2013, enables AUA students to undertake their entire core clinical rotations at FIU-linked hospitals situated in the Greater Miami area, which offers the same clinical training environment as that of U.S. medical students. Students who complete the doctor of medicine program at this college receive not only the degree but also a certificate from FIU which, in turn, enhances their qualifications for applying to residency programs.

AUA's residency success is evident through the placing of students in almost all the 50 states in the U.S. during the past twenty years of the university's existence, besides, a number of the alumni moving forward to become program chief residents. The 2024 class of the school managed to attain a first-time pass rate of 96.12% on the USMLE Step 2 CK examination, which is on a par with the best U.S. medical schools and a great deal higher than the average for international programs. AUA's full CAAM-HP accreditation continues till 2028 and it also gets state approvals from New York, California, Massachusetts, and Florida, which makes sure that its graduates are able to get licenses all over the U.S.

The teaching curriculum applies a U.S.-modeled, student-centered method that includes small group teaching and the use of advanced simulation centers. Students take a Basic Sciences Integration Course that is completely dedicated to their preparation for the clinical rotations and specifically for being successful at USMLE Step 1. In addition to the FIU partnership, AUA students are allowed to do their clinical training in more than 40 affiliated teaching hospitals and the school offers thorough career counseling to equip students with competitive residency applications and to help them through the match process efficiently. AUA's combination of direct hospital access in the U.S., superb board performance, and good reputation among residency programs makes it a top pick for the students who are determined to engage in U.S. practice.

2. St. George's University (SGU) – Best for Volume of U.S. Residency Placements

Over the course of eleven years, St. George's University in Grenada has consistently been the top medical school in the world that places the most graduates into first-year U.S. residencies. This accomplishment is a combination of the university's large enrollment and its successful training of international medical graduates to face the match process that is competitive. Based on data from the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), more than 10,700 SGU alumni possess medical licenses in the U.S., which makes it the foreign school with the highest number of licensed doctors in the U.S.

According to SGU, it has averaged a 94% residency placement rate for the match cycles from 2020 to 2024, and its graduates have already entered a wide range of specialties, from primary care to even surgical fields that are quite competitive. The clinical rotation network of the school includes more than 85 hospitals and health systems in the US, Canada, and the UK giving the students diverse training experiences and the chance to create relationships with residency programs in different regions.

The network is so vast that it has the 17 hospitals in New York State as the school's affiliate after the renewal of the NYSED approval for 2023. SGU presently has a flexible program pathway that includes four years, five years, six years, and even seven-year tracks to cater to students coming from different educational backgrounds all over the world. The school keeps its continuous accreditation by the Grenada Medical and Dental Council which was awarded World Federation for Medical Education recognition until 2032.

WFME recognition denotes that SGU medical students will retain the right to USMLE exams and U.S. residency allotments even after the new regulations come into effect in 2024. The Office of Career Guidance and Student Development provides complete residency preparation support including specialty selection counseling, application strategy development and interview rehearsal.

3. Ross University School of Medicine – Best for Consistent Match Results

Among all the Caribbean Medical Schools, Ross University School of Medicine, located in Barbados, is the one that has established the strongest and most consistent residency match records so far. The institution claims that 96% of their graduates from the first round of residency were placed in 2025. This was done through 23 different specialties across four U.S. states and territories as well as Canada. Such an accomplishment, again, puts Ross on top of the four biggest Caribbean medical schools for the second consecutive year based on published residency rates.

The success of Ross's residency is attributed to a mix of hard core academic groundwork and huge clinical training opportunities. The students spend almost 20 months receiving basic science education on the Barbados campus before moving on to 90 weeks of clinical clerkships in the U.S. The clinical program consists of 48 weeks of obligatory core rotations together with all 20 affiliated clinical sites and access to more than 100 sites for elective rotations, all at ACGME-accredited hospitals. Such a wide range of clinical exposure gives students the chance to not only take part in but also to choose the specialties and areas where they want to work and to get to know the attending doctors who can later write strong letters of support for them.

The career services department of the university provides personalized guidance to students for the entire duration of their clinical placement. The advisors help the students to pinpoint their areas of interest, practice interviewing, edit their personal statements, and maintain a good awareness of the NRMP match schedule. Ross University School of Medicine has met CAAM-HP’s accreditation standards and also obtained state approvals from Florida, California, New Jersey, Indiana, and New York, which guarantees that the graduates are qualified for licensure everywhere in the United States.

Over half of Ross graduates choose to work in primary care specialties, but the university is also able to place its students in highly competitive areas like dermatology, general surgery, anesthesiology, and emergency medicine. Currently, there are more than 15,000 alumni of Med school Ross practicing all over North America.

4. American University of the Caribbean (AUC) – Best for National Residency Reach

The American University of the Caribbean located in Sint Maarten has a long list of graduates who were accepted into residence in practically all states of the U.S., which proves the versatility of the school's training and its high reputation among residency programs all over the country. AUC is confident that the future graduates for the 2024–2025 academic year who were active applicants in the NRMP match or who got positions outside the match will have a 95% first-time residency attainment rate.

The AUC curriculum has specifically been created to ensure students' success during U.S. residency. The program imitating the U.S. system considers USMLE performance as a key factor during the entire four years of study, with students carrying out rigorous board preparation next to their medical classes. The accreditation granted by the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine to the school means that the standards the U.S. Department of Education has characterized as being alike to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which accredits U.S. medical schools, are upheld. This status supports the credibility of AUC applications with the residency directors who assess the applications.

Medical sciences are studied for two years on the Sint Maarten campus where students are then allocated to the States or United Kingdom for 80 weeks clinical training in affiliated hospitals. All the clinical rotations are at ACGME-certified teaching hospitals, thus ensuring graduates have training that is acknowledged and trusted by the residency directors. AUC is recognized by the New York State Education Department and Florida for clinical clerkships in those states and graduates can apply for registration with the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom.

The school's educational environment is very caring and gentle with small class-size and faculty who are always available and willing to help students not only acquire medical knowledge but also develop the professional skills and confidence that are so essential to succeed in residency interviews and training.

5. University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) – Best for Personalized Residency Advising

The University of Medicine and Health Sciences situated in St. Kitts stands out with an outstanding emphasis on personal student triumph that finally results in exceptional residency appearances. The institution boasts a student retention rate of 96%, one of the very best in the Caribbean medical schools, implying that learners who enroll at UMHS are very likely to complete their studies and participate in the residency match. This significant percentage of graduates is an indicator of good quality instruction, all-rounded academic help, and keen awareness of student's requirements during the entire course.

UMHS places great importance on personalized advising and small-sized classes that make it possible for the faculty to get to know the students one by one and to give personalized support on the choice of specialty and residency training. The alumni have gained entry to the residency programs of 38 states plus the District of Columbia, Canada, and Puerto Rico, with the area of their strongest matching being primary care where the need for doctors is great. The school’s founding by Dr. Robert Ross, the man behind Ross University, is an asset bringing to the table years of experience in making the U.S. residency for Caribbean medical students a success.

The schedule at UMHS consists of three semesters per year, and this enables the students to finish the ten-semester program in a little more than three years. Students take the basic sciences at the modern St. Kitts campus and then move to the fifth semester of the school’s Portland, Maine, facility for Introduction to Clinical Medicine. The last 78 weeks of training consisting of clinical clerkships are held at 20 affiliated U.S. teaching hospitals. The school has partnered with Kaplan to include USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 preparation materials as part of tuition, thus going a step further to provide all students with access to organized board prep coaching.

UMHS has ACCM accreditation, which is accepted by NCFMEA, and hence, its graduates can practice in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

6. Saba University School of Medicine – Best for USMLE Performance

Saba University School of Medicine is probably the only Caribbean medical school with such outstanding USMLE results, which give the graduates a board score that residency programs directors value the most when assessing the applications of international medical graduates. In 2024, the students made remarkable gains by achieving the first-time pass rates of 98% on the USMLE Step 1 and 99% on the Step 2 CK, and such success not only placed them amongst the highest in the U.S. medical schools but also considerably over the average rates of the international programs. The 97% U.S. residency placement reported for the last three years (2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025) is a strong indicator that the quality of education is still excellent.

Saba University School of Medicine is one of the strongest factors contributing to Saba's success in board preparation and it owes its origin to the intentionally small class sizes, devoted faculty, and thorough approach to USMLE readiness. The institution has a testing center on-site that simulates the actual USMLE testing conditions and thus students are allowed to practice in a realistic setting. The instructors have regular office hours and provide personalized assistance, which makes it easy for the students to learn in a friendly atmosphere and to take the help whenever they like. Rather than considering it a one-time event, the curriculum integrates board preparation throughout the program such that the students are guaranteed to gain the necessary knowledge and test-taking skills for their triumph.

The site is located on the unspoiled Caribbean island of Saba, which is a special municipality of the Netherlands, and has received accreditation from the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders. The NVAO is acknowledged by the World Federation for Medical Education, and its criteria have been considered equivalent to those for U.S. medical schools by the NCFMEA. Particularly, Saba is the only Caribbean medical school that has attained the rigorous European accreditation standards. The students have to take 20 months of basic sciences on Saba, followed by an 8-week research module and 72 weeks of clinical rotations at the allied teaching hospitals in the U.S. and Canada.

Saba has also placed the highest number of graduates in Canadian residency programs compared to all other Caribbean medical schools, thus it is a great option for those students whose intention is to practice north of the U.S. border.

Take the Next Step Toward Your Medical Career

The Caribbean medical schools that are included in this list have been successful in making the students get U.S. residency placements. Different programs bring different advantages, and these advantages can be taken into account when deciding which one to choose, such as the AUA's alliance with FIU, the SGU's huge placement numbers, Ross's stable match results, AUC's nationwide presence, UMHS's tailored advising, or Saba's outstanding board performance.

The residency match is achieved only if you select the right school. Students who are opportunistic will come out on top in the USMLE examinations, perform well in clinical rotations, establish good relations with faculty and attending doctors, and present amazing residency applications. Schools in the Caribbean offer the best facilities for these students' successes such as teaching, clinical training, and different kinds of support services, but the individual effort and commitment are still the main factors. 

The fundamental processes for your research consist in checking the published outcome data of the schools, participating in online information sessions and asking present students or graduates about their experiences. While program comparison, consider the factors of your education, the way you learn, your budget and your career objectives.The perfect place to study medicine is the one which prepares you with a residency that will provide you a remarkable profession of U.S. patients’ doctor right from the beginning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Caribbean medical schools have the best residency placements? 

Based on the information provided by Saba University, the top Caribbean medical school, 97% of their students were able to obtain U.S. residencies within three years; Ross University for the class of 2025 assures 96%; AUC gives 95% for 2024; and SGU's average over five years is 94%. The different methods of schools' counting these numbers should be taken into account because their assumptions might be different. Some universities give first-time match rates, while others accumulate the rates of several years for applicants. All of these schools have outstanding residency performance that is either very close to or equal to the U.S. medical schools' rates.

How vital are USMLE results for Caribbean doctors-to-be applying for residencies?

The role of USMLE results for Caribbean graduates who will submit their applications to U.S. residency is very significant. Taking into account that foreign medical graduates have their applications more closely examined during the match, good board scores back up the claim of academic competence and readiness for residency training. Many residency programs establish score cutoffs as part of their application screening process, and the most popular specialties generally require higher-than-average scores. At present, Saba School with 98% and 99% first-time pass rates in Step 1 and 2 respectively, is counted among the most favorable medical schools in matching graduates.

Is it possible for physicians coming from Caribbean medical universities to enter the super-competitive specialties?

Indeed, Caribbean graduates manage to get into highly competitive specialties such as dermatology, orthopedic surgery, ophthalmology, etc., but still, this calls for extraordinary qualifications. High USMLE scores, outstanding clinical evaluations, research experience, and application to the "IMG-friendly" programs are the factors which can increase the chances of matching in the desired specialty. The majority of Caribbean medical school graduates go into internal medicine and family medicine, which are the fields with the greatest demand and the largest number of openings; however, excellent students can find their way into winning specialties.

What kind of clinical rotation experience are Caribbean students doing in the U.S.?

The most prominent among the Caribbean medical schools provide their students with a variety of clinical rotations in the U.S. at the hospitals that have been accredited by ACGME. As a rule, medical students are involved in 48 to 80 weeks of clinical training which includes the core rotations as well as electives in different specialties. The core rotations cover internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology, psychiatry, and family medicine. AUA medical school has created alliances that enable it to be directly connected to the clinical networks of U.S. medical schools, whereas SGU has a network of more than 85 hospitals that it collaborates with. During the rotations, students receive patient care training, and besides that, they are able to be in touch with the instructors, and receive recommendations, which are all necessary for residency applications.

Can medical school graduates from the Caribbean apply for residency in every U.S. state?

After passing the USMLE exams and going through a residency program that is recognized by the accrediting organizations, graduates of accredited Caribbean medical schools can opt for residency and licensure in any one of the fifty U.S. states.. The best Caribbean institutions have official recognition from important states, including New York, California, and Florida, which have distinct evaluation procedures for overseas medical schools. These recognitions imply that the graduates are qualified for the prerequisites of clinical clerkships, residency, and medical licensing in those states, which most other states usually accept their decisions.