Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

Overseas medical qualifications which may be accepted by the GMC

This page provides information on overseas qualifications which may be accepted for the purposes of sitting the PLAB test or applying for registration depending on the circumstances of the individual case.

1. Background
2. About the ‘case by case’ list
3. Qualifications which may be acceptable
4. My qualification is on the case by case list. What should I do?
5. Important notes

Background

If you wish to sit the PLAB test or to apply for registration with an overseas qualification you must satisfy us that your overseas qualification meets our acceptability criteria.

About the list of qualifications which may be acceptable

For the medical schools listed below we will need to ask for additional information and undertake additional checks to decide whether the qualification is acceptable. The acceptability of the qualification will be decided on the circumstances of the individual case.

There are a number of reasons why we may need to undertake such assessments and these include (but are not limited to):

Where we have information that the awarding body may accept transfer students who complete less than 50% of the programme of study in the country awarding the qualification or because the medical school
Where we have information that some of the medical schools listed may offer courses leading to qualifications which do not meet the criteria alongside some courses which meet the criteria.

Qualifications which may be acceptable

1. Antigua
- American University of Antigua
2. Aruba
- Aureus University School of Medicine. Formerly known as:
  - All Saints University of Medicine (until 2011)
- Xavier University School of Medicine
3. Caribbean Netherlands (formerly the Netherlands Antilles)
- Saint James’s School of Medicine, Bonaire
- University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine
4. Cayman Islands
- St Matthew's University School of Medicine
5. Commonwealth of Dominica
- All Saints University School of Medicine
6. Grenada
- Keith B Taylor Global Scholars program - combined MD programme between St George's University, Grenada and Northumbria University, UK (for their qualification to be acceptable for the purposes of registration with the GMC students of the KBTGSP must have spent at least one academic year of clinical training in Grenada)
7. Guyana
- American International School of Medicine
8. Philippines
- University of the East Ramon Magasaysay Memorial Medical Centre
9. Russia
- Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy
- North-Western Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov. Formerly known as:
  - St Petersburg State Medical Academy n.a. I.I. Mechnikov;
  - Saint Petersburg State Medical Academy;
  - Saint Petersburg Medical Institute of Hygiene and Sanitation and Leningrad Medical Institute of Hygiene and Sanitation
- Ryazan (Rjazan) State I.P. Pavlov Medical University. Formerly known as:
  - Rjazanskij Medicinskij Institut im. Akademika I.P. Pavlova until 1993
- St Petersburg State Medical Academy
- St Petersburg State I.P Pavlov Medical University. Formerly known as:
  - 1st St Petersburg IP Pavlov Medical Institute
  - 1st Leningrad IP Pavlov Medical Institute
  - St Petersburg State Medical University
  - Sankt-Petersburgsij Gosudarstvennij Medicinskij Universitet
- St Petersburg State Pediatric Medical Academy. Formerly known as:
  - St Petersburg State Pediatric Medical Institute
  - Leningrad Red Banner of Labor Medical Pediatric Institute
  - Leningrad Medical Pediatric Institute
10. Samoa
- Oceania University of Medicine
11. Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Windsor University School of Medicine
- International University of Health Sciences
- University of Medicine and Health Sciences
- St Theresa’s Medical University
12. Saint Lucia
- Destiny University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Formerly known as:
  - College of Medicine and Health Sciences
- International American University
- Spartan Health Sciences University (for courses commenced on or after 1 January 2009)
13. Sint Maarten (formerly the Netherlands Antilles)
- American University of the Caribbean
14. Sri Lanka
- Malabe Private Medical College (awarded by the South Asian Institute of Technology, Sri Lanka)
15. Tanzania
- Hubert Kaikuri Memorial University
16. Uganda
- Kigezi International School of Medicine
17. Ukraine
- Lugansk Medical University
18. United States of America
- Touro University of California College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUCOM) (this only applies to graduates who graduated on or after 1 January 2010)

My qualification is on this list. What should I do?

If you have completed your medical studies and your qualification and/or medical school is listed above and you are thinking of booking the PLAB test and/or applying for GMC registration please email your details to gmc@gmc-uk.org.

You must include your GMC reference number (if you have one) and full details of your medical school(s). Your enquiry will be passed to the team responsible for handling these queries who will contact you with further information.

Important notes

Where we need to assess your qualification we try to do it as quickly as we can. However, assessments can take some time, especially if we need to get information from a third party such as the medical school.

Where a qualification or medical school is not included on the list of qualifications that may be acceptable this does not mean that it will be acceptable. In all cases a qualification is only acceptable where it meets all of our acceptability criteria.

The information on this page is subject to change. You are advised to check these pages regularly for up to date information on qualifications which are not currently acceptable. Any application to sit the PLAB test or for registration will be assessed in line with the legislation, procedures and criteria in place at the time such an application is received.