US PATHWAY
The US route works differently from the UK one. Medicine is not an undergraduate degree there. Students first complete a four-year bachelor's degree, take the required science courses alongside it, sit the MCAT, and then apply to medical school separately. This page sets out each stage, what it requires, and where SHIFAYA teaches.
You do not need to be in the United States to take this route. The American Diploma and Advanced Placement are taught in international schools across the world, and US universities accept applications from students studying in any country. What differs for international students is the medical school step, which is covered further down this page.
THE STAGES
What matters
Grade point average across all four years of high school, the difficulty of the courses taken, and performance in the sciences and mathematics.
Advanced Placement
AP courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Calculus and Statistics carry weight in undergraduate admissions and demonstrate readiness for a demanding pre-med course load. Universities differ on whether AP credit can replace a required medical school prerequisite, and many medical schools prefer prerequisites taken at university level, so AP credit is worth checking rather than assuming.
What SHIFAYA teaches here
Group classes in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics for students on the American Diploma and Advanced Placement courses.
Where this stands now
The test-optional period that followed 2020 is ending. Most Ivy League universities now require the SAT or ACT, with the remaining ones reinstating the requirement for the 2027 to 2028 cycle. Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown require scores, as do the public university systems in Florida and Georgia. A number of strong universities remain test-optional for now, including Duke, Vanderbilt, New York University, Michigan, Northwestern, Emory and the University of California system.
What this means in practice
The direction of travel is clear enough that planning around a score is safer than planning around its absence, particularly for international applicants, where a score gives an admissions office something comparable to work with. Policies change year to year and school by school, so the list to check is your own.
What SHIFAYA teaches here
SAT and ACT preparation taught in cohorts.
How it works
Most universities apply through a shared application platform, submitted alongside essays, teacher recommendations and a school report. Unlike UCAS, there is no cap on the number of universities a student may apply to, and each one may ask for its own additional essays.
Deadlines
Early Decision and Early Action deadlines typically fall in early November, with Regular Decision deadlines from the start of January. Early Decision is binding, which matters for families who need to compare financial offers.
Financial aid
International students are not eligible for US federal financial aid. Institutional aid for international undergraduates exists but is limited and varies enormously between universities. This is worth researching before a shortlist is built rather than after.
What SHIFAYA teaches here
Group workshops on application essays and on building a university list that matches the student's profile.
What is required
Medical schools expect a defined set of courses, usually including general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, mathematics or statistics, English, and increasingly psychology and sociology. Requirements vary by medical school, so the list should be checked against target schools early rather than assumed.
What is being assessed
Grade point average, and science grade point average in particular. Alongside academic work, medical schools expect clinical experience, physician shadowing, research, community service and letters of recommendation. These take years to build, which is why they are planned from the first undergraduate year rather than the last.
What it is
The admissions test for US medical schools. It covers biology, biochemistry, general and organic chemistry, physics, psychology and sociology, along with critical analysis and reasoning.
When
Most students sit it in the spring of their third undergraduate year, or in the summer before it. Scores take around a month to arrive, and most medical schools will not review an application meaningfully until the score is in, so timing decides how early in the cycle an application is genuinely competitive.
Preparation
Most students give it three to six months of dedicated work alongside their coursework.
When
The application system opens in early May and applications are submitted from late May or early June, for entry the following year. Secondary applications from individual schools follow within weeks. Interviews typically run from September to February, with decisions from March.
Rolling review
Most medical schools review applications as they arrive rather than all at once, so submitting early in the cycle is a genuine advantage.
Some US universities run combined bachelor's and medical degree programmes, often called BS/MD, which a student applies to directly from high school. A place at the affiliated medical school is held, conditional on maintaining a specified grade point average and, at most programmes, an MCAT score.
Two things to know before building a plan around them. They are among the most competitive admissions routes in the country, with very few places. And many require US citizenship or permanent residency at the point of application, which rules out most international applicants. A small number do consider international students. Each programme's eligibility rules need checking individually before it goes on a list.
THE TIMELINE
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Grades 9 to 11 | Build grade point average. Take AP sciences and mathematics where available. Begin clinical and community activity. |
| Grade 11, spring | SAT or ACT preparation and first sitting. |
| Grade 12, autumn | Undergraduate applications. Early deadlines in November, regular deadlines from January. |
| Undergraduate years 1 and 2 | Pre-med course requirements. Clinical experience, shadowing, research, volunteering. |
| Summer before year 3, or spring of year 3 | MCAT. |
| Undergraduate year 3, May onwards | Medical school application opens. Submit early. |
| Undergraduate year 3 to 4 | Secondary applications, then interviews from September. |
| Undergraduate year 4 | Decisions from March. Medical school begins the following autumn. |
Grades 9 to 11
Build grade point average. Take AP sciences and mathematics where available. Begin clinical and community activity.
Grade 11, spring
SAT or ACT preparation and first sitting.
Grade 12, autumn
Undergraduate applications. Early deadlines in November, regular deadlines from January.
Undergraduate years 1 and 2
Pre-med course requirements. Clinical experience, shadowing, research, volunteering.
Summer before year 3, or spring of year 3
MCAT.
Undergraduate year 3, May onwards
Medical school application opens. Submit early.
Undergraduate year 3 to 4
Secondary applications, then interviews from September.
Undergraduate year 4
Decisions from March. Medical school begins the following autumn.
WHAT WE TEACH
Live online group classes, taught by qualified doctors and healthcare professionals, with capped group sizes.
One to one tutoring is available across all of these where a student needs focused attention.
Programmes are quoted after your first consultation, once we know the subjects, stage and timetable a student needs. The consultation is free and carries no obligation.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Because medicine is a graduate degree there. Four years of undergraduate study come before four years of medical school, where the UK route runs five or six years from school.
No. Medical schools accept any major. What they require is a specific set of science courses, which can be taken alongside almost any degree subject.
Often it helps. The number of universities requiring scores is rising each cycle, and for an international applicant a score gives an admissions office a comparable measure alongside a school record it may not recognise. Check the current policy at each university on your list, since these change annually.
Yes, but the numbers are small and the requirements are heavier. See the section above. This is worth understanding before the undergraduate application, not after it.
Many families do, and the two routes need different preparation on different timelines. This is one of the more useful things to work through at a consultation.
Usually not. US universities are used to assessing a wide range of international qualifications and generally take a more flexible view than UK medical schools do. Individual universities set their own equivalences, so it is worth checking against a shortlist early.