Is St. George’s a Good Medical School? (Major Pros & Cons)

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St. George’s University is a private med school and international University in Grenada, West Indies, established in 1976. It is an accredited Caribbean Medical School and is considered one of the world’s largest, introducing more than 18,000 graduates to the global healthcare system.

Its aim is to deliver high-quality med education, but it is not without controversy.

Let’s try to figure out what they really deliver.

Is St. George’s a Good Medical School?

SGU med school is a fine option if you are not a competitive applicant for US-based med schools. It is less competitive, and you’ll have a higher probability of acceptance. They accept applications continuously, the campus is stunning, your medical degree will be accepted in US and UK, and they offer good clinical rotation options and cheap tuition. But there are clear disadvantages. Caribbean med schools (SGU included) have low prestige, course difficulty, and questionable residency match records.

This article aims to take a closer look at all this, taking a deeper dive into SGU’s possible pros and cons.

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Interested in learning more about specific medical school pros and cons? Check out our Medical School Guides here – we cover all osteopathic (DO) and allopathic (MD) schools.

Why St. George’s Medical School? Major Pros

Less competitive and higher chance of acceptance

SGU is less competitive than US-based med schools, with an acceptance rate of 43%. Actually, it is one of the main reasons med students consider it, especially if they fear rejection elsewhere.

SGU accepts applications on an ongoing basis

If US-based universities have stressful application deadlines and rigorous schedules, SGU accepts applications on an ongoing basis. SGU admits three classes each year, and you can start in August, January, or April, and applications remain open until a few weeks before the term begins.

Great campus

St. George’s University owns 65 buildings on 42 acres of land, spread out on a peninsula in the southwest corner of Grenada in the West Indies.

Its great campus in Grenada offers students gym facilities, restaurants, and even an internal bus service.

Related: Med Schools By The Beach

International vocation

Med students in St. George are immersed in a culturally diverse and cosmopolitan environment.

SGU receives students from all over the world, and its graduates have gone on to practice medicine in more than 50 countries. Outside of America, it claims to be the number one international source of US-based doctors. 

Leading provider of residents in the US

The SGU School of Medicine claims to be the leading provider of doctors in first-year residencies in the US for the last 12 years.

Choosing where to study

Students can take part in their basic sciences requirements in the UK through the MD Program at St. George’s University of Grenada School of Medicine/Northumbria University.

Similarly, med students can complete their first year of study in Bengaluru, India, on a 5-year medical path.

Clinical rotation opportunities

SGU has more than 75 affiliated hospitals in US and UK, offering clinical rotations in both countries.

Internationally Recognized Medical Degree

St. George’s University offers MD degrees recognized in the United Kingdom and the United States.

USMLE

According to the university data, international students at St. George’s University had a 97% first-time pass rate on the USMLE step 1 in 2019. In 2020, more than 1,100 students obtained a residency at US Hospitals.

Tuition

Its $28,305 tuition makes SGU an affordable option compared with US-based med schools.

Why St. George’s Medical School? Major Cons

Low prestige

Like all the Caribbean med schools, St. George doesn’t have a good prestige. They are known as second-choice schools, and often their students have to work harder to prove themselves.

Related: Does It Matter What Medical School You Go To? (Explained!)

Cut-throat and competitive environment

Considering the University business model, there are a lot of complaints about the cut-throat environment among med students.

Now USMLE Step 1 is pass-fail, and proving yourself as a med student becomes even more challenging.

Difficulty

A lot of what makes a Caribbean school really hard is they have many checkpoints med students must hit to even sit for USMLE. Many students do not hit them and are being held back and taking two or more years to graduate.

Matching difficulties

Because of the issue with prestige, and the caliber of students, it could be more difficult to match from SGU into the more competitive residency positions in the US.

Potential loan debt

Failing to match into a residency could leave graduates out of the job market with considerable educational loan debt.

St. George’s Med School Data

GPA/MCAT:

In addition to the flexible entry requirements asked by the University, International students are not asked to sit for the MCAT. But they are encouraged to sit for the UKCAT to provide additional information on their academic and science foundation.

Students with an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.7. And a 3.5 science GPA and a 29 MCAT score automatically receive “The Chancellor’s Circle Scholarship.” This is a 1/3 tuition scholarship worth $94,500.

Match List

Despite the concerns online about the schools holding back many students, the fact is that SGU officially has a 93% of students matching into residency positions.

2022’s data shows matches in emergency medicine, internal medicine, pathology, surgery, pediatrics, and more.

Including top-tier programs!

What Are The Entry Requirements For St. George? 

St. George’s University offers flexibility in placement based on academic and personal history. The University receives students from any education system around the world and provides a 4-year program for those with a traditional baccalaureate degree and five, six, or seven-year programs for students entering with international degrees. Students with secondary school credentials are placed into the five- or six-year programs based on academic background and performance.

Is St. George’s a Good Medical School? Reddit’s Opinion

Here are some comments from Reddit which stood out regarding the pros and cons of SGU Medical School. 

Negative Opinion On SGU Medical School

It’s hard, and only a few make it through

I went to a caribbean medical school. 10/10 don’t recommend. I’m one of the few who made it.

– u/Jungkook_uWu

It’s tough to match

Honestly avoid the Caribbean. They are a shell of what they used to be and incredibly hard to match residency. You’re better off going MD/DO in the US or international before you even consider the Caribbean. I have heard nothing but terrible things from there.

– u/DrGally

Questionable business model

They have a predatory business model, and the reason they are off-shore is because they would not be allowed to operate like that here in the US. Also a lot of them just fail people out left and right for missing class or being ranked low.

– u/engineer_doc

Over time, Carib schools have gone from being a viable alternative for those willing to work hard, to a complete predatory money pit riding on past reputations.

– u/wheeshnaw

Obviously, we don’t endorse these comments but we do feel they’re appropriate to include in an article about the school’s potential pros and cons.

Conclusion: Is St. George’s A Good Medical School? 

SGU med school is an acceptable option if you are not a competitive applicant for US-based med schools. They accept applications on an ongoing basis, the campus is beautiful, your medical degree will be accepted in US and UK, and they offer good clinical rotation options and cheap tuition. But there are clear disadvantages with issues of prestige and educational difficulty.

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