Visiting International Medical Student Policy and General Requirements
This policy is for all medical students, including American and Canadian citizens, who attend medical schools outside of the United States and Canada, and whose schools are not accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
Legal restrictions of the University of Washington School of Medicine limit the number of international students who may enroll as visiting students.
For this reason, and others related to immigration law and malpractice insurance, the Office of Academic Affairs closely monitors the policies and procedures set forth below.
At this time, it is the policy of the School of Medicine not to accept international medical students for visiting elective clinical course work, except at the special request of a UW School of Medicine faculty member who wishes to sponsor the international student and arrange the clinical rotations for the student. Without an approved sponsor, international medical students may not apply for elective clinical course work. Typically such sponsorship by faculty is based on a pre-existing relationship with the student.
- International visiting students are limited to a total of twelve consecutive weeks of clinical course work. Due to limited capacity in the clinical curriculum, the School of Medicine cannot guarantee enrollment in requested electives.
- International visiting students must be in good academic standing at their schools and must be in the final year of their medical school training.
- Students from international medical schools who are not United States citizens must obtain student visas as part of the University of Washington’s admissions procedure. According to immigration law, neither tourist nor visitor visas are acceptable. Due to delays in obtaining visas, visiting international students must apply at least six months in advance of the desired clinical elective start date.
- International visiting students must register as a student at the University of Washington and must pay tuition during each academic quarter in which they are enrolled. This requirement is designed to allow students to be covered by University of Washington malpractice insurance. International students must pay non-resident/non-matriculated tuition. Each week of a full-time clinical elective is equivalent to two credits.
- Visiting international students must also provide proof of personal health insurance coverage, immunizations, and universal precautions training.
- International students for whom English is not their primary language must also show proof of English language proficiency. English language proficiency may be demonstrated by passing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination.
- Note: The University of Washington School of Medicine has special affiliation agreements with a small number of international medical schools—if your school has such an agreement with the University of Washington School of Medicine, special rules, other than those shown above, may apply—contact the Academic Affairs office if your school has a special affiliation agreement with UWSOM.
Procedure and Application Overview
Sponsor Letter to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs
Obtaining a letter from the UW School of Medicine faculty sponsor is the first step of the application process. It is expected that the UW School of Medicine faculty member and the student have some pre-existing personal or professional relationship. If a student does not have a faculty sponsor, s/he will be unable to pursue the application process.
The faculty member is required to write a letter of support to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs expressing his/her willingness to serve as the sponsor for specific international student and to arrange for the student’s elective clerkship rotation. The sponsor letter is a letter of introduction describing the nature of the faculty member’s relationship with the student, the student’s attributes, level of clinical skills, and suitability for participation in the elective clerkship(s) requested, and the faculty member’s willingness to take direct responsibility for the for the student and for organizing the elective clerkship rotation(s).
The sponsor letter is reviewed by the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs who will approve or deny the faculty sponsor request. The sponsor and student will both be notified of the Vice Dean’s decision. If approved, a letter will be sent to the faculty member and to the student along with the School of Medicine international student application forms and requirements.
Completion of Application
The student is responsible for completing required forms and for submitting all requested application materials in a timely manner. Once all application documents are received by the University of Washington School of Medicine, the full application is reviewed by the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and either approved or denied. In either circumstance, a letter will be forwarded to the student and sponsor notifying them of the Vice Dean’s decision.
Next Steps
The completed School of Medicine application materials are forwarded to the University of Washington for continuation of the application process, including input of student information into SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System).
UW School of Medicine Application Requirements:
1. Sponsor Letter:
The UW School of Medicine faculty member is required to write a letter of support to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs expressing his/her willingness to serve as a sponsor for a specific international student, and to arrange for the student’s elective clerkships. The sponsor letter is a letter of introduction describing the nature of the faculty member’s relationship with the student, level of clinical skills, the student’s attributes and suitability for participation in the elective clerkship(s) requested, and willingness to take direct responsibility for the for the student and for organizing the student’s elective clerkship rotation(s).
Since the relationship between the sponsoring faculty member and the international student should be established or pre-existing, the School of Medicine does not release faculty names or contact information or otherwise facilitate student sponsorship.
Note: The application process must be initiated 6 – 8 months prior
to the student’s desired start date.
The UW School of Medicine faculty sponsorship request letter should include:
a. A description of the sponsor’s relationship with the student - personal or professional, length of time, etc.
b. The student’s mailing address, e-mail address, and facsimile number if available.
c. Information on the student’s academic background, level of clinical skills, and other relevant qualifications.
d. A description of the elective clerkship(s) of interest and the desired dates.
e. A statement that the faculty member will take responsibility for arranging the visiting international student’s desired elective clerkships.
f. Sponsor letters should be directed to:
Tom E. Norris, M.D.
Vice Dean for Academic Affairs
University of Washington School of Medicine
Box 356340
1959 N.E. Pacific Street
Seattle, WA 98195
The Vice Dean will review and approve or deny sponsor requests.
The sponsor and student will be contacted regarding the outcome.
No application materials will be forwarded prior to sponsorship approval.
If the sponsorship is approved, a letter and copies of application materials will be forwarded to the student and sponsor. If the sponsor request is denied, a letter will be sent directly to the inquiring sponsor and to the student.
The sponsorship request and application process must be initiated 6 - 8 months in advance of desired visit dates. This is a two part application process. The primary half of the application process is with the UW School of Medicine. Once completed and approved, the School of Medicine will forward materials to the University of Washington which will initiate the second part of the application process.
g. Letter of Academic Standing – Dean’s Letter from the visiting student’s medical school confirming good academic standing and authorization to pursue the requested elective clerkships.
h. Two letters of recommendation from members of your medical school faculty dated within two years of the date of the School of Medicine application.
i. Medical School Transcript (in English, with official university seal).
j. Completed UW School of Medicine Immunization form.
k. Completed UW School of Medicine Universal Precautions form.
l. Proof of personal health insurance for the elective clerkship period. All students must be covered for personal health insurance while attending the University of Washington and must provide proof before they can be permitted to begin any clinical course work.
m. Proof of TOEFL Scores [these are required for any level of proficiency]
A satisfactory command of the English language is required for admission to the University of Washington School of Medicine. International applicants, who are not citizens of the United States and whose native language is not English, must meet the following terms and conditions: The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.