It never really crossed my mind before. I never really thought about how it would affect my applications. I have been contemplating doing a second degree but in CA because of the budget cuts this wont be possible.
I have a foreign degree that has already been evaluated and considered as a US accredited degree. When I applied for my PostBacc it was not a concern so I didnt ask about it. (I got in.)
I have absolutely No Science background and expect to finish my PB in about 2.5-3 years. Of course, this is with some upper levels like Biochemistry and Genetics.
I was wondering if I should just go to a private school to finish a second bachelors degree or ask my school if my PB can become a second degree.
I really want to get into an American school but I am not totally ruling out a Carib school. I just wanted some advice.
Thank you, in advance. 
There is another thread on this topic ongoing:
http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?t…
On another note, if you are willing to share info, I’d like to know the country where you received your undergraduate degree, the evaluation service you used, and if someone specifically informed you that your foreign degree is considered “US accredited.” I’m asking because those words have a very specific meaning. Want to caution you that “US-equivalent” is not the same as “US-accredited.” The “accreditation” thing really does not matter if you’re trying to get into a postbacc, PhD, maybe even law school. However, it’s a different story with a US-based medsch. The Carib should not be a problem, I think.
Most US medical schools require a minimum of 90 undergraduate credits and seem to indicate that these must be from a accredited US or Canadian school. Yet, most have conflicting or confusing policies on this. I am giving you a sampling from research I did for a group of post-bacc advisors and directors I meet with last year. Bold and Italicized indicates quotes directly from medical school web page
University of South Florida: "Does USF COM accept credit from undergraduate work in a foreign country? No. "
perfectly clear – absolutely not
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Albert Einstein: “Students who have earned baccalaureate degrees outside the U.S. or Canada are required to complete at least one year of formal coursework in the sciences (about 30 credit hours) in an accredited American college or university prior to making application to the College of Medicine. It is recommended that such students also take courses in English if it is not the student’s first language.”
perfectly clear – here is the mechanism in which to do so
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Stanford: “Applicants must have received an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time of matriculation”
perfectly open to interpretation. Do they mean only US/Canadian based schools? I was informed yes by admissions but also told they have accepted people with Oxford University England, Cambridge University England, Tokyo University Japan,
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John Hopkins: “Accredited Institution. All applicants must be or have previously been in attendance at an institution on the list entitled “Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education,’’ authorized and published by the American Council on Education, One DuPont Circle, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. … Preparation in foreign universities, in most cases, must be supplemented by a year or more of work in an approved university in the United States.”
Perfectly contradictory: The ACE list above lists only US schools yet mechanism for foreign universities is noted
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SUNY Downstate: “You must have completed at least 90 semester credits of study from a Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) regional accreditation association (e.g., Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools) college or university. "
(but in the following paragraph it says)
If you were educated abroad, a minimum of two full time semesters (one academic year) of college study at a CHEA regionally accredited college/university in the United States prior to application is required. In addition, you must demonstrate English proficiency, both verbally and in writing, if your prior medium of instruction was in another language. If a substantial amount of your education has been completed abroad, or if you have completed science prerequisites abroad, you are required to submit a course by course educational credentials evaluation from a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) agency, such as World Educational Services to enable the Committee on Admissions to assess prior academic performance.”
Perfectly contradictory:
(I should send off a slew of letters to office of general counsel of these schools for clarification)
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Lastly, in the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements), which has a summary in a standardized two-page format for each allopathic medical school, under “Acceptances & Matriculation Data” in the middle of the right-hand page, this question is asked and answered:
Applications accepted from International Applicants: which is followed by a yes or no
While this appears to be directed to residency status of international students currently studying at US institutions, it does raise the possibility that schools answering yes may accept foreign credits or degrees.
Hi there, we are in the same boat. I posted almost the same question just a couple weeks ago… if you click on Dullhead’s link above it should take you to that thread. It has a lot of helpful responses and links in it…
But just to add, I spoke to someone from admissions from UMASS SoM and i told her that i have a foreign degree… she said as long as I take the prerequisite courses in a US school then that should be acceptable. I then asked her, if I finished a post-bacc at say, Harvard Extension, would that be all the required credits I need to take in the US? She said as long as I have a bachelors degree (whether US or foreign) and the post-bacc program has all the prerequisites then it would be enough. (i know that UMASS requires 2 english composition courses in addition to the science courses so I would have to add that to whatever post-bacc program I take and Im sure having extra upper level science courses wouldnt hurt either). She also said to score at the very least a 10 in each section of the MCAT to be competitive. Oh and most important, you need to be a permanent resident/greencard holder.
I suggest calling the admissions department of whatever medical school you are interested in. Im planning to call some other schools for info but at least i am hopeful after hearing from UMASS.
Looking forward to seeing what you will find out. Good Luck!