Foreign Bachelor's Degree

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
1

Hi All,


I have a bachelors degree in Computer Engineering from Manipal University,India.


Ironically,some of you will recognize Manipal as one of the top universities of India for medical school.


Anyways, I am now in the US, and will be getting a green card soon. Since Im pretty much well settled here, I would like to study medicine in the US.


I’m given to understand that the fact that my bachelor’s degree is not from the US could pose problems to secure admission to some med schools.


Is there anyway around this?


I was planning to do Phy/Chem/Bio as a post bac as a non degree seeking student from a 4 year accredited university. Will that be sufficient US academic experience ? Or do I have to do a formal full time premed post bac program? Or is that insufficient too?!?


Can anyone advise on what can be done to get around the foreign bachelor’s degree issue.


Thanks,

2

Are you eligible for financial aid as a foreign student? That may determine if you declare a major or not. Financial aid deems you must declare a major, which means, at least on paper, that you are degree seeking.


By the way, welcome.

3

There is somewhere a list of accredited foreign institutions. If your degree is from there it will not matter. I think the US Dept of Education has a link to it.


Once you have your green card I think you can get financial aid. Again, the Dept of Education should be able to help with that one.

4

Thanks for the responses.


However, assuming that I don’t need financial aid, do I still have to do my bachelors again?


Or in other words, what do I have to to do to get US experience on my academic record?


Will a formal full time pre med post bac program achieve that?


Will a part time pre med post bac program achieve that?


What will ?


I’m not very keen on spending 4 years on a bachelors degree again just to get the US experience stamp on my academic record.


Thanks,

5

Dazed is a poster here with a foreign equivalent of an American bachelor’s degree and has an American master’s degree in biomedical engineering. Dazed posted somewhat a similiar questions here: http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?t…

6

It all depends on what your college of choice is willing to transfer.


For instance, where I am at now, yes I am pursuing a second bachelors, however that only means I need 30 credits to graduate from there. That can be done in 2 semesters full time if one is absolutely insane, but more realistically, 2 years. Given any post bacc program is going to be about two years, so either would be an option providing you don’t have to take all your gen eds again.

7

Some medical schools will consider a bachelor’s degree from outside the U.S.; others will not. Similarly, some undergrad institutions may accept your degree in order to allow you to take courses as a non-degree students and others won’t. I would start by looking at schools local to where you are now - check websites, call, etc. You are going to have to work hard to dig out the information you need to answer this question. I would not take the word of anyone except an admissions officer at a particular school - and you need to know that you won’t be able to apply what you’re told from one school to any other school. Good luck!


Mary