Transfer from UMHS School of Medicine: Where to Continue Medicine in 2026

What is the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) and what does it teach in English?

The University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) is a private medical school in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, chartered in 2007. It teaches one programme, the Doctor of Medicine, entirely in English across ten semesters: four basic science semesters on St. Kitts, one semester in Portland, Maine, and 78 weeks of clinical clerkships at hospitals in the United States.

The school is state-accredited, and its programme is built around the United States system. Tuition, on rates effective September 2026, is US$18,550 per basic science semester and US$21,200 per clinical semester, with school, laboratory and insurance fees on top. That is the starting point for everything below.

Can you transfer from UMHS School of Medicine to another university?

Yes. Students enrolled at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) in Saint Kitts and Nevis can transfer to another medical university, and Medschool Experts organises that transfer. We are the leading specialist for study transfers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine, and we work with the world’s largest choice of official partner universities.

What a transfer is not: an application you have to file alone from an island with a five-hour time difference. We take the record, match it against the curricula of our partner universities, and come back with the highest entry year we can realistically secure. You stay enrolled at UMHS while we do it.

Why do students transfer from UMHS St. Kitts?

Students who write to us from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) usually name one of five reasons. None of them is a complaint about the school. They are questions of fit, money and career direction, and each of them has a straightforward answer in the Medschool Experts partner network.

• Total cost. Tuition plus island living plus travel to United States clerkship sites adds up, and a more affordable university frees the budget for the rest of the degree.
• Exam fit. Some students pass everything except one particular format. A university with a different assessment rhythm often solves that. We are specialists in exactly this situation.
• Personal and organisational reasons. Distance from family, a changed family situation, or something that simply makes staying on the island impractical.
• Career goal United States. The plan stays, the place changes — either another Caribbean school or a European partner university that prepares specifically for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK.
• Career goal European Union. Students who now expect to practise in Europe often prefer a degree from an EU member state, which is recognised automatically across the European Union.

Where can UMHS students transfer to?

Where a student of the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) goes depends on one question: where do you intend to practise? Students aiming at the United States can move to another Caribbean partner school or to a European partner university with structured USMLE preparation. Students aiming at the European Union usually move to a partner university inside the EU, whose degree is recognised automatically under Directive 2005/36/EC.

Medschool Experts organises these transfers to more than 25 partner universities in Europe that we work with specifically for this situation. Which of them fits depends on your record, your goal and the year you can realistically enter, so we check every profile individually and free of charge. We do not publish lists of accepting universities. A study transfer is a complex undertaking. Our experts have almost 10 years of experience in study transfers worldwide, which is why they plan and carry it out confidently. The consultation is free.

A medical degree from a European Union member state falls under the European system of professional recognition. A degree from outside the European Union is assessed individually by the country where you want to practise, and we plan that step with you before you move. The Caribbean-wide picture is in our Caribbean study transfer guide.

How much can a UMHS student save by transferring?

Tuition at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) is US$18,550 per basic science semester and US$21,200 per clinical semester on rates effective September 2026. Three semesters run per calendar year. At our European partner universities, English-taught Medicine starts from €1,750 tuition per semester, so from €3,500 per year (2026).

US dollar figures converted at 1 EUR = 1.1537 USD (September 2026). Living costs on St. Kitts and during the United States clerkship phase are not included here — ask the university for its own estimate.

A worked example. A student with three calendar years of clinical semesters still ahead would pay roughly €55,100 a year in tuition alone at UMHS rates. At our European partner universities, tuition for the same year starts from €3,500. The gap is large. It is also only half the decision — the other half is where the degree takes you.

Which year can you enter after leaving UMHS?

There is no fixed ceiling. Students transferring from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) are placed according to what their record actually shows, and we frequently achieve high placements, often year 4 or year 5. Every case is reviewed individually, and the aim is always the highest possible entry with no or minimal loss of time.

The rule of thumb we work with: usually no more than two examinations may still be outstanding, and their credit weight has to stay below a maximum. Within that, the ten-semester UMHS structure translates well, because the basic science block is dense and documented semester by semester. What your own transcript is worth is settled in the record review, not by a formula on a website.

How does a transfer from UMHS work with Medschool Experts?

A transfer from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) runs in four steps with Medschool Experts: a free consultation, a review of your academic record, a placement offer naming the university and entry year, and the switch itself. You stay enrolled at UMHS until the new place is confirmed. That order matters.

We do not publish document checklists or application procedures here, because they differ by university and by year, and an out-of-date list helps nobody. Send us your situation instead. We check your profile against the partner network and tell you what is realistic for you, in plain terms. See how we work in our services, and read what students say in their own stories.

How do UMHS students keep a United States career in view after a transfer?

Students at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) already aim at the United States system, and a transfer does not have to change that. Two routes keep the plan intact: another Caribbean partner medical school, or one of our European partner universities that prepare students specifically for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK.

Those European programmes teach in small groups and have a limited number of places, so timing decides more than anything else. Whether such a place fits your record is something we check individually and free of charge. A study transfer is a complex undertaking. Our experts have almost 10 years of experience in study transfers worldwide, which is why they plan and carry it out confidently. The consultation is free.

One practical point for any United States plan: eligibility for the USMLE depends on the medical school being listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools with the sponsor note the ECFMG requires. We check that for every university we propose to you, before you move.

When should UMHS students start planning a transfer?

Earlier than most people think. Students of the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) get the best entry year when their record is complete and their enrolment is intact, so the moment a transfer becomes a serious thought is the moment to have it reviewed — not after a semester has been left half-finished.

Two things run on the calendar rather than on your decision: intake dates at the receiving universities, and the limited places in programmes with structured USMLE preparation. Both reward early movers. A record review costs nothing and commits you to nothing, and knowing your realistic entry year makes the choice to stay just as easy as the choice to go. Book a free consultation when you want that clarity.