Caribbean Medical Schools USMLE Pass Rates 2026: Step 1 and Step 2 CK

What are the USMLE pass rates of Caribbean medical schools in 2026?

In 2026 the leading Caribbean medical schools report USMLE Step 1 first-time pass rates between 79% and 91% and USMLE Step 2 CK first-time pass rates between 90% and 93%. The figures cover multi-year windows from 2020 to 2025 and are published by the schools themselves on their official outcome pages.

Four schools publish the most detailed outcome data. They differ in size, island and curriculum. They share one pattern: the Step 2 CK rate sits at 90% or above at every one of them. Step 2 CK is the exam residency programmes look at most closely since Step 1 became pass/fail in January 2022.

Two details deserve attention. American University of Antigua reports its figures for first-time test takers as of 31 December 2025, which makes it the most recent snapshot in the group. St. George's University breaks its figures down by student group: international students reach 93% on Step 2 CK for 2021–2025, Canadian students 94%. For students from Europe, the Middle East or Asia, these subgroup numbers are the closest match to their own situation.

What does "first-time pass rate" mean for Caribbean medical schools?

The first-time pass rate of a Caribbean medical school is the share of its students who pass a USMLE Step on their first attempt. Caribbean schools publish this figure for Step 1 and Step 2 CK, usually as a five-year average, because the first attempt is the one residency programmes see first.

First attempts matter. The USMLE transcript shows every attempt, and programme directors read it during the Match season. A school that reports high first-time rates is telling you how many of its students arrive at ERAS with a clean record. Multi-year windows also smooth out small cohorts, which is why Ross and AUC both report 2021–2025 together instead of one year at a time.

AUC adds a useful remark on its own page: the school calculates its rates from individual student results it receives. AUC also states that its Step 1 first-time pass rate exceeded the rate of all non-US/Canadian schools in each of the last five years, and that for students who matriculated in 2021–2023, Step 1 results were comparable to US MD students across key MCAT score ranges.

Which Caribbean medical school has the highest USMLE pass rate?

American University of Antigua reports the highest combined USMLE first-time pass rates among the large Caribbean schools in 2026: 91% on Step 1 and 93% on Step 2 CK for first-time takers as of 31 December 2025. On Step 2 CK alone, AUC follows with 92% and St. George's University with 90% overall.

Rankings by a single number hide context. SGU's four-year MD programme with Northumbria University reports 96% on Step 1 for 2019–2023. SGU's Canadian students reach 88% on Step 1. The best choice depends on your background, your budget and whether you want the US, Europe or both. A full overview sits in our Caribbean medical schools ranking and in the list of best Caribbean medical schools for US students.

Our own partner is the University of Health Sciences Antigua (UHSA) in Piccadilly, Antigua. UHSA is officially accredited. Tuition is roughly 7,300 euros a year (8,500 USD) before our partner discount, and students applying through Medschool Experts receive a substantial reduction. Details on the UHSA university page.

How do Caribbean medical schools prepare students for USMLE Step 1?

Caribbean medical schools prepare students for USMLE Step 1 with NBME subject exams during the basic sciences, a dedicated review block at the end of the second year, NBME self-assessments such as the CBSE, and licensed question banks. Ross, AUC and SGU build these steps into the regular curriculum rather than leaving them to the student.

The details are concrete. Ross runs its Clinical Academy of Teaching and Learning, which writes an individual preparation plan for each student. Ross offers an 8-week Step 1 Rapid Synthesis Program, four NBME-style question sessions per week, five NBME practice exams and up to three Comprehensive Basic Science Self-Assessments. AUC closes its discipline-based track with a capstone course that includes NBME subject exams scored against national norms, seven volumes of Step 1 lecture notes and a question bank, and gives students one year of UWorld access for Step 1.

The logic is the same everywhere. Students sit exams in the official NBME format from the first semester. By the time Step 1 comes, the format is routine. Only the content changes.

How do Caribbean schools prepare students for USMLE Step 2 CK?

Caribbean medical schools prepare students for USMLE Step 2 CK through clinical rotations at affiliated US hospitals, NBME clinical science assessments, tutoring with physicians and online case libraries. Ross requires an acceptable score on the NBME Comprehensive Clinical Science Examination before a student may sit Step 2 CK.

That gatekeeping step explains a lot. A student who reaches Step 2 CK at Ross has already shown readiness on an NBME clinical exam. AUC uses its USMLEagle Prep programme with small classes taught by physician tutors, systems-based reviews and a personal study calendar. Rotations themselves are the main teacher: internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and psychiatry in US teaching hospitals, each closed with an NBME shelf exam. More on how these work in our article on Caribbean medical school clinical rotations.

How much does the USMLE cost in 2026?

In 2026 the USMLE examination fee is 695 USD (about 600 €) each for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK. Students testing outside the US and Canada pay an international region fee on top: 210 USD (about 180 €) for Step 1 and 235 USD (about 200 €) for Step 2 CK. Both exams abroad cost about 1,580 € in total.

Students of Caribbean medical schools register for Step 1 and Step 2 CK through ECFMG, and the 2026 fees apply to eligibility periods that end in 2026. The region fee depends only on where the exam is taken. A student who sits the exam at a testing centre in the US or Canada pays the examination fee alone. The USMLE and ECFMG certification route is explained step by step in our USMLE and ECFMG certification guide 2026. The full budget of a Caribbean degree is covered in Caribbean medical school cost.

Does a high USMLE pass rate lead to a residency match?

A high USMLE first-time pass rate is the entry ticket to the residency match for Caribbean graduates in 2026. AUC reports a first-time residency attainment rate above 98% for 2025-26 graduates, and SGU reports more than 800 graduates placed into US residencies in 2026 as of March 2026.

Passing Step 1 and Step 2 CK opens ECFMG certification, which in turn opens ERAS and the NRMP Match. Strong Step 2 CK scores then shape interview invitations. SGU reports a 92% US residency placement rate for its US graduates in 2025. AUA graduates matched into more than 137 programmes across 35 states and Canada in 2025. The full match picture is in our article on Caribbean medical school residency match rates and in how to match residency as an IMG.

Does USMLE preparation help with the German knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung)?

USMLE preparation helps Caribbean graduates with the German knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung) in 2026 because both exams test clinical reasoning on real patient cases, with internal medicine and surgery at the centre. A graduate who passed Step 2 CK already thinks in the structure the German examiners expect: history, examination, differential diagnosis, workup, therapy.

This is the follow-up question few people ask. What happens to all that exam practice if you later want to work in Europe? The format changes, the thinking stays. The Kenntnisprüfung is an oral-practical exam: the candidate examines a patient, presents the case and discusses diagnosis and treatment with a panel. Step 2 CK vignettes train exactly that sequence, thousands of times. Students who worked through NBME shelf exams in internal medicine and surgery bring a large stock of clinical patterns into the German exam room.

What has to be added is German. The route runs through a German B2 certificate, the medical language exam (Fachsprachprüfung), the knowledge test and then the Approbation, the full German licence. All of it is achievable, and the language steps can run during the Caribbean studies. Our guides on the knowledge test for Caribbean graduates and learning German during Caribbean medical school show how.

USMLE route vs Europe route: how do the exams compare?

For a Caribbean MD in 2026, the US route runs through USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK and ECFMG certification into the NRMP Match. The Europe route to Germany runs through a German B2 certificate, the Fachsprachprüfung and the knowledge test into the Approbation. Both routes start from the same degree and the same clinical training.

Many students keep both doors open. They sit the USMLE during the MD and build their German in parallel. The dual pathway USA or Europe shows how this can be timed.