Transfer from St. Matthew's University: Where to Continue Medicine in 2026

What is St. Matthew's University School of Medicine and what does it teach in English?

St. Matthew's University School of Medicine is a private medical school in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, founded in 1997 and teaching its Doctor of Medicine programme entirely in English. The Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine granted the school accredited status on 30 November 2024. Basic science terms run in Grand Cayman, clinical terms in teaching hospitals.

The school appears in the World Directory of Medical Schools under the entry St. Matthew's University School of Medicine (Grand Cayman). Intakes are offered in January, May and September. The published fee schedule of September 2026 lists ten terms: five basic science terms and five clinical terms.

Can you transfer from St. Matthew's University to another medical school?

Yes. Students who have completed semesters at St. Matthew's University School of Medicine in Grand Cayman can transfer to another medical school, and Medschool Experts is the specialist that organises it. We are the leading specialist for study transfers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine, working with the world's largest choice of official partner universities.

A transfer is not a fresh start. Your completed terms are read against the curriculum of each possible destination, subject by subject. Then we tell you the highest year you can realistically enter. That number is the whole point of the exercise.

Why do students transfer from St. Matthew's University?

Students leave St. Matthew's University School of Medicine for five ordinary reasons: cost, exam fit, personal or organisational circumstances, a United States career they want supported differently, and a career in Germany or the wider European Union. None of these is a complaint about the school. Each is a planning question with a different answer.

Cost. Grand Cayman is an expensive place to live and the published programme fees are substantial. Some families reach a point where the arithmetic no longer works. Moving to a more affordable university solves that without giving up the degree.

Exam fit. A few students hit a wall on one or two specific exams. A different exam format and a different pace often turn the same student around. We are specialists in this, and we help.

Personal or organisational reasons. Family circumstances change. Sometimes a student simply cannot continue where they are, for reasons that have nothing to do with teaching quality.

Career goal United States. Caribbean medical schools exist to help students into the United States system through the USMLE and United States clinical rotations. Some students want to keep that goal but pursue it from Europe. Mostar School of Medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only European university that prepares specifically for USMLE Step 1 in the preclinical years and Step 2 CK in the clinical years, in small groups, with a better teacher-to-student ratio than other European medical schools and only 30 places per year.

Career goal Germany or the European Union. Some students decide, mid-degree, that they want to practise in Europe. A degree issued in the European Union, or one from a university that prepares well for the German system, is the shorter road to that.

Where can St. Matthew's University students transfer to?

St. Matthew's University students transfer to three kinds of destination: another Caribbean medical school on the same United States track, Mostar School of Medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina for USMLE preparation inside Europe, or a European university such as the Faculty of Medicine Foča in Bosnia and Herzegovina or the Medical University of Varna in Bulgaria for a European degree.

Which of these fits you depends on one question: where do you want to hold a licence in ten years? Answer that first. Everything else follows from it, including how much you are willing to spend and which language your clinical years run in. Our full partner list is on the universities page.

How much can a St. Matthew's University student save by transferring?

The published tuition and administrative fees for the full MD programme at St. Matthew's University School of Medicine come to USD 279,860, about €242,600 at the European Central Bank reference rate of 16 September 2026. The Faculty of Medicine Foča charges €3,500 tuition per year, and about €7,500 per year covers tuition and living costs together. The gap is large.

Read the table as arithmetic, not as a verdict. A clinical term in the Grand Cayman schedule costs about €26,180 in tuition and administrative fees alone, before rent and food. A full academic year on the Foča track, tuition and living costs included, costs about €7,500. Whether that difference matters is your decision, not ours.

Currency note: all United States dollar figures on this page were converted at the European Central Bank euro reference rate of 16 September 2026, at EUR 1 to USD 1.1537. Cayman Islands dollar figures for living costs were converted at the same rate, based on 24 August 2026 data.

Which year can you enter after leaving St. Matthew's University?

There is no fixed cap on the entry year for students leaving St. Matthew's University School of Medicine. Every case is reviewed individually, and we frequently achieve high placements, often year 4 or year 5. The aim is always the highest possible entry with no loss of time, or the smallest loss the record allows.

As a rule of thumb, a placement works when no more than two exams are still outstanding and the ECTS attached to them stay below a maximum. That rule is deliberately loose, because transcripts differ. We would rather look at your actual record than guess from a webpage.

Send it to us. We will tell you the number.

How does a transfer from St. Matthew's University work with Medschool Experts?

A transfer from St. Matthew's University School of Medicine runs in four steps with Medschool Experts: a free consultation, a review of your academic record, a written placement offer naming the university and entry year, and the switch itself. You stay enrolled in Grand Cayman until the new place is confirmed. Nothing is given up early.

We do not publish document checklists, deadlines or entrance-exam formats on this page, because they differ by destination and by student. You send us your profile. We check it against the partner network and come back with what is actually available to you. More on how we work is on the services page, and other students describe their own moves on the student stories page.

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Can a St. Matthew's University student keep the United States career goal after moving to Europe?

Yes, and this is the question Caribbean students ask us most. Mostar School of Medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only European university that specifically prepares students for the United States Medical Licensing Examination, covering Step 1 during the preclinical years and Step 2 CK during the clinical years. Teaching runs in small groups with 30 places available per year.

That matters because a small cohort is what makes structured exam preparation possible at all. The teacher-to-student ratio at Mostar is better than at other European medical schools. Tuition sits far below the published Grand Cayman schedule, and we give you the current figure in the consultation rather than a number that may age badly on a webpage.

If instead you want a degree issued inside the European Union, the Medical University of Varna in Bulgaria awards one, and students there can complete the final practical year in Germany through Medschool Experts. The same final-year arrangement is possible from Foča. For the wider picture of moves out of Caribbean medical schools, see our country guide to transfers from the Caribbean.

When should St. Matthew's University students start planning a transfer?

St. Matthew's University students should start planning as soon as the question appears, and ideally at least one full semester before they want to move. Placements at partner universities are limited, Mostar School of Medicine has only 30 places per year, and a record reviewed early leaves room to sit an outstanding exam before the switch.

Early planning also protects the entry year. A student who talks to us in the middle of a term usually has more options than one who calls after results are final. Waiting rarely improves a transcript. It just shortens the list of universities that can still take you this intake.

One conversation costs nothing. Book it.