Caribbean Medical School Residency Match Rates 2026: How Graduates Match Into US Residency

How Caribbean Graduates Match Into US Residency

Caribbean graduates go through exactly the same match as US graduates. They pass USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK, obtain ECFMG certification, apply through ERAS in September and receive their results on Match Day in March. Residency starts on 1 July.

Because the Caribbean curriculum is built around the USMLE and the clinical years take place in US teaching hospitals, Caribbean graduates arrive at the application with the same exams, the same type of clinical experience and letters from the same kind of American attendings.

Caribbean Medical School Match Rates 2026 by School

St. George's University in Grenada

SGU is one of the largest single sources of new doctors for US residency programmes. Its graduates practise across the United States, with strong presences in New York, Miami, Houston and Chicago. More on the Grenada medical school SGU.

Ross University in Barbados

Ross graduates are especially well represented in family medicine and internal medicine across the Northeast and Southeast. Profile: Ross University in Barbados.

AUC in St. Maarten

AUC places graduates every year in internal medicine and family medicine in New York, Florida and the wider Southeast. Details in our analysis of the AUC match list 2026.

Saba University

Saba's small classes give students close faculty support through the basic sciences, and its graduates match into primary care programmes across the US.

Specialties Where Caribbean Graduates Match

Internal medicine is the largest specialty for Caribbean graduates, followed by family medicine, paediatrics and psychiatry. Emergency medicine, neurology, anaesthesiology and preliminary surgery positions also take Caribbean graduates every year. These are exactly the fields where the United States needs the most new doctors, and from internal medicine a fellowship in cardiology, gastroenterology or oncology stays open.

US Cities with a Long Tradition of Caribbean Graduates

New York City has the largest number of community hospital programmes that train Caribbean graduates. Miami and Fort Lauderdale have a strong Caribbean physician community. Houston recruits actively for its fast-growing hospital sector. Chicago and Atlanta complete the list of established markets.

A Four-Year Plan for Your Own Match

Years 1 and 2: Basic Sciences and Step 1

Build a solid foundation in the basic sciences and pass Step 1 on the first attempt. Caribbean schools schedule a dedicated preparation block for exactly this.

Year 3: Clinical Rotations in the US

Use the core clerkships in American teaching hospitals to build relationships with attendings who can write specific, strong letters of recommendation.

Year 4: Step 2 CK and ERAS

Step 2 CK is the score programme directors compare. Start preparation early, apply broadly in September and use the ERAS timeline 2026 to plan every deadline.

Match Rates in International Comparison

In the 2025 US cycle there were 54,699 applicants for 23,440 MD seats, so most aspiring doctors in the United States did not get a domestic place. Students from Canada, India and the Middle East also train in the Caribbean for the same reason. In Europe, graduates of English-taught programmes match into US residency as well, after six years of study instead of four. For Americans who want the shortest route back into their own health system, the Caribbean match record is the strongest argument.

Start Your Route to the Match with Us

Our partner university, the University of Health Sciences Antigua, offers our applicants a tuition discount, one clinical year in the USA and a four-year graduate-entry track. We review your file, recommend the school that fits you and handle the complete application. Book a free consultation.