Ross University School of Medicine

About Ross University School of Medicine

Ross University School of Medicine is a specialized medical institution rather than a comprehensive university. Its principal offering is the Doctor of Medicine degree, and prospective students should evaluate it as an international medical-school pathway focused heavily on entry into North American postgraduate training. The institution was established in 1978 and moved its Medical Sciences operation from Dominica to Barbados in 2019. Its current Barbados address is at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, while administrative offices are located in Miramar, Florida. The school divides the MD experience between Barbados and the United States. The first five semesters, normally spanning 20 months, are completed in Barbados. Clinical training then comprises 90 weeks of core and elective clerkships at affiliated hospitals, primarily in the United States. Students remain enrolled at Ross while completing these placements. Institutional recognition deserves careful attention. The Barbados Accreditation Council lists Ross University School of Medicine Barbados Inc. as a registered provider offering an MD degree. CAAM-HP identifies Ross as a medical school with accreditation “with conditions” until the next site visit. Applicants should review any subsequent accreditation decision before enrolling and confirm how graduation from Ross affects residency eligibility, certification, and licensure in the country or jurisdiction where they intend to practise. Ross’s May 2026 catalog identifies Covista, a for-profit corporation, as its parent company.

Admission is to a graduate-entry MD program. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher before matriculation and submit transcripts from every college or professional school attended. Required preparation includes two semesters of general or inorganic chemistry, one semester of organic chemistry, two semesters of biology or zoology, and either one semester of physics or one semester of college-level mathematics. Applicants whose previous instruction was not in English must demonstrate preparation through the English-course requirements described by Ross. A complete application includes the Ross application, a personal statement of no more than 750 words, and at least two confidential recommendation letters. One should come from a premedical professor or college pre-health committee. The second may come from a physician familiar with the applicant’s healthcare experience or serve as a character reference from an employer or volunteer organization. Foreign transcripts may require an external evaluation. All US citizens, nationals, and eligible permanent residents must submit an MCAT score before the admission interview. Canadian and other international applicants are not required to submit the MCAT, although Ross strongly encourages it. The school publishes no minimum GPA or MCAT score and says it evaluates applications holistically. Selected applicants complete structured interview conversations covering motivation for medicine, academic preparation, career goals, and decision-making. No universal 2026 application deadline was verified; candidates should confirm the deadline for their intended start term directly with admissions.

Ross offers a professional Doctor of Medicine curriculum rather than a broad range of undergraduate and graduate majors. For students entering under the current structure, the program consists of five Medical Sciences semesters in Barbados and six clinical-clerkship semesters, for 11 semesters in total. The Barbados portion normally takes 20 months. Its organ-systems approach integrates biomedical foundations, clinical foundations, community medicine, and global health rather than teaching every scientific discipline in isolation. Applied work begins during the Medical Sciences phase through patient simulations, clinical-skills exercises, community health visits, and community-based research. The school’s Simulation Institute supports practice with standardized and computerized patients. This structure is intended to connect anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, behavioral science, communication, and evidence appraisal with clinical situations from the beginning of the program. After Medical Sciences, students must meet academic and administrative conditions, including passing USMLE Step 1, before entering core clerkships. The clinical curriculum includes 48 weeks of required rotations: 12 weeks each in internal medicine and surgery, plus six weeks each in pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry. Students subsequently complete 42 weeks of electives. Placement preferences are considered, but available hospitals depend on academic performance, capacity, location, and clinical interests; students should not assume a particular hospital or city is guaranteed. The program is specifically structured around USMLE preparation and progression toward North American residency training.

Key Highlights

• Founded in 1978 and operating its Medical Sciences campus in Barbados since 2019
• Registered in Barbados to provide medical education and an MD degree
• CAAM-HP status is accredited with conditions until the next site visit
• MD education is split between Barbados-based Medical Sciences and clinical training primarily in the United States

Student Life & Environment

During Medical Sciences, student life is divided between the instructional campus at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre and the residential community at the Villages of Coverley. Ross requires students to live in university housing for their first two semesters. Shared three- and four-bedroom furnished homes are available, and limited family housing is offered for students bringing partners, children, or other dependants. A shuttle connects Coverley with the teaching campus. The residential area includes access to everyday services such as a grocery store, pharmacy, restaurants, and a gym. Housing includes Wi-Fi, maintenance, parking, and a utility allowance, although students remain responsible for usage beyond that allowance. Same-gender housemate assignments are used in general student housing, and non-family homes include at least one roommate. Campus participation includes an elected Student Government Association, student clubs, cultural activities, community engagement, and intramural sports. The 2025–2026 catalog lists basketball, flag football, soccer, tennis, and road tennis among the intramural options. Health and wellness resources at Coverley include a medical clinic, an onsite pharmacy, and confidential counseling services for Medical Sciences students. Because the program later shifts to hospital-based clinical education in the United States, the residential Barbados experience applies primarily to the first five semesters; student routines and services change once clinical rotations begin.

Location & Surroundings

Ross’s current Medical Sciences campus is in Barbados, not Portsmouth, Dominica. Teaching takes place at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, while the residential campus is at the Villages of Coverley. The school describes Coverley as approximately 20 minutes from the instructional campus and operates a shuttle between the two locations. Students should plan for an international move during the preclinical phase. The school’s 2025–2026 catalog states that all Ross students in Barbados must obtain a student visa, with additional entry requirements potentially applying according to citizenship. Travel to and from Barbados is by air, and students should budget for flights as well as local living costs. The location changes substantially after Medical Sciences. Years three and four are completed at one or more affiliated teaching hospitals in the United States, subject to placement availability and program requirements. Some students may be able to remain in one location for the core clinical curriculum, but applicants should prepare for the practical and financial possibility of relocation. This two-country structure is central to the Ross experience and should factor into housing, immigration, transport, and family planning.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For the fee schedule effective September 2026, Ross lists Medical Sciences tuition of US$25,811 per semester, plus a US$6,521 administrative fee. A mandatory US$863 educational-technology fee applies in the first semester, and listed health insurance is US$1,657 when not waived through qualifying alternative coverage. Clinical-clerkship tuition is US$30,500 per semester, with a US$3,835 administrative fee. These rates are subject to change and do not represent the complete cost of attendance. Students should also budget for housing, food, books and supplies, transport, personal expenses, examinations, immigration costs, and travel between Barbados and clinical locations. Current Coverley student-housing rates listed by the school range from US$4,242 to US$5,082 per semester, depending on bedroom and bathroom configuration, plus a one-time US$250 application fee. The full financial commitment is therefore substantially higher than tuition alone, and clinical placements may introduce relocation costs. The MD is preparation for residency rather than immediate independent medical practice. Ross reports a 96% first-time residency attainment rate for its 2025–2026 graduates, defined as the share of graduates or expected graduates who were active applicants in the 2026 NRMP Match or obtained a residency outside it and secured a 2026–2027 position. This institution-reported measure should not be interpreted as a guarantee for an individual student. Applicants should independently assess USMLE performance disclosures, attrition, residency outcomes by specialty and country, accreditation developments, and licensing eligibility in every jurisdiction where they may seek to practise.