Additional Information for the International Applicant

For questions about our program or Loma Linda University, please contact us after you have reviewed all of our online program information.  Most questions can be answered from the information provided on our website.

What is an International Applicant

International applicants include those individuals who are not citizens of the United States or non-U.S. permanent residents. Additionally, much of the information below applies to those individuals who are U.S. citizens but whose native language is not English and whose secondary education was given outside of the U.S.

Foreign Medical Graduates

Individuals who have graduated with a medical degree from a country outside of the United States are welcome to apply to the program but must meet the same prerequisite requirements as other applicants. Additionally, all applicants must complete all phases of the program successfully in order to sit for the certification exam and obtain licensure as a physician assistant, regardless of his or her previous training. No advanced placement or substitution for coursework is offered.

Patient Care Experience 

Patient care experience hours completed as a foreign medical graduate outside of the United States (US) do not fulfill the paid, direct, hands-on 2,000 hours of patient care experience hours required for admission into the program.  This includes, but is not limited to, roles such as licensed practitioner/doctor or those hours acquired during fellowship, residency, or internship.

Prerequisites

The Bachelor’s degree can be earned from an accredited institution outside of the United States, but the degree must be verified through an approved transcript evaluation center. Please see our International Student information page for a list of approved centers.

All prerequisite courses must be completed through an accredited college or university in the United States.

Please review the entire website for more information regarding specific prerequisite courses required by the program and the timing for when these must be completed for an applicant to be considered.

GPA Calculations

Any applicant who has taken college-level coursework outside of the United States will have his or her GPA recalculated as the GPA calculated by CASPA does not currently include this coursework. The combination GPA using all coursework taken in the U.S. and abroad is what is used to determine whether the applicant meets the minimum GPA criteria for science and overall GPA.

Allied Health Requirements

International applicants (non-US citizens and non-US permanent residents) must meet all admission requirements, provide suitable recommendations, furnish English evaluations of all official foreign transcripts and credentials, and give evidence of their ability to meet estimated living expenses and all financial obligations to the University during their program.  Please refer to the International Student information page for a complete list of requirements for International students.

English Proficiency Requirements

Regardless of nationality or citizenship, an applicant whose native language is not English and whose secondary education has been given outside the United States is required to pass the TOEFL, the MTELP or their equivalents.  For details, please see the International Student information page.

Transcripts

All transcripts from non-U.S. institutions must be sent to an approved evaluation center and submitted with the CASPA application before they can be reviewed by the program.  We do not conduct pre-reviews of transcripts, so please ensure that all evaluated transcripts are submitted through CASPA. Please see our International Student information page for a list of approved evaluation centers.