Durbin Introduces Legislation To Improve Accountability For Foreign Medical Schools Receiving Federal Student Aid

Durbin Introduces Legislation To Improve Accountability For Foreign Medical Schools Receiving Federal Student Aid

The Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act would require all medical schools outside of the U.S. and Canada to meet the same minimum requirements to receive Title IV student aid funding

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation that would protect students and taxpayers by closing a loophole that gives special treatment to a small number of overseas medical schools. The Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act would require all medical schools outside of the U.S. and Canada to meet the same minimum requirements to receive Title IV student aid dollars. U.S. Representative Kim Schrier (D-WA-08) plans to introduce companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Currently, some overseas medical schools, including those in the Caribbean, are exempt from meeting the minimum standards to which other foreign medical schools are held: that at least 60 percent of their enrollment must be non-U.S. citizens and that students have at least a 75 percent pass rate on the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). In fact, three for-profit schools in the Caribbean-Adtalem's American University of the Caribbean; Ross University School of Medicine; and St. George's University-are exempt from both requirements but continue to receive nearly three-fourths of all the Title IV funds that go to students attending foreign medical schools.

"Medical schools in the Caribbean should not be able to rake in millions of dollars in U.S. federal student aid while skirting the same requirements that U.S.-based medical schools are bound to," Durbin said. "It's time to crack down on these for-profit medical schools' tactics by passing the Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act. By closing the loophole that allows these for-profit medical schools to push students into debt, we can bring fairness to the eligibility requirements and increase accountability of schools that receive federal dollars."

"The Associated Medical Schools of New York thanks Senator Durbin for introducing the Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act which would create a consistent approach to international medical schools-free of carve-outs and exemptions-and ensure that medical schools receiving federal aid are all held to the same rigorous standards," said Jonathan Teyan, President and CEO of the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY).

"To ensure patients across the United States receive the highest quality physician care, it is essential that federal financial aid is tied to consistent, fair standards for all foreign medical schools," said Robert A. Cain, DO, CEO and President of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). "AACOM applauds Senator Durbin for reintroducing the Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act. This legislation helps protect students, promotes responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and supports a physician workforce that meets the needs of patients nationwide."

Despite receiving such a large portion of Title IV dollars relative to other foreign medical schools, these schools produce poor student outcomes while shouldering their students with mountains of debt. The median student loan debt is $409,518 at Adtalem's American University of the Caribbean, $440,593 at Ross University School of Medicine, and $437,924 at St. George's University. Compare this to U.S. medical schools, where the median debt is $215,000, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

These foreign medical schools also are much less successful at ensuring students' success. While U.S. medical schools have an on-time completion rate of 82 to 84 percent, the three for-profit, Caribbean-based medical schools have an average on-time completion rate of 44 percent, with Ross University School of Medicine's average on-time completion rate as low as 20.24 percent in 2023.

Students who are able to graduate from these schools do so with more debt and more difficulty securing a residency, which is mandatory to practice medicine in the United States. In 2024, foreign-trained American graduates had a residency match rate of just 67.8 percent, compared to 93.5 percent of graduates of U.S. allopathic medical schools and 92.6 percent of graduates of U.S. osteopathic medical schools.

The Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act has earned the endorsement of the Associated Medical Schools of New York, Association of American Medical Colleges, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, and American Osteopathic Association.

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