Path to Physician

An MD route for U.S. citizens and permanent residents

High school to MD. Two years abroad.

The premedical coursework happens in the United States, in person or by pre-recorded lecture from wherever you already live. The clinical half of medical school happens in United States hospitals. Only the preclinical half, two years of it, is spent overseas.

01 Foundation / 02 Preclinical / 03 U.S. clinical / 04 USMLE and the Match

Four stages, in order

Nothing here is unusual on its own. What is unusual is where each stage happens, and what the whole sequence costs when you add it up.

  1. 01

    Sixty credits of prerequisites

    Where
    United States, or from anywhere
    Length
    1 to 2 years
    Tuition
    Varies by delivery: see the two tracks below.

    The premedical coursework every medical school expects, sixty credits of it. Take it in person at a partner university in the United States, or by pre-recorded lecture from wherever you already live. Two years is the standard schedule. Coursework you have already completed is reviewed and can shorten it.

    Campus partners: Pacific Union College, Georgia State University, State University of New York.

  2. 02

    Preclinical medicine at ARCH

    Where
    Mongolia
    Length
    2 years
    Tuition
    $70,000

    The basic science half of the MD: anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology. Taught in English. These are the only two years of the route spent outside the United States.

  3. 03

    Clinical rotations at NTMC

    Where
    United States
    Length
    2 years
    Tuition
    $90,000

    The clinical half of the MD, completed in the United States through the NTMC clinical program. Core rotations and electives in the system you intend to train and practice in.

  4. 04

    USMLE, certification, and the Match

    Where
    United States
    Length
    Overlaps years 2 to 4
    Tuition
    Exam and application fees are paid to the testing and matching bodies directly.

    USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK are taken during medical school, not after it. Graduates apply to the ECFMG for certification, which is what opens ERAS and the NRMP Match. Completing rotations is not the same thing as being placed in a residency: the Match is a separate, competitive process run by the NRMP.

A dual degree from ARCH and NTMC

The MD is conferred jointly. Both schools are listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, so graduates are eligible to apply to the ECFMG for certification and to sit the USMLE.

What it costs, all of it

Two routes through the foundation. Everything after it is identical, so the only difference in the total is how you complete those sixty credits.

Pre-recorded, from anywhere

Foundation, 60 credits
$42,000
Medical school, years 1 and 2
$70,000
Medical school, years 3 and 4
$90,000
Length
5 to 6 years
Total tuition
$202,000

U.S. campus foundation

Foundation, 60 credits
$70,000
Medical school, years 1 and 2
$70,000
Medical school, years 3 and 4
$90,000
Length
6 years
Total tuition
$230,000

Tuition is paid across the five or six years of the route, not up front. When you compare this against the American route, compare the whole thing: four years of undergraduate tuition are spent before a U.S. medical school application is even filed. This total starts at high school and ends at the MD.

Three things this route does not do

Federal student loans do not apply here.
This route is paid out of pocket, spread across five to six years. That is a real difference from Caribbean schools that participate in Title IV, and you should weigh it. It is also worth knowing that the 2025 reconciliation law capped lifetime federal borrowing for professional degrees at $200,000, so students at higher-cost schools now cover a large share themselves regardless.
Finishing the route does not place you in a residency.
Residency positions are awarded through the NRMP Match, which is competitive and outside any school's control. What a school can do is put you in front of U.S. patients, U.S. faculty, and U.S. exams early enough to be a credible applicant.
Licensure rules are set by states, not by schools.
Each state medical board sets its own requirements for graduates of international medical schools. Check the board for the state you intend to practice in before you enroll, not after.

Full disclosures: legal and compliance.

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