In accordance with the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine no longer accepts foreign medical students for any kind of clinical rotation.
The Visiting Medical Student Program is an integral part of undergraduate medical education at the Penn State College of Medicine. Visiting students benefit from exposure to a wide variety of clinical experiences. At the same time our students and faculty benefit from the opportunity to interact and work closely with students from different medical educational backgrounds.
All applications to the Visiting Student Program are made through individual departments. Please visit the list of departments that participate in the Visiting Medical Student Program below to view their individual requirements.
Because of limited space available for clinical positions, Penn State medical students are given priority in scheduling elective rotations. Visiting medical student positions will not be filled until Penn State student assignments have been completed. Visiting medical students are limited to two four-week electives or a maximum of eight weeks at the College of Medicine. Applicants must follow the Penn State academic calendar.
Participating Departments:
Eligibility for the Visiting Student Program
- Elective rotations are available for medical students in good standing in their final year from schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) within the United States and Canada. In accordance with the Pennsylvania State law, Penn State College of Medicine no longer accepts foreign medical students for any kind of clinical rotation.
- Must have taken and passed core clinical rotations in Medicine, Pediatrics, Family and Community Medicine (or Primary Care Medicine), Psychiatry, Surgery, and Obstetrics and Gynecology.
- Must have passed USMLE Step I Examination or COMLEX.
- Must meet Penn State College of Medicine Technical Standards http://www.hmc.psu.edu/md/students/techstandards.html
Requirements for the Visiting Medical Student Application
- A $75 non-refundable application fee for each four-week elective, made payable to Penn State University. If you are applying to two different departments, you must submit a check with each individual application. Payment of the application fee must accompany the Visiting Medical Student application.
- A completed Visiting Medical Student application with Dean's signature or authorized school official signature and school seal.
- Verification of personal health and general liability insurance. General liability limits must be at least $1 million per occurrence/ $3 million aggregate.
- A completed immunization form.
- An official transcript including core clinical clerkship grades.
- A copy of USMLE Step I Examination or COMLEX results.
- Documentation of Universal Precautions training (verified by a statement from the parent medical school).
