DO NOT CONTACT any UPSOM/UPMC staff/faculty or department coordinators directly with unsolicited emails or phone calls. All correspondence must be sent directly to the international visiting student coordinators via our program's email: MSRIS@medschool.pitt.edu.
This program is ONLY for international students who have completed their core clinical training and are in their final year of medical education. We do not accept medical graduates. Due to recent curriculum changes, applications for AY 26-27 (March 2026 and after) will not begin to be accepted until late 2025 or early 2026. When the application date has been decided that information will appear on this website.
Due to FERPA regulations we will not engage with any family members regarding your clinical elective application determination and/or payment requirements, we will only engage with students that have applied to our program.
Students from schools participating in the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) Program (only apply once, either by VSLO or paper, not both):
Our AY 25-26 international visiting clinical elective catalog is available in the VSLO system. Please be aware that slot availability changes on a daily and weekly basis and cannot be guaranteed. You may only apply to two clinical electives. If more clinical elective requests are submitted, only your first and second choices will be reviewed. Dates for clinical electives must be in accordance with the UPSOM rotation schedule (period date information can be found on the application form) and no special accommodations or exceptions will be made to change these dates. Pre-requisites are for UPSOM students and not for international visiting students. Once your clinical elective rotation has been confirmed, please be advised that no change/date adjustments will be permitted. Students whose home institution participate in the program will be able to view our catalog for clinical electives directly through the VSLO® Program for Institutions | AAMC. Due to FERPA regulations we will not engage with any family members regarding your clinical elective application determination and/or payment requirements, we will only engage with students that have applied to our program.
Students from schools not participating in the VSLO program (only apply once, either by VSLO or paper, not both):
All requirements on the checklist must be provided with your application submission in one email or your application will not be reviewed. For students from institutions that are not participants in the VSLO, please complete our paper application process. There is a searchable course catalog for AY 25-26 offered clinical electives and availability on the second page of the application form. International students can only apply to clinical electives that show available to international students. Pre-requisites are for UPSOM students and not for international visiting students. The completed application and required documents will ONLY be reviewed by the Global Health Deans when submitted in full in one email ONLY to MSRIS@medschool.pitt.edu. Click here to view and download the application. Due to FERPA regulations we will not engage with any family members regarding your clinical elective application determination and/or payment requirements, we will only engage with students that have applied to our program.
The following are some answers, as well as information, to the most asked questions about our program:
1. We have a searchable course catalog for the offered AY 25-26 clinical electives. You can also access the catalog on the second page of our paper application (downloadable above). Be aware that any available slot can change on a daily and/or weekly basis so we cannot guarantee slot availability. These slots are filled by UPSOM, domestic visiting and international visiting students. We encourage you to apply for the clinical electives in which you plan to make your career. Dates for clinical electives must be in accordance with the UPSOM rotation schedule (dates can be found on application form) and no special accommodations or exceptions will be made to change these dates. Should you apply with dates that are not congruent with the listed period dates your application will be rejected. You may only apply to two clinical electives. Once your clinical elective has been confirmed, please be advised that no change/date adjustments will be permitted.
2. The required pro-rated tuition payment is in the amount of $4,500 per clinical elective. This fee is not paid upon submission of an application. Tuition will be paid by Flywire, ONLY after acceptance by both the Global Health Deans and the requested rotation department. If approved, you will receive an acceptance email with payment information, as well as an acceptance letter for Visa purposes. You will be given 72 hours to complete this payment. Please be aware that since this program is only for international visiting students, the payment system set-up with Flywire is only for payment from international banks to US banks and will not work with payments from US bank to US bank. American citizens should only apply if they have an international bank account in which to pay this fee. Students can be accepted for up to two 4-week clinical elective experiences. These experiences do not have to be consecutive or in the same department. Our program does not currently offer any financial grants or scholarships. Due to FERPA regulations we will not engage with any family members regarding your clinical elective application determination and/or payment requirements, we will only engage with students that have applied to our program.
PLEASE NOTE (this is only for approved and paid electives): Cancellations made 60 days prior to the start of any approved and paid clinical elective will result in a 25% administrative fee deducted from the pro-rated tuition paid via Flywire. Therefore, reimbursement will only be for 75% of the paid pro-rated tuition. Cancellations made 30 days prior to the start of any approved and paid clinical elective will result in a 50% administrative fee deducted from the pro-rated tuition paid via Flywire. Therefore, reimbursement will only be for 50% of the paid pro-rated tuition. Reimbursements take up to a month to receive back to the payment platform originally paid via Flywire.
3. The malpractice insurance requirement can be purchased after you have been accepted. Please see checklist for specific information. This is on the student to purchase and cannot be purchased through MSRIS. Please see additional resources for the malpractice company used by past students. For your application, please include a memo/letter stating that you will purchase the required coverage upon acceptance. Health insurance must cover any necessary hospitalization or doctor’s visit due to illness or injury. Proof of insurance is a requirement and must be provided before an accepted student will be approved to enter the clinical setting.
4. For the State of Pennsylvania clearance requirements, only the completed Pennsylvania Act 34 and the filled-out application for the Pennsylvania Act 33 are required when applying. Upon acceptance, both the completed PA Act 33 and the PA Act 73 will need to be completed and paid for before your arrival in Pittsburgh. Please be aware that each of these clearances require payment and our office cannot help with payment or completion of these clearances. When the instructions provided (see side bar on this website) are read and completed correctly you will not have an issue completing these clearances. When any completed certificate is received this must be sent to the MSRIS@medschool.pitt.edu email. There are links on the instructions to the Pennsylvania government websites for any issues that you encounter for either completion or payment. No international medical student has had an issue with providing all three completed clearances. These forms DO NOT get mailed to Scaife Hall.
5. Unless your medical school is located in an English-speaking country, you must provide one of the following test scores. These scores are an important factor in application review and acceptance, so it is strongly suggested that you submit either report even if your home institution states you have strong English proficiency. Official TOEFL score must be 100 or higher to apply. Official Duolingo report must be 120 or higher to apply. OET reports must have a minimum score of 350 on the listening, reading and speaking sub-tests, and a minimum score of 300 in writing sub-test, in one test administration. At this time these three English proficiency documents are the only reports that we accept. Please make sure that reports are provided without password encryption. When you sign into your account, and save your test results directly from this platform, it is sent with your application with password encrypted and cannot be saved by the MSRIS office for Global Health Dean application review. Test scores that are sent with an encryption password cannot be reviewed. Please be aware this is the #2 reason that most applications are declined.
6. Your completed and signed AAMC Immunization form will need to be submitted with your application. Any vaccine series currently in process can be worked on after you apply, please just include a note on the form to clarify any situations of incomplete records. You can find additional information on the "information for required immunizations" listed in additional resources. Frequently asked questions regarding immunizations can be found on the AAMC website at: https://www.aamc.org/media/23446/download?attachment.
7. Visa information can be found in Additional Resources. If accepted, students will receive an acceptance letter for Visa purposes.
8. All applications are reviewed on the strength of English proficiency, academic standing, statement of interest and the availability of the requested clinical elective. Your statement of interest should be 200 words or less about why you are interested in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the clinical electives in which you are applying. This is another determining factor of acceptance. Please be aware that if you are applying for MED or SURG these are the most requested departments by UPSOM students, domestic visiting students as well as international visiting students. Once your clinical elective has been confirmed, please be advised that no change/date adjustment will be permitted.
9. The USMLE Step 2 exam is a requirement to apply for a Psychiatric clinical elective. However, it is suggested that you provide this when applying for other clinical electives as well. Make sure these are not encrypted with a password before you provide with your application. Test scores that are sent with an encryption password cannot be reviewed and may be the reason your application is not accepted. Do not provide Step 1 scores.
10. You must provide an up-to-date CV with a picture.
11. You will need to know your mask size if you are accepted for a UPMC clinical elective. You will not be mask fitted at UPMC. Your mask size information can be obtained from your institution.
12. Neither UPSOM nor UPMC offer housing. This is the responsibility of the student. Offsite housing opportunities can be found under additional resources. A usual range that previous students have paid for housing is between $800 - $1,500 USD.
13. The deadline to submit an application is 3 months before the start date of the clinical elective in which you are applying. This is to allow for proper review and preparation of your application by both the Global Health Deans and the requested department. All applications must be received, in one email, with the required documentation (see checklist) or the application will be returned. Be assured that you will receive an acceptance/denial email no less than a month prior to the start date of the clinical elective. Please be aware that we do not reconsider after denial.