DO NOT CONTACT UPSOM/UPMC staff/faculty, department coordinators or the Global Health Dean directly with unsolicited emails or phone calls. This program is not associated with the domestic visiting student program housed in UPSOM's Office of Student Affairs. All inquiries and applications must be sent directly to the international visiting student coordinators via the 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. All applications will be reviewed and approved by the Global Health Dean before they are sent to any UPMC department for their approval. UPMC staff/faculty are not the origin point for any inquiry or application. We are no longer accepting applications for AY 25-26. Application submission for AY 26-27 will open on January 12, 2026. Any application received prior to January 12 will not be reviewed. Calendar dates 2/9/26 - 4/5/26 are not available for application. No exceptions will be made for early submissions for any reason.
Due to FERPA regulations we will not engage with any family members regarding any student's clinical elective application determination and/or payment requirements. Engagement will only occur 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):
The VSLO system will open for AY 26-27 on January 12, 2026. However, paper applications are the preferred method of application (see below). Calendar dates 2/9/26 - 4/5/26 are not available for application. 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 than two 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 (elective date information can be found on our application form below) 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 any student's clinical elective application determination and/or payment requirements. Engagement will only occur with students that have applied to our program.
PREFERRED METHOD OF APPLICATION: 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. Paper application submission for AY 26-27 will open on January 12, 2026. Calendar dates 2/9/26 - 4/5/26 are not available for application. Any application received prior to January 12 will not be reviewed. No exceptions will be made for early submissions for any reason. There is a searchable course catalog for AY 26-27 offered clinical electives and availability on the second page of the application form. International students can only apply to clinical electives that show as available to international students in the course catalog. 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 Dean when submitted in full in one email to MSRIS@medschool.pitt.edu. Applications cannot be submitted until January 12, 2026. Any submissions prior to this date will not be reviewed. Due to FERPA regulations we will not engage with any family members regarding any student's clinical elective application determination and/or payment requirements. Engagement will only occur with students that have applied to our program.
The following are answers to the most asked questions about our program:
1. We have a searchable course catalog for the offered AY 26-27 clinical electives. Calendar dates 2/9/26 - 4/5/26 are not available for application. You can also access the course 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 in this order: (1) UPSOM students; (2) domestic visiting students; and (3) international visiting students. We encourage you to apply for the clinical electives in which you plan to make your career. Pre-requisites are for UPSOM students and not for international visiting students. Dates for clinical electives must be in accordance with the UPSOM rotation schedule (elective dates can be found on the application form) and no special accommodations or exceptions will be made to change dates that are not congruent with UPSOM's rotation schedule. Should you apply with dates that are not congruent with the listed elective dates your application will not be reviewed. You may only apply to two clinical electives. Please be aware that when you arrive for your approved clinical elective no special arrangements will be made for you to engage in a completely different clinical elective, so please do not ask the Global Health Dean or the UPMC coordinator. Students will only be allowed to engage in the clinical elective in which they were approved. No special accommodations or exceptions will be made.
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 Dean and the requested UPMC department. If approved, you will receive an acceptance email with payment information, as well as an acceptance letter and invoice 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 tuition fee. Students can be accepted for up to two 4-week clinical elective experiences. Less than 4-week electives are not available. 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 any student's clinical elective application determination and/or payment requirements. Engagement will only occur 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 2 months to receive back to the payment platform originally paid via Flywire.
3. Malpractice insurance does not need to be purchased until after you have been accepted. Please see checklist for specific information. Obtaining insurance information is exclusively obtained by the student and cannot be purchased through MSRIS/UPMC. 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 a 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 payment receipt will need to be completed and paid for before your arrival in Pittsburgh. Please be aware that each of these Pennsylvania clearances require payment and our office cannot help with payment nor completion of these Pennsylvania clearances. When the instructions provided (see additional resources) are read and completed correctly you will not have an issue completing these clearances. You may have to change your VPN to America instead of your country when completing these documents. 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 Dean's letter states the medium of instruction is in English, you must provide one of the following test scores. Scores must be within the past two years. Official TOEFL score must be 106 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 our office accepts. These scores are an important factor in application review and acceptance, so it is strongly suggested that you submit a report even if your home institution states you have strong English proficiency. Please make sure that reports are provided without password encryption. When you sign into your test site account, and save your test results directly from that platform, the document you send with your application is encrypted with this password and this information is unable to be saved by the MSRIS office for Global Health Dean application review. Test scores that are sent with an encryption password cannot be reviewed are the #2 reason that applications are denied.
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 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 and invoice 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 elective(s) in which you apply. 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. If accepted please be aware that no special accommodations or exceptions will be made to change elective dates or the clinical elective in which you were accepted.
9. The USMLE Step 2 exam (do not send your Step 1 scores) 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. Please make sure that reports are provided without password encryption. When you sign into your test site account, and save your test results directly from that platform, the document you send with your application is encrypted with this password and this information is unable to be saved by the MSRIS office for Global Health Dean application review. Test scores that are sent with an encryption password cannot be reviewed are the #2 reason that applications are denied.
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. The only exception made will be to the first clinical elective dates of 4/6/26 - 5/3/26 which must be submitted as soon as applications open. This is to allow for proper review and preparation of your application by both the Global Health Dean 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 applications are not reconsidered after denial. If denied you will need to wait until next academic year to apply.