Who Owns American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine?

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine was founded in 1978 in Sint Maarten, a Caribbean island divided between the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Sint Maarten) and France (Saint-Martin). The school was established as an offshore medical school, offering the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree to students who had not been admitted to medical schools in the United States or Canada. Offshore medical schools like AUC provide an alternative pathway to a medical career for students who are qualified and motivated but were unable to secure admission to the limited number of accredited medical schools in North America.

The medical school admissions process in the United States is highly competitive, with far more qualified applicants than available seats at accredited schools. Each year, approximately 50,000 to 55,000 applicants compete for approximately 22,000 seats at US allopathic (MD) medical schools, meaning that more than half of all qualified applicants are not admitted in any given year. This competitive admissions environment creates substantial demand for offshore medical schools like AUC, which offer qualified students an alternative pathway to the MD degree.

AUC was established with a curriculum modeled on North American medical education standards, with the goal of preparing graduates to pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and complete residency training in the United States. The school's curriculum follows the standard US medical education model, with two years of preclinical basic sciences training at the Caribbean campus followed by two years of clinical rotations at affiliated teaching hospitals in the United States.

The school's preclinical curriculum covers the foundational sciences of medicine, including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, and clinical medicine. Students complete their preclinical training at the Sint Maarten campus before transferring to clinical rotations at affiliated teaching hospitals in the United States, where they gain hands-on clinical experience in internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and other medical specialties.

AUC has emphasized primary care and training physicians for underserved communities throughout its history. The school's mission reflects the recognition that the United States and many other countries face significant shortages of primary care physicians, particularly in rural and underserved urban communities. AUC graduates who enter primary care specialties including family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics contribute to addressing these physician shortages.

In 2011, Adtalem Global Education (then operating as DeVry Education Group) acquired American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine as part of its expansion into healthcare education. The acquisition provided Adtalem with an established offshore medical school with a track record of producing licensed physicians in the United States and other countries.

Under Adtalem's ownership, AUC has continued to develop its curriculum, faculty, and facilities. The school has maintained its focus on primary care and underserved communities while benefiting from Adtalem's resources, regulatory expertise, and network of healthcare education institutions.

AUC is one of several offshore Caribbean medical schools that collectively train a significant number of the physicians who enter the US healthcare system each year. Offshore medical school graduates who complete their MD degree, pass the USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3, and complete accredited residency training in the United States are eligible for full medical licensure in all US states and territories.