Saba University School of Medicine

Accreditation & recognition

What does the recorded accreditor evidence say?

Saba University School of Medicine received NVAO accreditation for its medical programme in 2018, following initial accreditation in 2012. Under the Dutch accreditation framework, existing-programme accreditation does not automatically lapse at the end of a six-year review cycle. Saba continues to report NVAO accreditation. Independent confirmation of its most recent reassessment is pending.

WDOMS record F0001887 lists ECFMG Sponsor Note graduation years 1994–Current, conditional on all other requirements, and a Canada Sponsor Note. Recognized-accreditation reporting is separate from individual ECFMG eligibility. The record distinguishes a current M.S. track from an older M.D. track ending in 2014; confirm the final diploma title against ECFMG’s credential guide. Neither listing nor a school claim establishes eligibility for every licensing jurisdiction.

This status is one layer of the decision. Applicants should also inspect the school’s World Directory Sponsor Notes, current ECFMG eligibility, and every state or provincial licensing rule that applies to their intended career path.

Admissions

What should an applicant confirm?

The school expects U.S. and Canadian applicants to have at least three undergraduate years (90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours), preferring a completed degree. Prerequisites include a year each of biology, general chemistry and organic chemistry with labs, plus English; half a year of biochemistry may replace half a year of organic chemistry. MCAT scores are mandatory for U.S. citizens, nationals and permanent residents; Canadian and other applicants must submit scores if they have taken it. An interview, transcripts, recommendations and personal statement are part of the application. No verified acceptance-rate estimate is used.

Progression and examination gates

The school’s consumer disclosure ties continued enrolment and U.S. aid to academic progress and specifies an overall GPA of at least 2.0 beyond basic science. Its clinical page requires a comprehensive clinical examination before Step 2 CK approval and passing Step 1 and Step 2 CK for graduation. Obtain the current catalogue’s complete progression, repeat, dismissal and exam-attempt rules in writing; these summaries are not the full academic regulations.

Confirm prerequisite credits, MCAT policy, transfer-credit limits, language requirements, start dates, interview process and any preparatory or extended track attached to an offer. MDCaribbean does not infer an “acceptance rate” when a school does not publish an auditable denominator.

• Ask whether acceptance is direct to the MD program or conditional on a pre-matriculation course.
• Request written progression and dismissal standards before paying a non-refundable deposit.
• For Canadians, verify provincial student-aid and bank medical-line-of-credit treatment separately.

Tuition & financial aid

The published price is not the total cost.

Recorded published figure: US$298,750 tuition + administrative fees over 10 terms for September 2026 entrants; the school lists the same numeric CAD amount for eligible Canadian citizens. Additional costs excluded.

Build a term-by-term model that adds mandatory fees, health and evacuation insurance, books, housing, flights, clinical relocation, exam charges and financing interest. A repeated term or delayed rotation can materially change the final debt.

Build an adjustable budget with the Total Cost Explorer using this school’s published academic charges. Seven schools are supported; living expenses and other exclusions still need review.

September 2026 schedule; figures are USD. The school offers the same numeric CAD schedule only to qualifying Canadian citizens and excludes dual citizens, U.S. permanent residents/nationals and other international students. Confirm eligibility directly. Additional fees are USD: graduation $500, visa $210 and clinical malpractice $295 per term. Some electives carry $50–$550 weekly surcharges. Housing, travel, exams, insurance, borrowing costs and delays are outside this tuition total. Earlier entrants need their own schedule; fees can change.

Financing: distinguish eligibility from availability

U.S.: the federal foreign-school list identifies Saba (OPEID 03780300) as Eligible; personal, program and borrowing-limit rules still apply. Canada: from August 1, 2026, federal aid excludes private for-profit international schools, with possible protection until July 31, 2029 for qualifying students continuing their funded program at the same school. StudentAid BC likewise excludes new provincial/federal funding in that category and describes a train-out for eligible 2025/26 recipients. Confirm how these rules apply to your school, program and prior funding; do not assume a past designation guarantees new aid. Saba lists bank credit options, but that is not a lender approval or loan offer.

Clinical rotations

Where and how are clerkships delivered?

School describes five basic-science terms on Saba, then an eight-week research module and 72 rotation weeks: 42 core and 30 elective. Core training is in the U.S.; Canada offers selected electives. Site availability, waiting times and individual allocations are not independently confirmed.

Ask for the current core-site list, whether the school schedules every core rotation, typical wait time, expected relocations, housing responsibility, supervision model and any site surcharge.

Residency outcomes

What does the reported result actually measure?

School-reported 99% three-year residency placement for 2023–24, 2024–25 and 2025–26 graduates or expected graduates who actively applied through NRMP or obtained residency outside it. This is not an entering-cohort success rate; underlying counts were not provided on the reviewed facts page.

Placement counts, first-time attainment and multi-year placement rates answer different questions. The most useful disclosure includes the entering cohort, attrition, on-time graduation, applicants to residency, matched applicants, timing, specialty and whether SOAP or post-Match placements are included.

Trace each claim

Source ledger