# University of the West Indies Mona Faculty of Medical Sciences

> The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Faculty of Medical Sciences, one of the Caribbean's oldest medical schools, runs a direct-entry, five-year, English-medium Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme in Kingston, Jamaica. The school is listed in the WHO World Directory of Medical Schools with ECFMG-certification eligibility, and holds a clean, unconditional CAAM-HP accreditation granted 20 July 2023.

- Canonical page: https://www.studentstraffic.com/university/university-of-the-west-indies-mona-faculty-of-medical-sciences
- Last reviewed: 2026-07-12
- Publisher: Students Traffic (https://www.studentstraffic.com/)

## Key facts

- Location: Kingston, [Jamaica](https://www.studentstraffic.com/countries/jamaica)
- Type: Public
- Established: 1948
- Official website: https://www.mona.uwi.edu/fms
- Published programmes on Students Traffic: 1

## Recognition and approvals

- World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS/FAIMER) -- listed, School ID F0000014, direct-entry (no prior-degree prerequisite, no entrance exam)
- ECFMG Certification -- graduates eligible to apply, graduation years 1953-present
- CAAM-HP (Caribbean Accreditation Authority) -- Accreditation Granted (unconditional), 20 July 2023
- Verify: [World Directory of Medical Schools -- UWI Mona listing](https://search.wdoms.org/home/SchoolDetail/F0000014)
- Verify: [UWI Mona -- MBBS programme page](https://www.mona.uwi.edu/fms/bachelor-medicine-bachelor-surgery-mbbs-0)

## Programmes

| Programme | Course | Duration | Medium | Tuition per year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)](https://www.studentstraffic.com/uwi-mona-mbbs) | MBBS | 5 years | English | $28,000 (2026-2027) |

## Why students choose it

- Listed in the WHO World Directory of Medical Schools (FAIMER School ID F0000014), with no prior-degree prerequisite and no entrance exam required, and graduates (1953-current) eligible to apply for ECFMG Certification.
- Clean, unconditional CAAM-HP accreditation ('Accreditation Granted,' 20 July 2023) -- a stronger status than the conditional accreditation carried by several newer Caribbean medical schools.
- One of the Caribbean's oldest and largest medical schools, founded in 1948, training over 275 students per recent intake at the region's first teaching hospital.

## Things to consider

- The application cycle for MBBS follows an early deadline -- the Faculty's own regulations set a mid-January cutoff, well ahead of the general university's March 31 priority date -- meaning the September 2026 intake had already closed by the time of this research; the realistic target for a fresh applicant is the September 2027 intake, with its specific application window not yet confirmed live on the university's site.
- No scholarship specifically available to Indian or other non-CARICOM international MBBS applicants was found; the university's listed international scholarships (Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Erasmus+, Fulbright) do not apply to this audience.
- The published USD 28,000/year fee is a single annual figure without an official year-by-year breakdown across the full 5-year programme, and the university explicitly reserves the right to change fees without prior notice.

## Best fit for

- Students seeking a WHO-listed, ECFMG-eligible, direct-entry medical degree at one of the Caribbean's most established medical schools with a clean, unconditional accreditation status.
- Applicants comfortable with a documents-and-selection-form admissions process (no entrance exam or interview) who can apply well ahead of the Faculty's early mid-January deadline.
- Families prioritizing confirmed, affordable on-campus housing alongside a transparent, currently dated international tuition rate.

## Campus and city

International students join the MBBS cohort at UWI's Mona campus, training at the adjacent University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), the region's first teaching hospital, with on-campus housing available across more than ten residence halls.

Kingston is Jamaica's capital, home to UWI's Mona campus and the University Hospital of the West Indies, giving MBBS students direct daily access to a major regional teaching hospital alongside an established international-student community.

The five-year MBBS programme is structured as MB BS Stage I (with an intermediate B.Med.Sci. award) followed by MB BS Stage II, with clinical teaching at the University Hospital of the West Indies and other approved hospitals and health centres, and a mandatory 12-month supervised internship (pre-registration house officer year) required before full registration.


## Hostel, food and safety

UWI Mona operates more than ten Halls of Residence, with published 2026/27 annual rates ranging from roughly USD 2,296 to USD 2,786 depending on hall and room type -- confirmed on a dated official fee schedule. Placement is competitive and not guaranteed for every applicant. Off-campus housing is supported by the university's Lodgings Office, though no official typical off-campus rent figure is published.

Dining facilities are available across campus and halls of residence; no separate university-run meal-plan cost beyond hall fees is published.

No university-published campus-safety statistics were found during research.

International applicants submit a free online application, a medical-programme-specific Statement of Responsibility, and a Non-Academic Criteria selection form, with no entrance exam or interview required for MBBS.


## Frequently asked questions

### Is the MBBS programme direct-entry after high school?

Yes. The WHO World Directory of Medical Schools confirms admission follows completion of secondary education, with no prior university degree required and no entrance exam.

### What qualification is awarded on graduation?

Graduates receive the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree after five years, with an intermediate Bachelor of Medical Sciences (B.Med.Sci.) awarded on completion of Stage I, followed by a mandatory 12-month supervised internship.

### What is the current tuition fee?

USD 28,000 per year for students from non-CARICOM countries, confirmed on the university's official May 2026 fee schedule. This is published as a single annual figure without an official year-by-year total across the 5-year programme.

### Is there an entrance exam or interview?

No. The WHO World Directory of Medical Schools confirms no entrance exam is required, and no interview is stated for MBBS specifically (unlike some of the university's other health-science programmes). Applicants do complete a non-academic selection form covering leadership, community service and extracurricular achievement.

### When can I apply and when does the academic year start?

The Faculty of Medical Sciences sets an early application deadline, historically around mid-January, well ahead of the general university's March 31 priority date. Classes for the current cycle begin in September; the September 2026 intake had already closed by the time of this research, so applicants should target September 2027 and confirm the exact window directly with UWI admissions.

### Is on-campus accommodation available?

Yes. UWI Mona operates more than ten Halls of Residence with published 2026/27 annual rates of roughly USD 2,296-2,786 depending on hall and room type, though placement is competitive and not guaranteed.

### Are scholarships available for international students?

No scholarship specifically available to Indian or other non-CARICOM international MBBS applicants was found; the university's listed international scholarship programmes are restricted to other nationalities or exchange schemes.

### Can this degree be used to practice medicine outside Jamaica?

A UWI medical degree entitles graduates to register with medical councils across the English-speaking Caribbean, and graduates are eligible to apply for ECFMG Certification. For India specifically, graduates would need to separately satisfy India's National Medical Commission FMGE/NExT screening requirements; this was not independently verified against an NMC source.


## Sources

- [World Directory of Medical Schools -- UWI Mona listing](https://search.wdoms.org/home/SchoolDetail/F0000014) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [UWI Mona -- MBBS programme page](https://www.mona.uwi.edu/fms/bachelor-medicine-bachelor-surgery-mbbs-0) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [UWI Mona -- entry requirements](https://www.mona.uwi.edu/content/entry-requirements) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [UWI Mona -- 2026-2027 Undergraduate Fee Schedule (PDF, dated 28 May 2026)](https://www.mona.uwi.edu/sites/default/files/uwi/uwi-mona_2026-2027_undergraduate_fee_schedule_may_2026.pdf) (checked 2026-07-25)
- [UWI Mona -- 2026-2027 Residence Fee Schedule (PDF, dated 5 June 2026)](https://www.mona.uwi.edu/sites/default/files/uwi/uwi-mona_2026-2027_residence_fees.pdf) (checked 2026-07-25)

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