Resources
Our Visiting Student Program is not available to individuals who have already received an MD degree.
U-M Medical School offers a number of clinical electives to students who are in their final year and attending either:
- A U.S. medical school that is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
Or:
- One of the COCA Accredited Medical Schools.
International Students
If you're attending an international (non-U.S.) medical school, please contact the Global REACH office to determine your eligibility. Global REACH coordinates all activities related to visits by international medical students, including U.S. citizens who attend a foreign medical school. International students whose applications have not been screened for eligibility by Global REACH will not be accepted.
U.S. Medical School Students
To be considered eligible for a clinical elective, a U.S. medical school student MUST:
- Be in their final year of medical studies
- Be in good academic and professional standing
- Have taken and passed the USMLE Step 1 exam or COMLEX-USA Level 1 exam
- Have taken and passed their required M3 rotations in Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics and Surgery BEFORE their elective here begins
- Have completed 48 weeks of required rotations in the same medical school where they completed their basic science (M1 and M2) training
- Meet requirements and prerequisites of the requested elective(s)
- Apply using VSAS, AAMC’s Visiting Student Application Service; no applications are accepted outside of VSAS
Application Details
VSAS application requirements can be found in the appropriate link in the above RESOURCES section.Visit our Institution Information site in VSAS for further details about applying. This information is subject to change
Application Timeline
Electives Catalog Published in VSAS: Academic Year 2020-2021
Applications Accepted: Mid-March to February 1st of the following year
Application Deadline: 60 days prior to the start of the rotation.
Applications Processed: Applications are reviewed for eligibility in the order in which they are received. Due to the high volume of applications received, the review process may take up to 10 days or more. Once eligibility is determined, the individual departments review their applications and determine availability in the elective applied to. As you probably know, our own students are scheduled into the various department electives, and the departments have to balance the number of learners at the clinical sites, including the core clerkship students. It is a delicate balance the departments strive to achieve to allow for an optimal learning environment for all the students involved.
Rotating off-cycle or off-block is not permitted: You must rotate according to the 4-week rotation dates specified in the appropriate Visiting Student Clinical Calendar listed in the RESOURCE section above.
Elective Limits: A maximum of two (2) 4-week electives (total of 2 months) may be completed. Research electives are not permitted. Only the electives listed in our visiting student catalog are available and only during the periods indicated in VSAS. Some electives are not available to osteopathic medical students. Please review the electives catalog in VSAS for more information.
Questions about Electives?
Under no circumstances shall an interested student make independent arrangements with a program or faculty. All inquiries regarding elective opportunities should be directed to the Medical School's Visiting Students Coordinator (U.S. medical students) or Global REACH (international medical students).
Contact Us
Questions about VSAS or our visiting students program? Contact the Visiting Students Coordinator