best medical school Canada

5 Best Medical Schools in Canada

Medical Schools

Canada is situated in North America and it is known for its beautiful scenery with over two million lakes. It is the world’s second-largest country and it encompasses six time zones. Thanks to its wealth of natural resources (forests, minerals and fossil fuels) it is one of the wealthiest nations today. There are two official languages in the country, English and French. Ottawa is the capital city, but other major cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec City are also well-known tourist destinations.

Canada constantly ranks #1 when it comes to quality of life. Apart from that, they’re also proud to be known as being a warm and friendly nation. Studying in Canada will enable you too to experience their high-quality lifestyle while being surrounded by kindness, clean environment and rich wildlife. Their excellent universities are also one of the most affordable among English-speaking countries. In this article we’ll focus on the best medical schools in Canada, so keep reading if you are interested to study medicine.

Can Foreigners Study in Medical Schools in Canada?

Yes, but it is extremely hard to get in. This field is quite competitive for Canadian students and permanent residents, but especially for international students. This is because the seats specified by the Canadian government are very few. We’ll shortly walk you through some basic things you should know before applying.

First, to apply to a medical school in Canada you need a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field. You might have to take a preparatory year with biology and human science classes. After that, there are pre-extern years when students are taught basic skills, so that finally in the last two years they can put them to practice while doing hospital internships.

Furtherly, in order to stand a chance of being accepted, you’ll need a stellar GPA, extracurricular achievements and language certificate. It really is a rigorous process, but if you succeed to get in, it will be definitely worth your struggle, because a medical degree from a Canadian university truly is a mark of excellence. Here is more information about international students at the University of Toronto.

What is the most prestigious medical school in Canada?

The University of Toronto’s Medical School is the #1 ranked medical school in Canada in 2020, and it is constantly ranked high on world’s lists, too. It has two campuses, the historic St. George campus in downtown Toronto and the modern Mississauga campus. Its acceptance rate is 8.3% and its average GPA is 3.96.

International students must complete academic requirements (non-medical bachelor’s degree equivalent to a Canadian’s four-year bachelor’s degree), as well as non-academic requirements. The medical school’s tuition fees are quite steep, but they’re various funding opportunities available. However, students must make sure to check whether they meet the eligibility criteria. We’d advise anyone targeting this school to inform themselves, regarding the application process, well ahead of time. We should mention that part of the application is the academic explanations essay which gives you the opportunity to explain any unfavourable discrepancies in your academic history and application.

Best Medical Schools in Canada

1. University of Toronto

As we already did a short introduction of the University of Toronto’s Medical School in the previous section, in this part we’ll focus on the studies. As already seen, the University of Toronto is the best medical school in Canada.

The program lasts four years, the first two build your foundational knowledge for medicine and prepare you for the final two years by developing your clinical skills. The last two years, also called clerkships, involve learning while working in hospitals and clinics with physicians and other health care workers. The university has a world-class network of hospitals, where students can explore areas like surgery, paediatrics, gynaecology, internal medicine, emergency medicine, anaesthesia, psychiatry and family medicine.

2. McGill University

McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, founded in 1829 and located in Montreal, is another prestigious medical school in Canada. It is highly praised for its diversity as 30% of the school’s students are international.

The curriculum is crafted to prepare students for careers in medical education, clinical practice, research and even leaders of the health care system. Research-oriented with an extensive network of partners and a Global Health Program offers students a wide range of options and possibilities.

3. University of British Columbia

The UBC Faculty of Medicine is one of the top medical schools in Canada and the only medical school in British Columbia. It has more than 1,700 graduate students in 23 graduate programs (14 of which being doctoral research options).

They offer a wide range of training opportunities, including researches in biosciences, as well as certificates and online training options. A fun fact is that the faculty has one Nobel laureate, Professor of Biochemistry Michael Smith, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

4. McMaster University

McMaster University’s School of Medicine is a leading medical school in Canada offering students early exposure to patients and problem-based learning experience. It is located in Ontario.

The program lasts 3 years, and a three-year post-secondary experience is a prerequisite for admission. The academic’s programs last for 11 months and at the end of the third academic year, the students qualify for an MD degree. 203 students are admitted to the undergraduate degree program, each year. During the clinical program, students not only use the teaching hospitals and research facilities of the McMaster University Medical Centre division, but also the clinical units at several of the major Hamilton hospitals and health-care centres.

5. Queen’s University

At the Ontario based Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences/School of Medicine you can choose from programs like M.Sc. and PhD in Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, Epidemiology, Neuroscience, Pathology and Molecular Medicine and Translational Medicine. Of course, they also offer the regular undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.

The Undergraduate program at this top medical school in Canada takes four years and it leads to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. They admit 100 students each year via a competitive selection process.

I hope that this article on the best medical schools in Canada was helpful. If you are interested, visit the Medical School Category!