The Philippines is famous for its numerous tourist attractions, including its majestic seas and beaches. Visiting this archipelago is also incredibly budget-friendly, as one of the most affordable holiday destinations in Asia.
Besides vacation, another excellent reason to go to the Philippines is its education system. Despite the affordability, the high-quality education of the best medical schools in the Philippines brings its graduates to global competition and employment.
Can Foreigners Study in Medical School in the Philippines?
Yes, medical schools in the Philippines accept foreign applicants. One excellent school for a Doctor of Medicine degree is Our Lady of Fatima University. Its College of Medicine received accreditation from the World Health Organization and the New York State Department.
The university allows its medical students to experience clerkship through multiple hospitals under the Illinois State Board of Education jurisdiction, the Maldives Medical Council, and Thailand Medical Council. Though the university offers Medicine courses in the English language, it also has a selection of special foreign language programs for international students.
Meanwhile, its website lists the application requirements for international admission, noting that the Philippine Embassy must authenticate all paperwork.
What is the most prestigious medical school in the Philippines?
The most prestigious medical school in the Philippines is the University of the Philippines. Among the medical schools in the country, it is the only one that made it to the ranking by subject of Times Higher Education Ranking in 2021, between 126th to 150th.
Moreover, it is the only Philippine university in QS Rankings by subject for 2020, 401st to 500th, with an overall ranking at 396th. Over the years, more than 90% of the university’s graduates become board passers, with a 98.63% passing rate in the 2020 Physician Licensure Examination. The university also achieved a 100% passing rate in 2015.
Best Medical Schools in the Philippines
1. University of the Philippines Manila – College of Medicine
Established in 1905, the University of the Philippines Manila is the best medical school in the Philippines. Guided by the shared vision to be a community of scholars with a heightened social consciousness highly competent in the field of medicine, the college provides world-class education through its various degree programs, including an MD-Ph.D. dual degree.
The University of the Philippines Manilla is also the first in the country that offers a shortened medical degree, from a two-degree, nine-year medical program to a seven-year medical curriculum called the Integrated Arts Medicine Program, or INTARMED.
It includes two-year pre-medical courses, four-year regular medical courses, and one-year clinical internship. Through this program, high school graduates can directly qualify into the college. The Philippine General Hospital serves as its teaching hospital.
2. Ateneo de Manila University – Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health
Opened in 2007, the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health is a Roman Catholic private university in the Philippines. It is one of the country’s top-performing schools, achieving a higher than 90% passing rate in the Physician Licensure Exam since its first batch of graduates in 2012. In 2019, the school showed the highest potential with a 100% rate and two of its graduates landing in the top 10 board exam passers.
This top medical school in the Philippines started an innovative curriculum to produce clinicians, social catalysts, and dynamic leaders. With such an academic mission, the school confers a dual-degree to graduates: a Doctor of Medicine and a Master of Business Administration degree. Students under the program must succeed in all medical and management subjects to proceed to the next level and eventually graduate.
Students with undergraduate degrees can apply regardless of their bachelor’s program. However, applicants must complete pre-medical courses, such as General Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry, during their undergraduate study.
3. Silliman University – Medical School
Silliman University has one of the best medical schools in the Philippines. Established in 2004, the medical school produced its first batch of graduates in 2009, achieving a staggering 100% passing rate in Physician Licensure Examination. The school performed the same feat for two consecutive years, in 2011 and 2012. Since then, the school continued to perform spectacularly, with another 100% passing rate in the most recent 2020 licensure exam.
The school aims to produce medical graduates capable of excelling in any healthcare role, possessing the necessary skills to achieve self-directed and life-long learning, and with compassion and social consciousness. It offers a 4-year Doctor of Medicine degree with a curriculum based on traditional and innovative practices. Medical students receive further clinical training at Silliman University Medical Center.
4. West Visayas State University – College of Medicine
Founded in 1975, West Visayas State University College of Medicine is the second state-owned medical school in the Phillippines. For the last five years, the college had over 90% passing rate at the Physician Licensure Exam, with a 100% passing rate in 2019 and 2020.
With its mission, providing deserving students an affordable education aligned with the concept of a socially-accountable physician, the college envisions meeting the increasing need for medical practitioners.
The college offers a doctor of medicine program, through a Problem-Based Learning approach, which allows the students to form small groups and tackle problems with a tutor’s help. This approach helps students explore scheduled learning blocks during their first three years into the study, with rotating clinical clerkship on their fourth year. The West Visayas State University Medical Center serves as a teaching and training hospital of the College of Medicine.
5. University of Santo Tomas – Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
The University of Santo Tomas’ Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, one of the top medical schools in the Philippines, is also the first in the country. Since its establishment in 1871, the faculty continues to produce the largest number of medical doctors. It also ranks consistently high in Physician Licensure Exam passing rate, with 95.61% of faculty’s 456 examinees passing the exam in 2020.
The faculty offers a Doctor of Medicine degree. For four years, it helps medical students develop competencies, compassion, and commitment to become a servant leader, an effective communicator, an analytical and creative thinker, and a life-long learner. The faculty provides training in one of the largest fully-equipped hospitals in the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas Hospital.
I hope that this article on the best medical schools in the Philippines was helpful. If you are interested, visit the Medical School Category!
