With the rising cost of medical school tuition, more and more medical students are opting to pursue education beyond the US borders. Medical Universities in the Caribbean offer low-cost alternatives that can still provide high-quality education. Scattered across the islands, dozens of universities are producing some of the brightest minds in medicine, many of which come from the jewel of the southern Caribbean, Aruba. The three medical schools in Aruba are a great option for any student looking for alternatives to American medical school.
Caribbean Medical Schools
The road to becoming a doctor is difficult. Many are turned away by high MCAT and GPA requirements or the crushing burden of student debt that US schools demand. If you are a student that hasn’t always produced flawless grades in school or don’t want to mortgage your future to get a medical education, there is another option, medical school in the Caribbean.
To read more on why to consider a Caribbean medical school, click here.
The Caribbean medical school arena is broad and diverse. There is a significant variation in price and quality from island to island and school to school. We recommend starting your search with the three medical schools on the southern jewel of the Caribbean, Aruba.
Aruba
Aruba is an island nation located just seventeen miles north of the South American country of Venezuela. It’s actually part of a larger island group called the Netherlands Antilles colonized by the Dutch. This island group includes Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, also known as the ABC islands. The central city and capital of Aruba is Oranjestad, with a population of around thirty thousand.
Aruba has a perfect climate featuring sunny skies, cooling trade winds, and an average temperature of 82 degrees year-round. And because it’s in the southern Caribbean, it lies outside the hurricane belt, meaning you’ll avoid the tumultuous storms that plague Aruba’s more northern neighbors.
A scuba-diving haven, the island is surrounded by calm and clear water with visibility reaching depths of over a hundred feet. The beaches in Aruba are famous for their powder-white sand and are accessible by car, bike, or foot. When you’re not studying, what is there to do on the island of Aruba? There are plenty of shopping, dining, and sight-seeing options. Whether you want high excitement as you scuba dive through the coral reefs, or you’d like to relax catching some sun on any one of Aruba’s nineteen beaches, there is something on the island for you.
Medical Schools in Aruba
There are three medical schools/universities in Aruba to check out; Xavier, Aureus, and AUSOMA.
Xavier
The first medical school in Aruba that we’ll look at is Xavier University School of Medicine (XUSOM). Founded in 2004, Xavier has a stunning campus in Oranjestad. Xavier provides a positive and thriving transitional environment to its students to expand their education through system-based courses taught by some of the most respected doctors in the world.
The school’s mission is teaching students to have inquiring minds that develop and propose solutions to real-life social and economic issues that are directly connected to medicine. A Xavier student knows that medicine is a lifelong journey and is willing to synthesize self-learned knowledge and proper scientific principles to create and deliver effective patient-care.
In the last 17 years, Xavier has grown to allow students to compete healthily with one another for clinical rotations internationally and in the US. It has many licensed doctors in the US and Canada. In the past decade, Xavier has been approved by the New York State Education Department, the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine, and many more. Through the school’s curriculum, graduates have obtained ACGME-accreditation in almost every specialty medical field and can be found in many renowned medical centers throughout the US and Canada.
Aureus
The second medical school to know about in Aruba is Aureus University School of Medicine. Aureus is a private university, like Xavier and AUSOMA. It too is in the central city of Oranjestad. Aureus was founded in 2004 as All Saints University of Medicine but changed its name to Aureus in 2011 to distinguish itself from other universities with the same name and to reflect its growth.
Aureus’ mission is to provide students with a solid foundation in medicine necessary to ensure that its graduates are able to overcome any challenge during their medical careers. It prides itself on offering an affordable education that rivals any medical school in quality around the world.
Aureus offers both 4 and 5 year MD Program options and has clinical rotation partnerships to place students with affiliated partners in the US and Canada, including Yale University Hospital, Boston University Hospital, University of Toronto, Staten Island University Hospital, Michigan State University, and others. A fully accredited program it offers students on-campus housing and a beautiful campus. With a sterling reputation and vision for the future, it’s easy to see why more and more students are choosing Aureus.
AUSOMA
The final medical school in Aruba is the America University of Medicine Aruba (AUSOMA). It was founded in 2011 by a group of experienced physicians and leading professionals in education, pharmaceuticals, IT, and business. Its founders began with one goal in mind: developing culturally diverse individuals into compassionate physicians and leaders in their respective medical fields without the life-long crippling debt that often accompanies most MD graduates.
AUSOMA is located in Oranjestad, just like the other two, and has a state-of-the-art campus complete with modern labs and equipment. AUSOMA promises the same level of training and educational rigor as medical schools in the US and Canada but at a fraction of the price. With a strong mentorship program, exceptional ethical standards, and a culture of life-long learning, AUSOMA sets up students for success beyond university.
Chartered by Aruba’s government and accredited by international boards, AUSOMA offers both 4 and 5 year MD programs that include partnerships with hospitals across the United States to place students for residency programs. Although younger than other universities on the islands, AUSOMA Is already training some of the brightest minds in medicine.
To start your application process today, click here.