The FTC is alleging that Saint James School of Medicine deceptively marketed its USMLE Step 1 pass rate and its residency match rate. The school has been ordered to pay $1.2 million to students for refunds and debt forgiveness for students who were harmed by the deceptive marketing.
We have blogged about Caribbean medical school considerations before, but the FTC release linked at the top of this blog may be the clearest evidence to support many of the suspicions so many have harbored for so long. For instance, according to the FTC release, Saint James claimed a USMLE Step 1 passage rate of 96.77% when in reality it was only 35%. The FTC also alleges Saint James also claimed a residency match of 85% to 95% when it was really only 65%.
The FTC allegations are significant and likely represent the result of the most in-depth outside investigation of a Caribbean medical school’s claims. It’s always laudable when a government watchdog agency does its job and protects consumers. However, it does raise questions as to whether any other similar institutions are following the same business practices. “Consumer beware” is something we believe all prospective Caribbean medical school applicants should heed as we believe unsavory marketers could view them as a particularly vulnerable group.