Certification
About ECFMG Certification | New to Certification? | IMGs in the United States | Definition of an IMG | How the Certification Process Works | Requirements for Certification | 2023 Accreditation Requirement | Reference Guide for Medical Education Credentials | Eligibility for Examination | Verification of Credentials | Certification Verification | ECFMG Medical Credentials Reference Library2023 Medical School Accreditation Requirement
Implementation of the 2023 Medical School Accreditation Requirement has been moved to 2024. See our announcement. This section will be updated in the coming weeks with further information.
Medical School Accreditation Requirement for ECFMG Certification
The 2023 Medical School Accreditation Requirement was established by ECFMG in 2010 to stimulate international accreditation efforts and enhance the quality of medical education worldwide. The requirement is intended to encourage the development and implementation of standards for evaluating undergraduate medical education, to provide greater assurance to both medical students and the public that they will be appropriately trained.
Applicants and other interested individuals are encouraged to check this section frequently for updates.
Accreditation Requirement
Starting in 2023, individuals applying for ECFMG Certification must be a student or graduate of a medical school that is appropriately accredited. More specifically, the school must be accredited by an accrediting agency that is officially recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).
The WFME Recognition Programme is the only program accepted by ECFMG at the current time for the recognition of medical school accrediting agencies.
Thus, beginning in 2023, medical schools will need to be accredited by a WFME-recognized accrediting agency if they wish to ensure their students and graduates are eligible for ECFMG Certification.
Overview of 2023 Accreditation Requirement (PDF)
"Advancing the Quality of Medical Education Worldwide" available on the Journal of Medical Regulation website (PDF)
Eligibility Guidelines
Please note these guidelines may change over time in ECFMG’s sole discretion. All other ECFMG Certification-related policies will continue to apply.
Timing
- In 2023, individuals will be eligible to apply for ECFMG Certification—the first step in the certification process—and take the required examinations if, at the time of application, their medical school is accredited (including provisional or conditional accreditation) by an accrediting agency recognized by WFME.
- Individuals who apply for ECFMG Certification prior to 2023 will continue the examination and certification process under current ECFMG policies, including that their medical school must be recognized by the appropriate government authority in the country where the school is located. Graduates of the medical school must also be eligible to practice medicine in that country, among other criteria.
- Individuals already certified by ECFMG will not be impacted by this requirement.
Institutions in Process of Accreditation or Recognition
- In 2023, individuals may not be eligible to apply for ECFMG Certification if their medical school is still in the process of obtaining accreditation by a WFME-recognized accrediting agency.
- Similarly, individuals may not be eligible to apply for ECFMG Certification in 2023 if their medical school is accredited by an accrediting agency still in the process of obtaining recognition by WFME. Note that once the accrediting agency becomes WFME-recognized, schools do not need to be reaccredited unless they are due for reaccreditation.
Loss of Accreditation Status
- Individuals who successfully apply in 2023 or later may not be eligible to complete the required examinations and obtain ECFMG Certification if, after they apply but before they achieve certification, their medical school loses accreditation or they transfer to a non-accredited school.
- Individuals who have already achieved ECFMG Certification, however, will not be impacted if their medical school subsequently loses accreditation.
ECFMG recognizes the impact the 2023 Accreditation Requirement may have on current and future medical students and intends to implement the requirement in as reasonably fair and practical a manner as possible.
More Information to Come
ECFMG is committed to keeping all of our stakeholders informed as we move forward with the 2023 Accreditation Requirement. Further details will be published as they become available. Specific questions regarding the requirement may be sent to 2023@ecfmg.org.
