Medical & dental schools in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has 4 MD programs (Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine, UCC Bayamon School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and 1 more), no DO programs and 3 dental schools in NextGen MedPrep's US school directory. At San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, 80% of matriculants are Puerto Rico residents.
Studying medicine and dentistry in Puerto Rico
About Puerto Rico: Pop. ~3.2M; the San Juan metro is the medical hub, with Ponce and Bayamón also hosting health-sciences campuses. Four LCME-accredited MD programs and three dental schools serve the territory — more MD programs than most US states.
In-state preference: Puerto Rico is a US jurisdiction: its medical schools are LCME-accredited, students use AMCAS and graduates enter the US residency match on the same terms as any other US school. The public University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine strongly favors PR residents; the private programs (Ponce, Universidad Central del Caribe, San Juan Bautista) admit more broadly but still draw heavily from the island. Clinical teaching and patient contact are largely in Spanish, so working Spanish is expected regardless of residency — confirm each program's stated language requirement before you apply.
Major health systems in Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rico Medical Center (Centro Médico)
- Hospital Auxilio Mutuo
- HIMA San Pablo
- Metro Pavía Health System
- VA Caribbean Healthcare System
Medical and dental schools in Puerto Rico
7 programs in NextGen MedPrep's directory for 2027 entry, grouped by degree. Click any program for its how-to-get-in guide; each group links to the full Puerto Rico list and its residency table.
MD programs4
Residency and admissions details- MCAT
- 499
- unconfirmed
- GPA
- 3.62
- unconfirmed
- MCAT
- 499
- unconfirmed
- GPA
- 3.77
- unconfirmed
- MCAT
- 505
- unconfirmed
- GPA
- 3.80
- unconfirmed
- MCAT
- 499
- mean
- GPA
- 3.57
- mean
DO programs
Options for Puerto Rico residentsNextGen MedPrep's US school directory lists no DO programs based in Puerto Rico.
DO programs in the South region
All US DO schoolsDental schools3
Residency and admissions details- GPA
- 3.52
- unconfirmed
- GPA
- 3.46
- unconfirmed
- GPA
- 3.44
- unconfirmed
MCAT and GPA figures are labeled median or mean when the school's own published class profile confirms them, and “unconfirmed” when it has not yet been checked — the school's page cites the source. In-state preference tags are NextGen MedPrep's rating, not school policy, unless marked “published policy”.
Curriculum guides: Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine MD program
Compare nationally: All US MD schools · All US DO schools · All US dental schools
Application resources
NextGen MedPrep guides for each stage of an MD, DO, or dental application.
Frequently asked questions
Apply to medical or dental school from Puerto Rico with NextGen MedPrep
MCAT tutoring, AMCAS, AACOMAS, and AADSAS essay review, and interview preparation for applicants from Puerto Rico, whether you apply in state or out of state.
New to the process? Start with the AMCAS application guide.