Glossary
The terms you will meet while researching, applying, and planning your route back home — explained in plain English.
- IMG (International Medical Graduate)
- A doctor who earned their medical degree outside the country where they want to practice. A Canadian who studies medicine in Hungary returns home as an IMG.
- USMLE
- United States Medical Licensing Examination — the multi-step exam series every doctor (including IMGs) must pass to practice medicine in the USA.
- ECFMG
- Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates — the US body that certifies IMGs before they can take later USMLE steps and enter residency. Your school must meet ECFMG's recognition requirements.
- The Match (NRMP)
- The US national system that pairs medical graduates with residency training positions. Competitive for IMGs — plan for it from day one.
- MCCQE
- Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination — the exam series for a licence to practice in Canada. IMGs also need provincial requirements and a residency spot through CaRMS.
- CaRMS
- Canadian Resident Matching Service — Canada's residency match. IMG residency seats are limited and vary by province.
- Residency
- Supervised specialist training after medical school (3–7 years). You cannot practice independently in North America without completing one.
- EEA (European Economic Area)
- The EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Degrees recognized across the EEA follow common EU rules — relevant if you might stay and work in Europe.
- Schengen Area
- The group of European countries with no internal border checks. Your student visa or residence permit for one Schengen country lets you travel within the area for short stays.
- Apostille
- An official stamp that makes a document (like your diploma or transcript) legally valid in another country. Many universities require apostilled documents.
- Legalization
- The embassy-based alternative to an apostille for countries outside the apostille convention — a chain of certifications proving a document is genuine.
- Certified translation
- A translation of an official document done by an accredited translator, often required when your documents are not in the university's language.
- Entrance exam
- A university's own admission test, usually biology and chemistry, sometimes physics or logic. Format and dates are set by each university.
- UCAT
- University Clinical Aptitude Test — a standardized admissions test used by most UK medical and dental schools (and some others).
- Numerus clausus
- A fixed cap on study places. Many European medical programs admit a set number of students per year, which is why deadlines and rankings matter.
- Long-cycle / integrated master's
- A single degree that runs straight through to the professional qualification (e.g. 6-year medicine, 5-year pharmacy) instead of separate bachelor's + master's.
- Clinical years
- The later years of a medical degree spent in hospitals with patients. Some English-taught programs expect local-language skills for this stage — check every program page.
- Recognition
- Whether a regulator (in Europe, Canada, or the USA) accepts your degree for licensing. Recognition rules differ by country and can change — always verify with the regulator.
- Proof of funds
- Bank statements or guarantees showing you can support yourself — required for most student visa applications.
- Tuition deposit
- A payment some universities require to hold your offered seat. Check refund rules before paying.