Irish Medical Education receives US Department of Education Approval

Ireland is one of six EU Countries to receive this recognition

Wednesday, 18th December 2019: The Medical Council has been reviewed by the US Department of Education’s National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) which found the standards used to accredit Irish medical schools to be comparable to those used to accredit US medical schools.

This confirmation assists Irish medical schools in attracting medical students from the US as recognition allows those participating in the US direct loan programme to study in one of the Irish medical schools.

The process is conducted every five years and involves the submission of numerous reports and requires the Medical Council to formally give testimony before the Committee in Washington.

The NCFMEA is authorised to evaluate the standards of accreditation applied to foreign medical schools, and to determine the comparability of those standards to standards applied to medical schools in the United States. Approval of accreditation standards by the NCFMEA is an eligibility requirement for foreign medical schools to participate in the Federal Direct Student Loan Program operated by the US Department of Education. This allows American students to apply for Federal Loans.

Speaking after the confirmation Medical Council CEO, Mr Bill Prasifka, said “Achieving this recognition once again is not only an acknowledgement of the high standard of the Medical Council’s education accreditation processes but also of the high quality and world class medical education delivered by Irish Universities.”

“The recognition is also an international quality mark. It indicates that Medical Council standards and the manner in which they are implemented equates to the standards applied in US medical schools and recognises the high quality of Medical Education in Ireland” concluded Mr Prasifka.

ENDS