The admissions policy of Saint Louis University’s School of Medicine has come under fire because it does not accept applications from foreign citizens. After winter break, the Student Government Association will be voting on a resolution that rejects the medical school’s policy toward international applicants.
Since August of 1998, only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply to SLU’s medical school.
“It seems like a bigoted standpoint,” said Jay Perry, president of the SGA. “Obviously all students should be welcome to apply, especially at SLU, where we say that we welcome all students of different backgrounds.”
James Willmore, dean of Admissions at SLU’s medical school, said that the policy is in place because foreign applicants have more trouble paying the high cost of medical school. If potential students do not have U.S. citizenship, then they will not be able obtain loans or financial assistance.
Willmore said, “The individual applicant to medical school, in addition to having all the requisite skills, has to be able to qualify for loans from lenders, who expect the backing of the U.S. government. The federal government will not back those who are not U.S. citizens.”
Before 1998, the University did accept applications from non-citizens. If the applicants were accepted, however, they were required to place five-years’ worth of tuition in an escrow account. Difficulties obtaining loans prevent many students from making their payments.
International students still had problems raising such large amounts of cash in advance under that policy. They often could not use scholarships that they had qualified for, because the scholarships would not provide five years of tuition.
International Student Federation President Darrell Bradley also criticized the policy was not being publicized to the students affected by it. “One girl came from Africa as an undergraduate with hopes to go to medical school at SLU. It was only when she got here that she found out the policy.”
Bradley stated that he wants students to be able to place money into the escrow accounts on an incremental basis, and he wants the University to accept letters of credit that indicate that the tuition will be covered by a scholarship.
Willmore said that he was pleased to have the opportunity to review the policy with input from the student body. “We want to serve the population of the world. Not being able to recruit students in that way bothers me, and it has since I began here,” he said.
Willmore said, “This is an active problem, not a statute, not a rigid situation. More dialogue and opinion raising will do well to bring up this issue for further change.”
Washington University and Georgetown University do not make distinctions between applicants on the basis of national origin. However, many schools, especially state universities, do not accept applications from foreign citizens.
