When applying for residency, IMGs encounter certain challenges such as visa sponsorship and USMLE score cut offs you need to overcome these to stand out in a competitive crowd. This is where the idea of “IMG-friendly” programs comes into play. Your chances of matching can be greatly increased by being aware about which programs have a history of accepting IMGs.
In a process where every detail counts, having the right information can be the difference between matching and missing out.
Our blog is an invaluable resource. We help you focus your applications effectively by offering comprehensive insights into which programs are IMG-friendly, along with details on states, USMLE score cutoffs and visa sponsorship information.
Your efforts can be directed towards programs that match your credentials, rather than squandering time and money on ones that have a poor track record of enrolling IMGs.
Internal Medicine is one of the most sought-after specialties among IMGs because of its wide range of applications and diverse fellowship options. The acceptance of IMGs varies in different residency programs. While it’s important to research each program individually, here is a list of 100 Internal Medicine programs known for being IMG-friendly!
| Program | State | USMLE Score | %IMGs | Visa | Program ID |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine Program | Little Rock, AR | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 22.7% | H1BJ1 | 1400421030 |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Scottsdale) Program | Scottsdale, AZ | Step 1 – passStep 2 – pass | 11.7% | H1BJ1 | 1400321512 |
| Bridgeport Hospital/Yale University Program | Bridgeport, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 245 | 96.6% | H1BJ1 | 1400811074 |
| Quinnipiac University Frank H Netter MD School of Medicine/St Vincent’s Medical Center Program | Bridgeport, CT | Step 1 – passStep 2 – cut off 220 | 77.8% | H1BJ1 | 1400811075 |
| Danbury Hospital Program | Danbury, CT | Step 1 – passStep 2 – cut off 220 | 95.3% | H1BJ1 | 1400811076 |
| Greenwich Hospital/Yale University Program | Greenwich, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 26.2% | H1BJ1 | 1400821079 |
| Yale-New Haven Medical Center Program | New Haven, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 15% | H1BJ1 | 1400821085 |
| Norwalk Hospital/Yale University Program | Norwalk, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 96.2% | H1BJ1 | 1400831086 |
| Howard University Program | Washington, DC | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 10% | H1BJ1 | 1401021461 |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Jacksonville) Program | Jacksonville, FL | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 15.7% | H1BJ1 | 1401121509 |
| Cleveland Clinic (Florida) Program | Weston, FL | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 235 | 75% | H1BJ1 | 1401121528 |
| Piedmont Athens Regional Program | Athens, GA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 98.8% | H1BJ1 | 1401200928 |
| Atrium Health Navicent the Medical Center/Mercer University School of Medicine Program | Macon, GA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 36.8% | H1BJ1 | 1401221491 |
| MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Program | Mason City, IA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 37.3% | H1BJ1 | 1401800140 |
| Cook County Health and Hospitals System Program | Chicago, IL | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 79.2% | H1BJ1 | 1401612113 |
| Ascension Illinois/Saint Francis Program | Evanston, IL | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 240 | 85.3% | H1BJ1 | 1401611126 |
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria Program | Peoria, IL | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 64.3% | H1BJ1 | 1401631131 |
| Boston University Medical Center Program | Boston, MA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 10.3% | H1BJ1 | 1402431164 |
| Berkshire Medical Center Program | Pittsfield, MA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 91.7% | H1BJ1 | 1402411179 |
| Mass General Brigham/Salem Hospital Program | Salem, MA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 88% | H1BJ1 | 1402412180 |
| UMass Chan-Baystate Program | Springfield, MA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 48.6% | H1BJ1 | 1402411181 |
| St Agnes HealthCare Program | Baltimore, MD | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 97% | H1BJ1 | 1402312156 |
| Ascension St John Hospital Program | Grosse Pointe Woods, MI | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 74.1% | H1BJ1 | 1402511191 |
| Ascension Providence/MSUCHM Program | Southfield, MI | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 80% | H1BJ1 | 1402511203 |
| St Luke’s Hospital Program | Chesterfield, MO | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 235 | 82.9% | H1BJ1 | 1402821219 |
| Mercy Hospital (St Louis) Program | Saint Louis, MO | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 29.2% | H1BJ1 | 1402831217 |
| SSM St Mary’s Hospital-St Louis Program | St Louis, MO | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 92.3% | H1BJ1 | 1402811220 |
| University of North Dakota Program | Fargo, ND | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 37.6% | H1BJ1 | 1403721326 |
| SUNY Upstate Medical University Program | Syracuse, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 74.3% | H1BJ1 | 1403521316 |
| Westchester Medical Center Program | Valhalla, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – pass | 26% | H1BJ1 | 1403511317 |
| Akron General Medical Center/NEOMED Program | Akron, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 52% | H1BJ1 | 1403811328 |
| Christ Hospital Program | Cincinnati, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 16.6% | H1BJ1 | 1403811331 |
| TriHealth (Good Samaritan Hospital) Program | Cincinnati, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 98.9% | H1BJ1 | 1403831332 |
| The MetroHealth System/Case Western Reserve University Program | Cleveland, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 17% | H1BJ1 | 1403811336 |
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 29% | H1BJ1 | 1403812339 |
| Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Program | Cleveland, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 17.7% | H1BJ1 | 1403821335 |
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation/Fairview Hospital Program | Cleveland, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 240 | 95.6% | H1BJ1 | 1403821340 |
| Western Reserve Health Education/NEOMED Program | Warren, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 92.5% | H1BJ1 | 1403831350 |
| St Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital/NEOMED Program | Youngstown, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 88% | H1BJ1 | 1403811349 |
| Abington Memorial Hospital Program | Abington, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 68% | H1BJ1 | 1404112358 |
| St Luke’s University Hospital Program | Bethlehem, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 18.8% | H1BJ1 | 1404131360 |
| Geisinger Health System (Danville) Program | Danville, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 35.8% | H1BJ1 | 1404111362 |
| Jefferson Health Medical Education/Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital Program | East Norriton, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 65.9% | H1BJ1 | 1404100913 |
| UPMC Medical Education/McKeesport Hospital Program | McKeesport, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 91.4% | H1BJ1 | 1404121368 |
| Jefferson Health Medical Education/Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital Program | Philadelphia, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 55.3% | H1BJ1 | 1404111369 |
| Robert Packer Hospital/Guthrie Program | Sayre, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 92% | H1BJ1 | 1404112389 |
| Tower Health Program | West Reading, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 58% | H1BJ1 | 1404121388 |
| Geisinger Health System (Wilkes-Barre) Program | Wilkes-Barre, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 87.9% | H1BJ1 | 1404100912 |
| Main Line Health System/Lankenau Medical Center Program | Wynnewood, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 32.3% | H1BJ1 | 1404111373 |
| Wellspan Health/York Hospital Program | York, PA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 60.6% | H1BJ1 | 1404111392 |
| University of South Dakota Program | Sioux Falls, SD | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 240 | 69.2% | H1BJ1 | 1404621406 |
| Christus Health/Texas A&M University School of Medicine Program | Longview, TX | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 60.2% | H1BJ1 | 1404800890 |
| Marshfield Clinic Program | Marshfield, WI | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 94% | H1BJ1 | 1405631444 |
| USA Health Program | Mobile, AL | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 44% | J1 | 1400111024 |
| Unity Health-White County Medical Center Program | Searcy, AR | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 43.1% | J1 | 1400400927 |
| Creighton University School of Medicine Program | Phoenix, AZ | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 62% | J1 | 1400311027 |
| Prime West Consortium/West Anaheim Medical Center Program | Anaheim, CA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 59.3% | J1 | 1400500922 |
| St Agnes Medical Center (Fresno) Program | Fresno, CA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 74.3% | J1 | 1400500923 |
| University of California (San Francisco)/Fresno Program | Fresno, CA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 53.9% | J1 | 1400531033 |
| St Mary Medical Center Program | Long Beech, CA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 43.5% | J1 | 1400531039 |
| Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Program | Santa Barbara, CA | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 54.6% | J1 | 1400522066 |
| Bridgeport Hospital/Yale University Program | Bridgeport, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 245 | 96.6% | J1 | 1400811074 |
| Quinnipiac University Frank H Netter MD School of Medicine/St Vincent’s Medical Center Program | Bridgeport, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 77.8% | J1 | 1400811075 |
| Connecticut Institute for Communities Health Program | Danbury, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 95.4% | J1 | 1400800908 |
| Danbury Hospital Program | Danbury, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 95.4% | J1 | 1400811076 |
| Griffin Hospital Program | Derby, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 93.4% | J1 | 1400831077 |
| University of Connecticut (New Britain) Program | Farmington, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 49.3% | J1 | 1400821499 |
| Yale-New Haven Medical Center (Waterbury) Program | Waterbury, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 87% | J1 | 1400800910 |
| St Mary’s Hospital (Waterbury) Program | Waterbury, CT | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 90.7% | J1 | 1400813530 |
| MedStar Health/Georgetown-Washington Hospital Center Program | Washington, DC | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 88.8% | J1 | 1401011097 |
| Henry Ford Health/Henry Ford Jackson Hospital Program | Jackson, MI | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 77% | J1 | 1402500912 |
| Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine Program | Kalamazoo, MI | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 49.6% | J1 | 1402521199 |
| McLaren Health Care/Macomb/MSU Program | Mount Clemens, MI | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 59.4% | J1 | 1402500925 |
| Wayne State University School of Medicine Program | Rochester, MI | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 98% | J1 | 1402500896 |
| Corewell Health East Beaumont (Royal Oak) Program | Royal Oak, MI | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 48.5% | J1 | 1402512201 |
| Central Michigan University College of Medicine/CMU Medical Education Partners Program | Saginaw, MI | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 85.3% | J1 | 1402531202 |
| Baptist Memorial Medical Education (Columbus) Program | Columbus, MS | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 48% | J1 | 1402700211 |
| University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine Program | Kansas City, MO | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 62.4% | J1 | 1402831214 |
| ECU Health Medical Center/East Carolina University Program | Greenville, NC | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 78% | J1 | 1403611323 |
| Hackensack University Medical Center/Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Program | Englewood, NJ | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 90.9% | J1 | 1403321228 |
| Rutgers Health/Jersey City Medical Center Program | Jersey City, NJ | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 96.7% | J1 | 1403321232 |
| Atlantic Health System/Morristown Medical Center Program | Morristown, NJ | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 65.9% | J1 | 1403311235 |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Program | Neptune, NJ | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 220 | 61% | J1 | 1403312236 |
| Saint Peter’s University Hospital/Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Program | New Brunswick, NJ | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 98.7% | J1 | 1403321531 |
| New York Medical College at St Michael’s Medical Center Program | Newark, NJ | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 85.7% | J1 | 1403300532 |
| St Joseph’s University Medical Center Program | Paterson, NJ | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 84% | J1 | 1403321522 |
| Atlantic Health System/Overlook Medical Center Program | Summit, NJ | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 93.9% | J1 | 1403311245 |
| Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center Program | Bronx, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 240 | 95.6% | J1 | 1403521470 |
| St Barnabas Hospital Program | Bronx, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 240 | 100% | J1H1B | 1403521485 |
| SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Program | Brooklyn, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 74.2% | J1 | 1403521305 |
| Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center Program | Brooklyn, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 86.5% | H1BJ1 | 1403521487 |
| University at Buffalo (Catholic Health System-Sisters of Charity) Program | Buffalo, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 215 | 84.5% | J1 | 1403521251 |
| Bassett Medical Center Program | Cooperstown, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 215 | 99% | J1 | 1403511253 |
| New York-Presbyterian/Queens Program | Flushing, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 54.9% | J1 | 1403511262 |
| Cayuga Medical Center Program | Ithaca, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 215 | 94.7% | J1 | 1403500931 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/NYC Health and Hospitals (Queens) Program | Jamaica, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 225 | 90.5% | J1 | 1403521510 |
| United Health Services Hospitals Program | Johnson City, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 230 | 95.6% | J1 | 1403531255 |
| Harlem Hospital Center Program | New York, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 99% | J1 | 1403511273 |
| Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Mather Hospital Program | Port Jefferson, NY | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – cut off 215 | 87.8% | J1 | 1403500922 |
| Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati Program | Cincinnati, OH | Step 1 – pass Step 2 – no cut off | 54.2% | J1 | 1403811333 |
Source: https://freida.ama-assn.org/search/list?spec=42771
As an IMG, navigating the residency application process can be difficult, but you can improve your chances of matching by focussing on IMG-friendly programs, who have visa sponsorship, and meeting score cut offs. Make sure your application highlights the special qualities you have as an international medical graduate, be thorough in your research and apply strategically.
Stay tuned for list of other specialities!
With years of experience helping international graduates successfully match into U.S. residency programs, we know what it takes to stand out. Whether you need assistance with program selection, personal statement reviews, or interview preparation, contact IMGHH.
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