NCFMEA Update

At its January 21, 2026, meeting, the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) evaluated the documents submitted by the CAAM-HP on behalf of Antigua & Barbuda and Barbados regarding its medical education accreditation activities. The purpose of the NCFMEA’s review was to monitor the continuing comparability of each country’s medical accreditation system for Doctor of Medicine programs, or the equivalent, to the system used to accredit such programs in the United States (U.S.). Under U.S. law, accredited schools in a country that NCFMEA finds comparable may apply to participate in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) program. Then, if a medical school participates in the Direct Loan program, U.S. students attending the school may apply for Direct Loans to help cover educational expenses. For more information about foreign schools’ participation in the Direct Loan program, access the Foreign School Information webpage at:
https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/foreign-school-information.

Decision for Antigua & Barbuda
The NCFMEA voted that the medical school accreditation standards applied by Antigua
and Barbuda remain comparable to U.S. standards.

Decision for Barbados
The NCFMEA voted to defer its redetermination as to the comparability of the medical
school accreditation standards of Barbados to U.S. standards until Fall 2027. In
addition, the country must submit a report on its 2026 site visit by December 2026.