Manipal Education, MEMG & American University of Antigua Woos Aspiring Indian Students

The American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine, a part of Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), India’s largest higher education and healthcare service provider, is on a strategic enrollment drive in India to attract aspiring medical students to the leading medical school. Located in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, AUA is one of Manipal’s seven universities situated outside India. 

Sir Vivian Richards, the Antiguan cricket legend, is on a multi-city tour in India to promote AUA and his home country as an ideal medical education destination. The iconic cricket star engaged in ‘meet and greet’ sessions with potential students to discuss the unique benefits of AUA’s groundbreaking programs and share his personal experiences about life in the tropical island.

Founded in 2004, AUA’s innovative, learner-centric and technology driven curriculum for the MD program is designed to address the acute shortage of physicians in medically underserved countries, particularly in primary care.

Spread across a verdant, 17 acre campus, AUA is one of only three medical schools in the Caribbean to gain the distinction of being approved, accepted, recognized and accredited by a diverse international medical education authorities or bodies, including the U.S. Department of Education, the UK General Medical Council and the Medical Council of India, among others. 

To fulfil its mission of fostering a diverse community of medical professionals, AUA’s holistic evaluation process, where scores are not the only defining criteria for admissions, provides access to high quality, global instruction at nominal cost to aspiring students from countries facing scarcity of medical education opportunities. AUA’s flexible program, which allows two intakes a year, has a record pass rate of 96 per cent in the USLME Step 1, the most important exam for medical students in the U.S.

With a network of 40 affiliated hospitals in the U.S. and Canada, students at AUA have the unbeatable advantages of availing residency placements and clinical experience through clinical rotations in world renowned programs at the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General, Brown University-Rhode Island Hospital, Yale-New Haven Hospital and the University of Toronto among other prestigious institutions.

In collaboration with Florida International University, AUA has developed two distinctive courses. The Clinical Clerkship Certificate program makes it possible for students to complete all their core clinical rotations hospitals affiliated with FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM), while the AUA Global MD program provides research opportunities, medical Spanish training, and focuses on the social determinants of health at home and abroad.

AUA also has a unique relationship with Manipal University. The recent 2+2+2 program allows high school graduates to begin their medical education at Manipal. Upon successful completion of the premedical program, students transfer to AUA’s campus in Antigua to complete their Basic Sciences in two years. Students finish their degree with an intensive two-year Clinical Sciences program, which takes place at teaching hospitals in the U.S., Canada and India.

Commenting on the current enrolment drive in India and the association with Sir Vivian Richards, S. Vaitheeswaran, Chief Executive Officer, Manipal Education and Medical Group said, “AUA was established in response to the shortage of opportunities and intense competition for quality medical education around the world. In India, for example, there is one medical seat for every 15,000 aspirants. AUA’s degree is equivalent to one from any medical college in mainland U.S.A. A mark of the acceptance of our program is the fact that students of AUA are eligible for U.S. federal loan support for tuition. We are honored that Sir Vivian Richards has agreed to become our brand ambassador to help us connect with aspiring medical students in the country and offer them a chance to fulfill their dream of becoming doctors, so that they can serve their communities back home or practice anywhere in the world.”

Commenting on his partnership with AUA, Sir Vivian Richards said, “I feel extremely privileged to be part of this association. AUA students come from all over the world, and they bring such a positive energy to the island. You can tell they really love being here, and we love having them. Most important of course, is the caliber of doctors AUA produces. Many are placed in the world’s most prestigious hospitals, and credit the school’s hands-on training and supportive community for their success. I am doing my best to convince students and their parents that my country is a safe and ideal destination for getting a medical degree”.