USMLE Exam Fees

Detailed Guide on USMLE fees

The United States of America is a popular destination for Indian students looking to study abroad. Most Indian students who chose to study overseas typically seek admission in engineering and medical degree programs. As an Indian student hoping to pursue a medical degree in the United States, you need to appear for the USMLE examination. Short for The United States Medical Licensing Examination, USMLE is conducted in 3 steps, and students need to pass Steps 1 and 2 (in their preferred sequence) before appearing for USMLE Step 3 exam. The schedule of USMLE exam fees varies depending on the exam step you appear for. This article explains the schedule of USMLE fees in detail.

Different Costs Associated With The USMLE

As an Indian student going to the US to study and practice medicine, you must abide by the schedule of fees and charges designed for international students (excluding the USA and Canada). Typically, you will have to pay the following mandatory and optional fees, based on the services you select. Note that some additional fees may also apply. All prices are in US dollars and subject to change from time to time. Refer to the USMLE website for the latest schedule of fees. For more details surrounding applying for USMLE costs, visit the IWA website.

ECFMG Certification Fee

All international students appearing for the USMLE must mandatorily apply for ECFMG certification. The fee for ECFMG certification is $150.

Structure of the USMLE Step 1, Step 2 & Step 3 Fees

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Optional and need-based USMLE costs associated with USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK

Rescheduling USMLE fees

If you decide to modify, reschedule or cancel your USMLE appointment or change your test centre location, you have to pay a fee. Here are the USMLE test fees associated with rescheduling.

Note: For Test 3 administrations, if you choose to reschedule once or more than once, in the 1-5 days window, you have to pay an additional rescheduling fee of $121.

Additional costs associated with USMLE fees – ERAS support system, EVSP, CVS and Translation costs

*ERAS or Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) is a facility developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) developed. It allows medical school students and graduates to electronically apply for residency positions in accredited graduate medical education programs in the United States.

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Refund rules

You may place a refund request provided you have funds in your ECFMG financial account. You need to send a written request to [email protected] to claim a refund. Suppose you have money in your account due to payment for an examination application that was rejected (because you were deemed ineligible or you sent an incomplete application). In such a case, you will be required to pay a $100 refund processing fee. Approved refunds are generally issued to the source method/account of payment. E.g., if you paid your USMLE fees using your visa credit card, the ECFMG will refund the sums back to the same card.

Things to remember

Consider your exam application timing, eligibility period and test date carefully. You are not allowed to cancel or postpone your registration once you place the request for the same. You will not be eligible for a refund if you do not appear for the test on the scheduled date or fail to reschedule your appointment. In such an event, you will have to reapply for the exam, which includes paying all the applicable USMLE fees once again.

As mentioned above, you can reschedule your test date and centre, subject to availability. If you have registered for Step 1 and Step 2 CK, you may also request to extend your eligibility period and testing regions. If you are unable to obtain the appropriate visa to enter the USA (typically to appear for Step 3 of the exam), you may place a request for a full refund of the USMLE exam fee. The ECFMG considers other exceptional requests on a case-wise basis, typically after your eligibility period expires.

Forfeiture of fees

If you have any funds in your ECFMG financial account, you can utilise them for up to two years towards the payments of applications submitted or any services requested by you. If you do not use these funds in this time frame, you will have to forfeit them to ECFMG, which means you will lose those funds. The two-year period for utilising funds is calculated from the date of your last transactional activity in your ECFMG account.  You can check your account status, dates of payments made, etc., using the MyECFMG mobile app or via the OASIS website.

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USMLE fees – Mode of Payment

You can pay your USMLE exam fees, including submitting ECFMG certification applications and requesting various services through various online and offline modes of payment. Online remittance is the quickest and the safest mode of payment that you can rely on The accepte modes of USMLE fee payments include:

Payments via Credit Card: You can utilise your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover credit cards featuring a security code (PIN&CVV) to make USMLE fee payments.

Electronic Cheques: You can also pay your USMLE exam fees using electronic cheques. However, if you choose this mode of payment, you should have a checking account in a US bank. You also need to have either a US driver’s license or a US Social Security Number. Ensure your account has sufficient funds. Cheques returned due to insufficient funds are subjected to a $10 processing fee, along with an extra TeleCheck returned fee, which can range from $10 to $40 depending on the US state of which the cheque is drawn. Click on the link to know more about TeleCheck Returned Check Fees. 

You may make advance payments using the payment methods mentioned above by visiting the OASIS page on the ECFMG website or via the MyECFMG mobile app. Another way to make an advance payment is to utilise the Payment for Service(s) Requested Form, i.e. Form 900. You can find this form under the Resources section of the official EFMCG website. Note that payments made using Form 900 can only be made via:

Credit Cards: Accepted cards include Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

Cheque, money order, or bank drafts: These should be made in the name of the ‘Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates’. Such payments should be made in US dollars, with funds paid through a US bank account. You need to write your full name and your assigned USMLE/ECFMG identification number on the flip side of the cheque or along with your money order or bank draft.

Note that you cannot submit Form 900 via e-mail. You need to submit it by mail, courier, or fax strictly. You can either fax the form at (215) 386-3185 or mail it to the below address:

ECFMG,
3624 Market Street,
4th Floor,
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2685
USA

If you opt to make an advance payment of your USMLE fees, it is your responsibility to verify that the payment is received and credited to your ECFMG financial account before you start the application process or make any request. You can, once again, verify your ECFMG account status using the MyECFMG mobile app or via OASIS.

Note: If you choose to make transactions using multiple credit cards for your various payments (application fee, USMLE exam stepwise fee, etc.), you need first to credit your ECFMG financial account using OASIS or the MyECFMG mobile application. Alternatively, you may submit multiple copies of Form 900.

Note that cash payments are not accepted.

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