Students at Covista Medical Schools Match or Exceed U.S. MD Peers on USMLE Step 1 First-Time Pass Rates Across MCAT Ranges
Business Wire•13/10/2026•06:00 ET
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Key Highlights
- ➤RUSM first-time Step 1 pass rates exceed U.S. MD peers in most MCAT bands
- ➤AUC first-time Step 1 pass rates exceed U.S. MD peers in most MCAT bands
- ➤RUSM reports 96% first-time residency attainment for 2025–2026 graduates
- ➤AUC reports over 98% first-time residency attainment for 2025–2026 graduates
- ➤Covista survey finds 702,000 monthly healthcare job postings versus 306,000 unemployed clinicians
Expert Statements
Heidi Chumley, Chief operating officer of medical and veterinary at Covista
“An MCAT score measures where a student stands on one day — not who they can become as a physician. When capable, motivated students are given a rigorous curriculum and genuine, individualized support, they succeed. The fact that our students achieve first-time Step 1 pass rates comparable to, and in some cases exceeding, those of U.S. MD students across most MCAT score bands demonstrates what is possible when potential is matched with opportunity.”
Scott Liles, President of medical and veterinary and chief strategy and performance officer for Covista
“The healthcare workforce shortage requires us to take a more holistic look at the education landscape, and a true assessment of the many talented, motivated people who want to become physicians. This data proves something that our institutions have long known: that when capable students are cultivated rather than filtered by a single MCAT score, they meet or exceed their potential and become the physicians our communities need.”
Students at Covista Medical Schools Match or Exceed U.S. MD Peers on USMLE Step 1 First-Time Pass Rates Across MCAT Ranges
New analysis finds that students at Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) and American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) pass USMLE Step 1 on their first attempt at rates comparable to—and in most MCAT score bands higher than—U.S. MD students with similar MCAT scores.
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