General Questions
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredits medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States. More information on the LCME can be found in the About section. To be accredited, programs must meet the 12 accreditation standards described in the LCME publication, Functions and Structure of a Medical School (there are different versions depending on the academic year of a survey visit, so refer to the schools section for this document.
The LCME is jointly sponsored by the AAMC and the American Medical Association (AMA). The AAMC and the AMA each appoint an LCME Co-and assistant secretary (known jointly as the LCME Secretariat) and maintain accreditation offices in Washington, DC and Chicago, IL, respectively. For more information on whom to contact, please visit the Contact page.
Yes, a current listing of LCME-accredited medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States is available in the School Directory section.
To be eligible to take United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step examinations, a student seeking the MD degree must be, both at the time of application for the USMLE and on the day of the USMLE examination, officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a U.S. medical school program that has achieved preliminary, provisional, or full accreditation by the LCME.
Graduates of LCME-accredited medical schools, including those with full, provisional, or preliminary accreditation, are eligible for residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Accreditation signifies that national standards for structure, function, and performance are met by a medical school’s educational program leading to the MD degree. LCME accreditation establishes eligibility for selected federal grants and programs, including Title VII funding administered by the U.S. Public Health Service. Students enrolled in and graduates of LCME-accredited medical schools are eligible to take United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step examinations. These graduates also are eligible to enter residencies approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Graduation from an LCME-accredited U.S. medical school and successful completion of national licensing examinations are accepted as prerequisites for medical licensure in most states.
No. Medical schools that grant the DO degree are accredited by the American Osteopathic Association.
Medical schools are not ranked by the LCME. The LCME evaluates medical education programs according to standards for organization, function, and performance, but it does not attempt to stratify institutions according to their characteristics. Medical schools differ greatly based on their missions and characteristics: whether they are private or state-supported or free-standing or a component of a parent university. They differ in their sources of funding (e.g., state appropriations, tuition, and/or income from clinical services and research); their relative emphasis on teaching, research, and medical practice; the size of their faculties and enrollments; the scope of their research and their graduation of future scientists and teachers; and their emphasis on primary care and the training of future community physicians. While the quality of education is partly determined by the organization of programs and the adequacy of resources, it also depends on the dedication of the faculty to teaching and to maintaining an environment conducive to learning. These and other important attributes may be obscured by efforts to rank schools by such variables as their size and the reputation of their faculties, levels of research funding, and/or clinical facilities.
- LCME Part I-A Annual Financial Questionnaire (AFQ) and Overview of Organization and Financial Characteristics Survey
- LCME Part I-B Student Financial Aid Questionnaire
- LCME Part II Annual Medical School Questionnaire
- AAMC Medical School Graduation Questionnaire (AAMC GQ)
The above documents are managed by either the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) or the American Medical Association (AMA). Find a list of contacts for each of these data sources below.
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Data Source
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Per Person
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Contact Information |
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LCME Part I-A |
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Email questions to afq@aamc.org |
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LCME Part I-B |
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Email questions to lcmeib@aamc.org |
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LCME Part II Annual Medical School Questionnaire |
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Felicia Walker, Staff Assistant |
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Email questions to gq@aamc.org |
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Prepopulated LCME Data Tables Report |
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Email questions to lcmedatatables@aamc.org |
LCME Pre-survey Preparation
Refer to the School Directory page for the academic year in which the next accreditation survey visit will occur.
Information and documents are available in the schools section of our website. Pre-survey materials, including DCI materials and completion instructions, the Functions and Structure of a Medical School document (containing the LCME standards), the LCME Rules of Procedure, and guidebooks about the self-study process, and preparation of the survey report are available to medical school deans approximately 18 months prior to the scheduled date of the next full accreditation survey visit.
A faculty fellow is an experienced medical school faculty member or administrator nominated by their dean to participate as a team member on an LCME survey visit. Details on each survey team member and the entire survey visit process (before, during, and after the visit) can be found in Guidelines for the Planning and Conduct of Accreditation Survey Visits and Rules of Procedure.
The schools section of our website provides information for medical schools preparing for a survey visit.
Refer to Guidelines for the Planning and Conduct of Accreditation Survey Visits and if you have additional questions about survey package content and deadlines, or formatting and submission, please email lcmesubmissions@aamc.org.
International Medical Programs and International Medical Students
The LCME does not accredit educational programs leading to the MD degree in institutions that are chartered outside of the United States, nor programs located and provided in foreign countries by U.S. medical schools.
Prior to June 30, 2025, the LCME had collaborated with the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC, formerly known as the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges) in the accreditation of undergraduate medical education programs in Canada since the LCME’s formation in 1942. Beginning in 1979, the collaborating agency for the accreditation of Canadian medical schools has been the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS), which is sponsored by the AFMC and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA).
For questions, please contact cacms-cafmc.ca. By agreement, the accreditation of Canadian medical schools by the LCME ended on June 30, 2025.
Graduates of MD programs outside of the United States, including graduates of Canadian medical schools after June 30, 2025, must first receive certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) to become eligible for application to a U.S. residency program and for state medical licensure in the United States. Details of the certification process can be found on the ECFMG website certification page.
The LCME’s scope is limited to the accreditation of complete and independent medical education programs geographically located in the United States for the required portions of their education and that are operated by universities or medical schools that are chartered and operated in the United States. View a list of LCME Accredited U.S. Programs.
Students and graduates of LCME-accredited medical schools are automatically eligible to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), which is a required component of the application process for a residency program in the United States. Graduates of MD programs outside of the United States, including graduates of Canadian medical schools after June 30, 2025, must first receive certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) to become eligible for application to a U.S. residency program and for state medical licensure in the United States. Details of the certification process can be found on the ECFMG website certification page.
To learn about the accrediting organizations in other countries, refer to the Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER). Specifically, FAIMER has created a Directory of Organizations that Recognize/Accredit Medical Schools (DORA).
- Residency programs/graduate medical education: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
- Certification of foreign medical graduates: Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
- Directs and coordinates international health within the United Nations’ system: World Health Organization (WHO)