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Puerto Rico is part of the
Antilles Archipelago in the Caribbean. It was discovered in 1493
and in 1898, after the Spanish-American War, became a territory
of the United States of America. Since 1952 we are a
Commonwealth with the USA.
Ponce School of Medicine is a free standing school located in
Ponce, the second largest urban center in Puerto Rico, which is
located in the southern coast of the island, 100 kilometers from
San Juan, which is our capital city. Ponce was founded in 1692
and was named after Juan Ponce de Leon, our first Governor.
In 1977, the Catholic University of Puerto Rico established its
School of Medicine in Ponce as one of its academic programs with
a charter class of 26 students. Classes of 28 and 40 students
respectively, were enrolled in 1978 and 1979.
In 1979 the Catholic University of Puerto Rico decided to
discontinue the Medical School. In January 1980, a group of
dynamic leaders of the Ponce community established the Ponce
Medical School Foundation, Inc. under the laws of the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to operate the Ponce School of
Medicine as a non-profit organization. The new administration
successfully handled the transitions so that the Medical School
maintained program continuity.
Ponce School of Medicine has added disciplines enhancing its
academic strength. Doctorate in Biomedical Sciences; doctorates
in Psychology; masters and doctorate in Public Health are now
offered.
The School is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical
Education (LCME), the Council on Higher Education of Puerto Rico
(CHE), the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
and the American Psychological Association (APA), among others.
The Admissions Office and the Admissions’ Committee for each
discipline are responsible for selecting the best candidates
that apply for admission to each existing program. The
Admissions Office receives the applications, arranges interviews
and convenes the Admissions’ Committee of each discipline for
the pertinent decisions.
Tuition is set by the Ponce School of Medicine Board of Trustees
and is subject to change without previous notice. It is the
students’ responsibility to arrange to pay their total tuition,
fees and full charges in order to complete their registration if
they wish to be admitted to classes. Students who may be
eligible for financial assistance should consult the financial
aid office as early as possible.
Students are selected on the basis of scholastic achievement,
fitness and aptitude for the study and other personal
qualifications. The Admissions Committee also gives
consideration to the use of language, special aptitudes,
mechanical skills, stamina, perseverance, and motivation.
Students are admitted on the basis of individual qualifications,
regardless of handicap, sex, race, religion, age, national
origin, marital status, neither sexual nor political
orientation.
PSM Admissions Office and the Admissions’ Committee act in
accordance with “Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990” which
includes changes made by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which
became effective on January 1, 2009. Once the candidate is
accepted, if he/she needs special accommodations, he/she is
responsible to contact the Academic Dean’s Office for further
information. It is the student's responsibility to make his/her
condition known to PSM Administrators and to seek out
assistance.
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