The short answer: to check WDOMS listed Chinese medical universities, search the university at search.wdoms.org, open its Sponsor Notes tab, and then confirm the same university on pmdc.pk. WDOMS is the World Directory of Medical Schools. It tells you the school exists and whether ECFMG has approved it for US licensing steps. It does not tell you that your degree will be accepted in Pakistan, and it has nothing to do with WHO approval.
Many families hear four or five acronyms from agents (WHO, IMED, WDOMS, ECFMG, WFME) and are told they all mean the same thing. They do not. This guide explains what each one is, which are still in use, and how to run a proper check yourself in about ten minutes.
What is WDOMS and what does it list?
WDOMS is a public database of medical schools around the world. It is run jointly by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and FAIMER, a division of Intealth, the organisation that also runs ECFMG. You can search it free at search.wdoms.org.
The directory was launched in April 2014. It merged two older lists: the International Medical Education Directory (IMED) from FAIMER and the Avicenna Directory from WFME. Both older lists were discontinued around 2015, and ECFMG has used the World Directory instead of IMED since 30 June 2015. So when a brochure says a Chinese university is "in the IMED list", the claim is outdated. The current name is WDOMS.
The directory states that a listing does not mean recognition, accreditation or endorsement by WFME, FAIMER or the directory itself. Being listed means the school is on record. That is all.
WDOMS, IMED, WHO, WFME and ECFMG: what each one means
| Name | What it is | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| WDOMS | The World Directory of Medical Schools, run by WFME and FAIMER | Lists schools. A listing is not an endorsement |
| IMED | FAIMER's older directory, discontinued around 2015 | Nothing today. Replaced by WDOMS |
| Avicenna | WFME's older directory, also discontinued | Nothing today. Merged into WDOMS |
| WFME | World Federation for Medical Education | Recognises the agencies that accredit medical schools. It does not accredit individual schools |
| ECFMG | The body that certifies international medical graduates for US residency and USMLE | Decides, through a sponsor note, which schools its applicants can come from |
| WHO | World Health Organization | We found no WHO list that approves or bans individual medical schools |
| PM&DC | Pakistan's medical regulator | Decides recognition of foreign institutions for registration in Pakistan |
The key point is that each body answers a different question. WDOMS answers "does this school exist and what are its details". ECFMG answers "can its graduates apply for US certification". PM&DC answers "will Pakistan register its graduates". Only the last one matters for most Pakistani families, and it is a separate check.
Does WHO recognise Chinese medical universities?
This is the most abused phrase in agent marketing. Brochures say a university is "recognised by WHO and the Ministry of Education" and expect you to stop asking questions.
We searched for a WHO document that approves or bans individual Chinese medical schools and found none. The directory that does exist, WDOMS, is run by WFME and FAIMER, not WHO. A Pakistani news site once reported that WHO "blacklisted" eight Chinese universities. The report is undated and we found no WHO source for it. The eight schools removed in 2019 (below) were removed from WDOMS, not by WHO.
So when someone says "WHO recognised", ask three things:
- Which WHO document says so, and what is its date?
- Is the university on the PM&DC list of recognised foreign institutions?
- Does it appear on WDOMS, and does the Sponsor Notes tab show an ECFMG note?
If the answer to the first is "it is well known", walk away. Our guide on how to spot a fake study-abroad consultant covers other red flags.
What is an ECFMG sponsor note?
Sponsors are organisations that add short notes to a school's WDOMS page. The sponsor that matters most for medical graduates is ECFMG. Its note says the school meets ECFMG eligibility requirements and lists the graduation years it covers. You find it on the school's page, under the Sponsor Notes tab.
Three facts are worth remembering:
- A school has to ask for the note. An official of the school contacts ECFMG, and ECFMG decides at its own discretion.
- If the tab shows no ECFMG note, students and graduates of that school cannot apply for ECFMG Certification.
- The graduation years matter. If your expected graduation year falls outside the range, confirm with ECFMG before you rely on the school.
ECFMG has also said that a school can appear in the directory without meeting its eligibility rules. That is why the sponsor note, not the listing itself, is the line to check. The official explanation is on the ECFMG sponsor notes page.
The accreditation rule from 2024
ECFMG added a second condition. For applicants from 2024, the medical school must be accredited by an agency that WFME recognises. The date was first set for 2023 and moved to 2024 because of the pandemic. This sits on top of the sponsor note, it does not replace it.
For China, the relevant agency is the Working Committee for the Accreditation of Medical Education (WCAME), which works under the Ministry of Education. The Chinese government's English site reported in June 2020 that WFME had granted it recognition status. That is good news for accredited Chinese schools, but it does not mean every Chinese university with a medical programme is accredited. A 2022 study of school websites counted 129 schools that had completed accreditation as of December 2021. Ask your university whether its clinical medicine programme has passed WCAME accreditation and ask to see the certificate or a public page.
Which Chinese medical schools were removed from the directory?
In November 2019, eight traditional Chinese medicine schools were removed from WDOMS:
- Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
- Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine
- Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
WFME's stated reason was that the schools did not offer a programme leading to a qualification normally recognised as a medical qualification that allows clinical practice outside China. The operators said the decision was not a judgement on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine. Reporting at the time, including The China Project, said graduates of mainstream clinical medicine schools were not affected.
Two practical lessons follow. First, a degree in traditional Chinese medicine is a different degree from MBBS, and ECFMG's booklet says specialties other than clinical medicine do not qualify. Second, this article is from 2019. Directory entries change, so always check the live page and not a blog or a brochure, including this one.
How do I search WDOMS, step by step?
- Open search.wdoms.org.
- Type the university's English name. Tick "Include Non-UN Member States" so the search does not hide results.
- Pick the right entry. Check the city, because some Chinese names are close to each other.
- Read the school page: year of foundation, programme, and the details given.
- Open the Sponsor Notes tab. Look for an ECFMG note and read the graduation years it covers.
- Take a dated screenshot and save it with your application papers.
- Repeat the process for the Pakistani side on pmdc.pk (see the next section).
If the university is not found, try a Chinese spelling or the older university name. If it still does not appear, ask the university in writing why. Do not pay a deposit while that question is open.
Does WDOMS listing mean PMDC will recognise my degree?
No. This is the second most common confusion after the "WHO" claim.
PM&DC keeps its own list of recognised foreign institutions on its website. A May 2026 ProPakistani report said students must check that their chosen institution is on that list, and that the institution must be accredited by WFME or listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. The same report mentioned minimum hours and attendance for the qualification. PM&DC's president also described the list as provisional and subject to periodic review. We could not confirm every condition from that report on PM&DC's own site, so read the current notices at pmdc.pk.
In practice you need both checks, in this order:
- The university is on the PM&DC list of recognised foreign institutions.
- The university appears on WDOMS, and ideally has the ECFMG sponsor note if you may want USMLE later.
Our full walkthrough is in how to verify PMDC-recognised universities in China. For the registration steps after graduation, read the PMDC registration process after a foreign MBBS. Also see the complete list of MOE-listed universities in China, which is the first filter before you check WDOMS.
What about MDCAT?
Since PM&DC public notice No. Exam-59/2026/350 of 5 October 2026, MDCAT is not required for Pakistani students seeking admission to foreign medical institutions. MDCAT is still required for colleges inside Pakistan. After graduation you still need the NEB assessment to transfer into a Pakistani institution or the registration exam (NRE) to practise in Pakistan, and your degree must come from a PM&DC-recognised institution. Other conditions reported in May 2026, such as FSc marks, were not confirmed after the notice, so confirm them on pmdc.pk. Details are in our post on the MDCAT notice.
Can I sit USMLE after MBBS in China?
Possibly, if the school meets ECFMG's rules. The test is the one described above: the school is listed in WDOMS with an ECFMG sponsor note covering your graduation year, and for applicants from 2024 it is accredited by a WFME-recognised agency. Graduates of mainstream Chinese clinical medicine schools have been reported as routinely eligible to apply, but that is general reporting. It does not replace checking your own school.
Passing through ECFMG is only one step. You must then pass the USMLE steps and match to a US residency, which is competitive for international graduates. For the realistic picture, including PLAB for the UK, read our guide to USMLE and PLAB after MBBS abroad.
Red flags when an agent talks about WDOMS or WHO
- "WHO approved" with no document or date.
- "Listed in IMED" or "Avicenna listed". Both lists ended around 2015.
- "Listed in WDOMS, so PMDC will accept it". These are separate checks.
- No answer to "can I see the sponsor note on the university's page?"
- A request for a deposit before you have seen the offer letter and checked the university yourself.
- A guarantee that you will pass the NRE or get a US residency.
Pass rates are worth asking about too. The December 2025 NRE session reportedly had 333 passes out of 2,154 candidates from China, around 15.5 percent, according to press reports. That figure is not a reason to avoid China, but it is a reason to choose a university on evidence and to prepare for the NRE from the first year. For choosing an adviser, see 12 questions to ask an MBBS consultant.
A short checklist before you pay any fee
- Check the university on the MOE list and in our China university directory.
- Check it on pmdc.pk, and tell us or anyone helping you what you found.
- Search it on WDOMS and screenshot the Sponsor Notes tab.
- Ask for the WCAME accreditation status of the clinical medicine programme.
- Read the eligibility rules for Pakistani students and check the offer letter against them.
- Pay fees only to the university's official account, never to a person.
At Titans Abroad we only suggest universities that are MOE-listed and listed as PMDC-approved in our directory, and we do not charge a consultation fee. We still ask every family to repeat these checks on the official sites, because our directory is a starting point and the regulators' pages are the final word. If you want help with a shortlist, you can apply here.
Final word on WDOMS listed Chinese medical universities
Checking WDOMS listed Chinese medical universities takes minutes and prevents expensive mistakes. A WDOMS listing shows the school exists, the ECFMG sponsor note shows whether US certification is open to its graduates, and WFME-recognised accreditation is now part of that picture. None of them replaces the PM&DC list for a Pakistani career. Do all the checks, keep the screenshots, and treat any "WHO recognised" claim as unproven until you see a document.
Frequently asked questions
Is my Chinese medical university listed in WDOMS?
Search the university name at search.wdoms.org and tick the option to include non-UN member states. Most MOE-listed medical universities in China appear there, but do not assume. Check the exact English name and the city, because several universities have similar names.
If the university does not appear, ask the admissions office why in writing before you pay any fee.
Does WHO recognise Chinese medical universities?
WHO does not run a recognition list for medical schools, and we found no WHO document that approves or bans any Chinese university. The directory used worldwide is WDOMS, run by WFME and FAIMER, and it says a listing is not an endorsement. If an agent says a university is "WHO recognised", ask for the document. Treat the claim as marketing until you see one.
What is an ECFMG sponsor note?
A sponsor note is a short entry on a school's WDOMS page, written by a sponsor such as ECFMG. For ECFMG, it states that the school meets its eligibility rules and gives the graduation years covered. A school has to request it, and ECFMG decides at its own discretion. No ECFMG note means you cannot apply for ECFMG Certification through that school.
Which Chinese medical schools were removed from the directory?
In 2019 eight traditional Chinese medicine schools were removed from the World Directory: Beijing, Guiyang, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Shanghai, Shanxi, Tianjin and Yunnan. WFME said they did not offer a programme normally recognised as a medical qualification for clinical practice outside China. Mainstream clinical medicine schools were not affected. Check the current directory, as listings can change.
Does WDOMS listing mean PMDC will recognise my degree?
No. WDOMS is a worldwide directory and PM&DC keeps its own list of recognised foreign institutions. A May 2026 report said PM&DC wants institutions on its list and either WFME-accredited or WDOMS-listed. Treat a WDOMS listing as one required check, then confirm the university on pmdc.pk before you pay a fee.
How do I search WDOMS?
Go to search.wdoms.org, type the university name, and tick the box to include non-UN member states. Open the school's page and read the details, including the year it opened and its programme. Then click the Sponsor Notes tab to see whether ECFMG has added a note and which graduation years it covers. Take a screenshot with the date.
Can I sit USMLE after MBBS in China?
It depends on your school. ECFMG requires that the school is listed in WDOMS with an ECFMG sponsor note and, for applicants from 2024, accredited by an agency recognised by WFME. Graduates of mainstream Chinese clinical medicine schools are generally able to apply. Check the exact school and your graduation year on the Sponsor Notes tab.