Spartan Health Sciences University is a private, for-profit medical school in Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia. It was founded on 7 January 1980 as St. Lucia Health Sciences University.[1] On 24 January 2024 the Caribbean accreditation body CAAM-HP decided that it was unable to grant any form of accreditation to the School of Medicine, and the body lists the school as “Not Accredited”.[2][3]
Wikipedia reports that the World Directory of Medical Schools lists the university as not operational and closed in 2025; we could not open that directory record ourselves.[1] The university’s own website currently shows an “under construction” notice.[4] We give no tuition figures, because we could not read an official current fee schedule, and no QS World University Rankings 2027 position could be confirmed.
Key facts
| Official name | Spartan Health Sciences University (SHSU); School of Medicine[2] |
| Location | Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia (no street address found; first campus was in Castries)[1] |
| Type | Private, for-profit medical school[1] |
| Founded | 7 January 1980 as St. Lucia Health Sciences University; renamed Spartan Health Sciences University in November 1983[1] |
| Medical programme | MD of 14 trimesters, the first five in Saint Lucia and the clinical phase at teaching hospitals[1] |
| Other programmes | A nursing programme (from 2012) and a veterinary school (opened 14 January 2015), according to Wikipedia[1] |
| CAAM-HP accreditation, history | Provisional accreditation 2013–2015, extended 2016–2018, probation 2019–2022[2] |
| CAAM-HP decision, 24 January 2024 | Unable to grant any form of accreditation to the School of Medicine[2] |
| CAAM-HP listing | “Not Accredited” (entry updated January 2024)[3] |
| Status according to Wikipedia | Listed in 2025 by the World Directory of Medical Schools as not operational and closed; local registration expired in 2022[1] |
| Website status | Shows an “under construction” notice; an admissions contact line is listed[4] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | Not confirmed (no position found in any source read) |
| Tuition | No official current figure found; not stated here |
| Official website | spartanmed.org |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 10 November 2026.
About Spartan Health Sciences University
Spartan Health Sciences University was established on 7 January 1980 as St. Lucia Health Sciences University. It was renamed in November 1983. Its first campus was in Castries; it is now listed in Vieux Fort.[1] The MD ran for 14 trimesters, five of them in Saint Lucia and the clinical phase at approved teaching hospitals; Wikipedia adds a nursing programme from 2012 and a veterinary school from January 2015.[1]
CAAM-HP, in its first assessment, described the School of Medicine as an offshore school on Saint Lucia with clinical affiliates in the USA, and named the clinical sites it visited in 2013 as Jackson Park Hospital and Norwegian American Hospital in Chicago.[2] For its 2023 review, CAAM-HP visited the main campus and interviewed clinical faculty in the US and India.[2]
Is Spartan Health Sciences University accredited?
No. CAAM-HP (the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions) lists the School of Medicine as “Not Accredited”, and the entry was last updated in January 2024.[3] The CAAM-HP record for the school runs as follows:[2]
| Date | CAAM-HP decision |
|---|---|
| October 2013 | Provisional accreditation for two years, 2013–2015 |
| July 2016 | Provisional accreditation extended for two years, 2016–2018 |
| July 2019 | Unable to extend further; programme placed on probation for three years, 2019–2022 |
| July 2022 | 2022 progress report judged not acceptable |
| 24 January 2024 | Unable to grant any form of accreditation |
After a site visit on 16–21 June 2023, the Board concluded that the school “has made little effort to meet or maintain the standards required for accreditation and showed reckless disregard for the welfare of its students and its staff”. It allowed final-year students who would be disadvantaged to transfer to another accredited school, waiving its rule against transfers in the final year.[2]
On the university’s current status, Wikipedia says that the World Directory of Medical Schools listed it in 2025 as not operational and closed and that its local registration expired in 2022; the article attributes the latter to Ministry of Education notes but cites no document, and it carries maintenance tags for neutrality and promotional content.[1] The university’s website shows only an “under construction” notice.[4] A directory of Caribbean medical schools still describes the school in the present tense, without a date.[5]
How is Spartan Health Sciences University ranked?
We could not confirm a position in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (published 18 June 2026), and none of the sources we read names one. QS blocks automated access to its site. How we compile rankings. Accreditation is the more useful signal for a medical school; see above. The Saint Lucia list shows the other institutions on the island.
What did Spartan Health Sciences University teach?
The main programme was the Doctor of Medicine (MD), taught over 14 trimesters, with five in Saint Lucia and the clinical phase at approved teaching hospitals.[1] A nursing programme began in 2012 and a school of veterinary medicine opened on 14 January 2015, according to Wikipedia.[1] A directory of Caribbean medical schools lists an MD and a nursing programme.[5] We could not verify from an official source which programmes, if any, are currently taught.
How much does Spartan Health Sciences University cost?
We cannot give a current figure. The university’s website currently shows an “under construction” notice, and we found no official fee schedule for any recent year.[4] Third-party sites quote conflicting per-trimester, annual and full-programme amounts; we do not repeat them because they are not official and cannot be dated. If you are considering a transfer or refund claim, contact the university’s admissions line listed on its website and the Saint Lucia Ministry of Education.[4]
How do you apply?
We cannot describe a current application procedure. The university’s website shows only an “under construction” notice and an admissions contact line.[4] Because CAAM-HP lists the School of Medicine as not accredited, check with the university and with the authorities in the country where you plan to practise whether a degree would be recognised before you apply.[3] We list no deadlines.
Which language level do you need?
None of the sources we read states a language requirement or a language of instruction for the programmes, so we do not give one. Ask the admissions office.[4]
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Spartan Health Sciences University accredited?
Is Spartan Health Sciences University still open?
Where is Spartan Health Sciences University?
In Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia. Its first campus, from 1980, was in Castries.[1]
What happened to final-year students?
In its January 2024 decision CAAM-HP agreed that final-year students who would be disadvantaged could transfer to another accredited school, waiving its rule against final-year transfers.[2]
How much did the MD cost?
We found no official current fee schedule, so we do not give a figure.[4]
More about studying in Saint Lucia
- Saint Lucia: best universities
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Saint Lucia
Sources
[1] Wikipedia: Spartan Health Sciences University (secondary source for history and status; last edited 4 Nov 2026; carries maintenance tags from August 2025)
[2] CAAM-HP: Spartan Health Sciences University School of Medicine, St Lucia: Not Accredited (determination record, PDF) (PDF created 23 Feb 2024; covers determinations from 2013 to 24 Jan 2024)
[3] CAAM-HP: Spartan Health Sciences University School of Medicine (assessed programmes) (status Not Accredited; programme list entry updated Jan 2024)
[4] Spartan Health Sciences University: official website (page without a date; shows an “under construction” notice, read 10 Nov 2026)
[5] Caribbean Med Schools: Spartan Health Sciences University (directory page without a date; footer 2025; not an official source)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.