Training, research and funding routes into pathology worldwide — every entry linked to the body that actually runs it.
Start here
Two questions. The route that fits your stage, and the bodies that run it.
Training
Entry to pathology training is national, examination-gated and runs on a fixed annual cycle. These are the bodies that accredit programmes and run the applications.
| Where | Body or resource | What it is | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | ACGME — accredited pathology programmes | Accreditation body for all US residency programmes | acgme.org ↗ |
| United States | FREIDA — AMA residency database | Searchable directory of every accredited programme | freida.ama-assn.org ↗ |
| United States | ERAS — application service | The application portal for US residency | students-residents.aamc.org ↗ |
| United States | NRMP — the Match | Matching service and published match data | nrmp.org ↗ |
| Canada | CaRMS — Canadian Resident Matching Service | Directory and match for Canadian residency | carms.ca ↗ |
| Canada | Royal College — specialty training | Accreditation and specialty standards | royalcollege.ca ↗ |
| United Kingdom | Oriel — NHS specialty recruitment | The single application portal for UK training posts | oriel.nhs.uk ↗ |
| United Kingdom | RCPath — training | Curriculum, assessment and training routes | rcpath.org ↗ |
| United Kingdom | NHS England — specialty training | Recruitment timelines and person specifications | medical.hee.nhs.uk ↗ |
| Ireland | RCPI — Faculty of Pathology training | Higher specialist training in pathology | rcpi.ie ↗ |
| Australia | RCPA — trainees | Training programme, requirements and exams | rcpa.edu.au ↗ |
| New Zealand | RCPA — trainees | Same training framework as Australia | rcpa.edu.au ↗ |
| Germany | Bundesärztekammer — Weiterbildung | Specialty training regulations by state chamber | bundesaerztekammer.de ↗ |
| Sweden | Socialstyrelsen — ST specialist training | Specialist training regulation | socialstyrelsen.se ↗ |
| India | NBEMS — DNB pathology | DNB training and examinations | natboard.edu.in ↗ |
| India | NEET-PG — postgraduate entrance | Entrance examination for MD/DNB | nbe.edu.in ↗ |
| South Africa | Colleges of Medicine of South Africa | Specialist qualification and examinations | cmsa.co.za ↗ |
| Singapore | MOH Holdings — residency | National residency programme administration | mohh.com.sg ↗ |
Subspecialty
Fellowships are the most common route into a new country after training, and usually recruit 12–18 months ahead.
| Where | Body or resource | What it is | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global | USCAP | Courses, fellowships and the largest academic pathology meeting | uscap.org ↗ |
| Global | International Academy of Pathology | International divisions, fellowships and bursaries | iapcentral.org ↗ |
| Global | PathologyOutlines — fellowship directory | Open directory of pathology fellowship vacancies | pathologyoutlines.com ↗ |
| United States | College of American Pathologists | Practice standards, resources and career pathways | cap.org ↗ |
| United States | ASCP | Certification, education and fellowship resources | ascp.org ↗ |
| Europe | European Society of Pathology | Working groups, congresses and fellowships | esp-pathology.org ↗ |
| United Kingdom | RCPath — fellowship and CPD | Subspecialty progression after FRCPath | rcpath.org ↗ |
| Australia | RCPA — Board of Education | Post-fellowship and subspecialty training | rcpa.edu.au ↗ |
Academic
Research posts are usually funded by the scheme rather than the department, and often carry fewer licensing barriers than clinical routes.
| Where | Body or resource | What it is | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions | EU doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships | marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu ↗ |
| Global | Wellcome — grant funding | PhD, clinical and postdoctoral research funding | wellcome.org ↗ |
| United States | NIH — grants and training | Research training and fellowship awards | nih.gov ↗ |
| Europe | European Research Council | Frontier research grants | erc.europa.eu ↗ |
| United Kingdom | UKRI / MRC | Clinical research training fellowships | ukri.org ↗ |
| Germany | DAAD — research grants | Doctoral and research funding for internationals | daad.de ↗ |
| Global | EURAXESS — research jobs and funding | European research positions and mobility | euraxess.ec.europa.eu ↗ |
Short placements
The fastest way in: short placements rarely require full registration, and they produce the reference that later applications depend on.
| Where | Body or resource | What it is | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global | PathElective — free virtual pathology electives | Free, structured virtual electives across subspecialties | pathelective.com ↗ |
| Global | USCAP — courses and interactive centre | Short courses open to trainees internationally | uscap.org ↗ |
| United States | AAMC — visiting student learning opportunities | Official portal for visiting electives at US institutions | students-residents.aamc.org ↗ |
| United Kingdom | RCPath — undergraduate and elective resources | Careers and elective guidance | rcpath.org ↗ |
Funding
Government and foundation schemes covering fees, stipend and travel. Deadlines usually fall well before the university application.
| Where | Body or resource | What it is | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Chevening Scholarships | UK government scholarships for master's study | chevening.org ↗ |
| United Kingdom | Commonwealth Scholarships | Master's and PhD funding for Commonwealth citizens | cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk ↗ |
| United Kingdom | Gates Cambridge | Full postgraduate funding at Cambridge | gatescambridge.org ↗ |
| United Kingdom | Rhodes Scholarships | Postgraduate study at Oxford | rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk ↗ |
| United States | Fulbright Foreign Student Program | US government graduate study scholarships | foreign.fulbrightonline.org ↗ |
| Germany | DAAD Scholarships | Comprehensive German scholarship database | daad.de ↗ |
| Europe | Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters | Fully funded joint master's programmes | eacea.ec.europa.eu ↗ |
| Sweden | Swedish Institute Scholarships | Master's funding for international students | si.se ↗ |
| Australia | Australia Awards | Australian government scholarships | australiaawards.gov.au ↗ |
| Japan | MEXT — Study in Japan | Japanese government scholarships | studyinjapan.go.jp ↗ |
| Netherlands | Orange Knowledge / Nuffic | Dutch higher education and scholarship information | nuffic.nl ↗ |
| Global | WHO — TDR training grants | Research training for low- and middle-income countries | tdr.who.int ↗ |
Assessment
Which examination gates which route, and who runs it. Sitting the wrong examination first is the most expensive planning error in this field.
| Where | Body or resource | What it is | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | USMLE | Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3 | usmle.org ↗ |
| United States | American Board of Pathology | AP/CP certification examinations | abpath.org ↗ |
| United States | ECFMG certification | Required before US residency | ecfmg.org ↗ |
| United Kingdom | FRCPath — RCPath examinations | Part 1 and Part 2 examinations | rcpath.org ↗ |
| United Kingdom | PLAB — GMC | Route to GMC registration | gmc-uk.org ↗ |
| Canada | MCCQE — Medical Council of Canada | Qualifying examinations | mcc.ca ↗ |
| Australia | RCPA examinations | Basic and advanced pathology examinations | rcpa.edu.au ↗ |
| Ireland | PRES — Medical Council of Ireland | Pre-registration examination system | medicalcouncil.ie ↗ |
| Sweden | Kunskapsprov — Socialstyrelsen | Medical knowledge test for non-EU applicants | socialstyrelsen.se ↗ |
| France | EVC — Centre National de Gestion | Knowledge verification examinations | cng.sante.fr ↗ |
| Netherlands | AKV test — BIG register | Language and skills assessment | bigregister.nl ↗ |
| India | FMGE / NExT — NBEMS | Screening examination for foreign graduates | natboard.edu.in ↗ |
| Gulf | Prometric — regional licensing exams | Delivers licensing exams across Gulf states | prometric.com ↗ |
| Language | IELTS | Accepted by most regulators | ielts.org ↗ |
| Language | OET — Occupational English Test | Healthcare-specific English test | oet.com.au ↗ |
Timing
The recurring annual cycle. Months are indicative — confirm exact dates on each official site, as they shift every year.
ERAS applications open and programmes begin reviewing. ECFMG certification must be in progress.
Official ↗Oriel opens for the main national recruitment round.
Official ↗Major UK postgraduate scholarship deadlines fall before the university application.
Official ↗UK government scholarship applications close.
Official ↗CaRMS first-iteration deadlines and interviews.
Official ↗US Match results are released in March.
Official ↗Joint master's programmes close applications for the autumn intake.
Official ↗Positions are advertised by individual laboratories through the year.
Official ↗Most pathology fellowships recruit 12–18 months ahead of the start date.
Official ↗Free
Established open resources used by pathologists worldwide, plus our own free material.
| Where | Body or resource | What it is | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reference | PathologyOutlines | The most widely used free pathology reference | pathologyoutlines.com ↗ |
| Atlas | WebPathology | Large annotated image collection | webpathology.com ↗ |
| Slides | Leeds Virtual Pathology | Free whole-slide image library | virtualpathology.leeds.ac.uk ↗ |
| Slides | PathPresenter | Digital slide sharing and teaching platform | pathpresenter.net ↗ |
| Collection | The Rosai Collection | Juan Rosai's annotated case collection | rosaicollection.org ↗ |
| Course | SEER Training Modules — NCI | Free cancer registry and anatomy training | training.seer.cancer.gov ↗ |
| Society | USCAP | Courses, webinars and annual meeting | uscap.org ↗ |
| Society | ASCP | Certification and continuing education | ascp.org ↗ |
| Journal | PubMed | Primary literature search | pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗ |
| Elective | PathElective | Free virtual electives | pathelective.com ↗ |
Twenty free subspecialty primers on artificial intelligence in pathology, as PDFs.
All 32 Advanced AI for Pathology module decks — 3,200 slides — in a single download.
Structured whole-slide teaching cases with history, differential, discussion and self-assessment.
AI, digital pathology, research methods, scientific writing and quality management.
Shared tools
These work for study and career applications alike, so they live in one place rather than two.
Track every credential an institution or regulator will ask for, with validity windows.
What each document proves, how long it stays valid, and the format expected.
Every application across ten stages, from research to arrival.
Compare destinations on examinations, language, cost, sponsorship and demand.
Not yet open
We are building a mentor network of pathologists who have completed these routes themselves. We are not launching it with invented profiles — a student choosing a country on the strength of a fabricated mentor would be badly served.
If you have trained abroad and would mentor someone making the same move, tell us and we will contact you when the network opens.
Mentors confirmed against their registration
Paired on the pathway you are actually taking
Mentoring is never charged to the student
Anyone charging for "guaranteed" placement is not a mentor
Institutions
Rather than reproduce a list of medical schools that would be out of date within a year, use the accreditation registers, which are authoritative and current:
Arrival
Student and training visas are decided by the immigration authority, not the university or the regulator. Each country pathway page links its immigration authority directly.