A system begun in 1970 by the American Association of Medical Colleges in which the AAMC evaluates U.S. citizens receiving undergraduate medical education outside the United States and sponsors those it deems qualified for part one of the national board examinations. Students who take and pass the boards with this sponsorship may then apply to a U.S. medical school for completion of their training with advanced standing. Some students obtain sponsorship for the boards from an individual school without using COTRANS.