Admissions Requirements

A strong academic record and good scores on the MCAT are necessary but not sufficient criteria for admission. In addition to these academic measures, the Admissions Committee looks for evidence of scholarship, service to the community, leadership abilities, integrity, maturity, and excellent interpersonal skills. Rochester seeks students who value human diversity, exhibit a love of learning, have an appreciation of the science and art of medicine, and are called to serve others.

Diversity Statement—Admissions

Consistent with the University's educational mission, the School of Medicine wishes to attract, educate and train individuals who aspire to the highest ideals of the physician/scientist/humanist to which our institution is dedicated. In an effort to attract and matriculate such individuals, the Admissions Committee is particularly interested in candidates who show great promise for careers in academic medicine, community and international health, and who have an interest in serving the underserved in our society.

To this end, we seek individuals with a demonstrated potential for success in a rigorous course of study who are comfortable in a learning environment that embraces diversity of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds, and are committed to an atmosphere that nurtures mutual respect. As future practitioners of medicine entrusted with the responsibility to educate and train the next generation of clinician-scientists and to serve the heterogeneous patient population that characterizes our local, national and international communities, we are committed to matriculating the best applicants to fulfill these institutional missions. They must be individuals who resonate with the ideals embodied in Rochester's biopsychosocial model and our University's motto—Meliora—which defines excellence not as a final achievement, but rather as a process of continually becoming better.

In assessing which Rochester applicants possess these qualities, the Admissions Committee's review of the applicant's credentials will look for the following:

  • Academic achievement, as exemplified by GPA and MCAT scores, consistent with the rigor of the undergraduate curriculum and institution, and with consideration for any educational hardship related to limited opportunities.
  • Strong letters of support from the applicant's Pre-health Advisory Committee and/or individual letters of recommendation.
  • Significant extracurricular or para-curricular activities that demonstrate personal initiative, creativity, leadership, and commitment to breadth and depth of the total educational experience.
  • Significant outreach and exposure to people in need, disadvantaged, or otherwise marginalised in society and/or a perspective that has been developed through experiences of personal, economic or educational challenge.
  • Clear evidence of medically related activities (volunteer or paid) that suggest the applicant is aware of and has an appreciation for the profession of medicine.

Undergraduate Education

  1. A minimum of 3 years of study in an accredited college or university.
  2. Expository writing—one year: This may be met with English or non-science courses that involve extensive expository writing.
  3. One year of biology with laboratory. Biochemistry or botany will not satisfy this requirement.
  4. One year of physics with laboratory.
  5. Two years of chemistry, including either one year of organic chemistry or one semester of organic and one semester of biochemistry. Within the two-year chemistry sequence, one year of laboratory is required.
  6. 12 – 16 credit hours in the humanities and/or the social or behavioral sciences.
  7. Although not specifically required, courses in calculus, statistics, genetics, physiology, and biochemistry are recommended. Experience in clinical settings, research or an Honors Thesis in your major, public health, or community outreach activities also are strongly recommended.
  8. All required premedical courses must ordinarily be taken at an accredited United States or Canadian college or university.
  9. Advanced placement courses may meet only one semester of the chemistry and/or one semester of the physics requirements. Advanced placement will not satisfy the biology or non-science requirements.

Note

Due to Rochester's early clinical exposure and participation in community outreach programs, an additional step of verifying applicant attestations is being taken as a part of the school's institutional commitment to protect the public and the patients who entrust the school's students with their health care. The school's offer of admission is expressly conditioned upon the school's review of the background check. If accepted to the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Certiphi Screening, Inc. will provide you electronic access to consent forms that will give them permission to conduct a criminal background check based on inspection of local, state and national records. There will be no charge to the applicant for this service.

Medical Student Honor Code

Candidates who accept offers of admission to the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry simultaneously agree to follow the terms of the Medical Student Honor Code.

Entering medical school is the beginning of the student’s life as a professional. Physicians and medical students should be altruistic and dedicated to providing competent medical service with compassion and respect for human dignity. Physicians have a responsibility to behave ethically at all times in their interactions with patients and patients’ families, colleagues, and others with whom they interact in their professional lives. The Medical Student Honor Code addresses specific expectations regarding medical student conduct.

The School of Medicine and Dentistry Honor Board is a group composed of students, residents, and faculty that work together to educate the community regarding ethics and professionalism in medicine, investigate and evaluate reports of potential violations of the Honor Code, and are available as consultants to develop curricula relating to professional conduct.

The Honor Code exists in conjunction with other University, School of Medicine and Dentistry, and regulatory policies. The Honor Code is not in lieu of, nor does it replace or supersede existing University, School of Medicine and Dentistry, and/or regulatory policies and procedures. In addition, the Medical Student Promotions and Review Board (MSPRB) retains the right to review professionalism, behavioral and other student cases directly, (independent of the Honor Code process) where health and safety concerns exist and in instances, determined by the MSPRB, to be egregious violations of the Medical School’s professionalism standards.

All applicants are encouraged to review the full Honor Code.

International Students

With the exception noted below, applications for admission will only be accepted from individuals who are U.S. Citizens, permanent residents of the United States or who have asylum status as documented on an I-94 form.

Applications will be accepted from foreign nationals who have, or expect to receive, an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester. Foreign national candidates who have received or expect to receive their undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester are also required to comply, without exception, with the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry's escrowed fees policy. Please review the escrowed fees policy.