Start Your Journey: Apply to Rochester

Our students have a strong foundation in science, evidence of curiosity through research/innovation, and demonstration of human connection through clinical experiences, community engagement, and advocacy. As required by federal regulations, we are sharing that the MD program at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, as a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, meets the educational requirements for licensure in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

Important Dates: Application Timeline

If you are interested in Rochester, we recommend you apply as early as possible. Here are the deadlines:

• October 15: American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS) opens for application submission May 30, 2023. Our deadline for submission is October 15th. Once we receive your verified application from AMCAS, we will send you an email with instructions on how to submit a secondary application form.
• November 15: Secondary application and $100 non-refundable fee due via the applicant portal by November 15th.
• November 22: Letters of recommendation due. These must be submitted via AMCAS Letter Service. Letters of recommendation, submitted on official letterhead may be a composite letter or pre-health advisory committee letter from your school, or a minimum of 3 individual letters.
• September – mid-March: Interviews are conducted by invitation. All interviews will be virtual and are required for admission.
• Early to mid-March: All interview decisions will be completed.

Interview Process

Interview Selection 

Applicants are selected for interview based on a holistic admissions process which weighs a number of different factors including MCAT, GPA, activities and experiences, letters of recommendation, personal statements, background, undergraduate institution, and mission alignment. Selected applicants will be emailed by the Admissions Office to schedule their interview day. A confirmation email will be sent with your interview day schedule prior to your interview date.

Admissions Requirements and Recommendations

• SPRING and SUMMER 2020 SEMESTER GRADES
  • ​​​In response to the COVID-19 virus pandemic, many colleges and universities offered Pass/Not Pass grades for the 2020 Spring and Summer semesters. We will be flexible in our understanding of the unique circumstances that you may have faced and will accept P/NP grades for these two semesters, including online labs. If your school offered students the option of a grade rather than P/NP, we would prefer a grade, especially for prerequisites.
• FALL 2020 and SPRING 2021
  • We prefer in-person pre-requisite courses, if your school offered you the option. We recognize that this may not have been possible and will accept virtual prerequisite science classes and labs. 
  • All special situations will be considered, please reach out to us with any questions or concerns.
• MCAT

  • With the exception of applicants in our (Rochester Early Medical Scholars Program, Early Assurance Program, and Post-bac Linkage Program), all applicants are required to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Applicants may submit an AMCAS application and secondary application without an MCAT score, but an application will not be considered complete and ready for review until an MCAT score has posted. MCAT scores must be no more than four years old prior to matriculation.

    
    The latest exam date that will be accepted for the 2023-2024 application year will be September 9, 2023.

    
    Please visit AAMC's MCAT site for additional information.

• Degree An undergraduate degree is required from an accredited college or university. We prefer that science coursework be completed in a U.S. or Canadian college.
  Science Coursework

  • One year of biology with laboratory. Biochemistry or botany will not satisfy this requirement. AP credit cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. If your undergraduate college granted you credit through AP coursework, you may take upper level courses in biology with laboratory to satisfy this requirement.
  • One year of physics with laboratory. AP credit can be used to meet one semester of the physics requirement.
  • One year of chemistry with laboratory which must include either one year of organic chemistry or one semester of organic and one semester of biochemistry. AP credit cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. If your undergraduate college granted you credit through AP coursework, you may take upper-level courses in chemistry with laboratory to satisfy this requirement. 
  • One semester of either calculus or statistics. AP credit can be used to meet this requirement.
  • AP credit must be documented on an official transcript.
  • All required science coursework must be taken in-person, if available.
  • We recommend courses in general chemistry, statistics, genetics, physiology, and biochemistry.

  Non-Science Coursework

  • 12 credit hours in the humanities and/or the social or behavioral sciences.
  • One year of expository writing. This may be met with English or non-science courses that involve expository writing.
  • AP credit will not satisfy non-science requirements.
• Evidence of altruism, an accepting attitude, curiosity, empathy, maturity, professionalism, mindfulness, and resilience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Application Requirements

What is the average GPA & MCAT score of entering students?

The average GPA is 3.8, range of 3.2 - 4.0. The average MCAT score is 516, range of 503 - 528.

If I have taken more than one MCAT, how are the scores viewed?

We look at all test scores. We do not take the best section scores from different exams (super score).

Do you require situational judgment tests (e.g. CASPer)?

No.

Do you accept international applicants?

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, have permanent residency status or asylee status. The exceptions are: 

• Applicants who received their undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester  
• Applicants for our Levitan scholarship

Application Process

Can I meet with an admissions advisor?

Due to limited staffing, please email mdadmish@urmc.rochester.edu with questions.

What’s the status of my application?

Check the applicant portal for application status information.

Where can I find out details about my interview?

Detailed interview day information will be provided in the applicant portal.

When will I learn about Admissions decision following my interview?

Decisions are made approximately six to eight weeks after your interview and communicated via email.

What is your waitlist procedure?

A subcommittee reviews applicants on the waitlist based on a holistic review and their overall committee score. Initial offers to waitlisted applicants begin at the end of April via email notification. The number of students accepted from the waitlist varies from year to year.

Should I send updates to my file if I am waitlisted?

We welcome substantial updates, i.e. awards, a new job or volunteer position, publication or presentation. They may be sent via the applicant portal through the Additional Documents upload. 

Do you accept requests for deferment?

Applicants may request to defer their admission for one year for enrichment purposes. All deferral requests must be submitted via email to mdadmish@urmc.rochester.edu and will be reviewed by the committee. If the request is granted, the deferral period will be for one year only. Applicants are expected to matriculate the following academic year. If a deferred student applies to any other medical school during their enrichment year, we will revoke our offer of admission. Merit scholarship awards cannot be guaranteed post deferral. All deferrals must be submitted prior to April 30th. Any requests submitted after this date will not be entertained. Deferrals will not be granted at any time for MSTP applicants.

Why was my application rejected?

Please email mdadmish@urmc.rochester.edu if you were not accepted and would like more information to help strengthen your future application.

General Inquiries and Programs

Transfer/Admission with Advanced Standing

We do not accept transfer applications.

International Students

We only accept applications from international students who have either: 

• Received an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester. Eligible applicants are required to deposit four full years of the Cost of Attendance into an escrow account by May 15th of the entering year OR 
• Applied for our Levitan Family Endowed Scholarship 
   

All other applicants must be U.S. citizens, have permanent residency status or asylee status.

Medical students who are not U.S. citizens or do not have U.S. Permanent Residency are responsible for ensuring they have the appropriate visa status when applying for post-graduate training (residency programs).

_{Per U.S. Federal Regulations, 668.43 (2019 Rule), and in compliance with the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) Manual version 19.2, the University of Rochester provides the following disclosure related to the educational requirements for professional certification and licensure. The University of Rochester has designed the curriculum for professional certification and licensure, that if successfully completed, is sufficient to meet the certification and licensure educational requirements in the state of New York.  For information regarding licensure in another state, enrolled and prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact that State’s licensing body to review all certification and licensure requirements.}

_{MD Admissions Committee}

_{Voting Rotating Membership:}

• _{Faculty: A minimum of 20 and maximum of 30 basic science and clinical faculty who represent of a variety of medical school departments.  A minimum of two faculty members must be community based faculty.}
• _{Students: a minimum of four and maximum of ten medical students.}

_{Voting Permanent Membership:}

• _{Associate Dean for Admissions (Chair of the Admissions Committee)}
• _{Associate Dean of Student Affairs}
• _{Associate Dean for Equity and inclusion}
• _{Director of Admissions}

_{Ad Hoc Non-Voting Membership} 

• _{Director, Medical Scientist Training Program (MD-PhD)}
• _{Associate Director, Medical Scientist Training Program}