Prerequisite Courses Required by Most Medical Programs
Pre-Medicine:- Biology with lab (1 academic year)
- Chemistry with lab (1 year of each): General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Physics with lab (1 academic year)
- Mathematics (one mathematics course, not including statistics). NOTE: statistics is highly recommended for many schools; check potential schools for specific math requirements and recommendations in advance of application.
- Humanities, Social Studies and English (2 academic years and/or social sciences to include one course in English composition or equivalent writing emphasis).
- AP and IB credit will be accepted to fulfill the above prerequisites. AP and IB credits must appear on your college or university transcript with the course name and number of credits awarded.
- An eligible MCAT is required, meaning one that is taken from one to three years prior to the year in which the applicant seeks matriculation to medical school. Many schools will base their decisions on the applicants most recent eligible MCAT.
- Citizenship status
- Other qualifiers: schools will require a cumulative total GPA, as reported by AMCAS, the minimum requirements vary and a cumulative MCAT score of the most recent MCAT, minimum requirements also vary with schools. NOTE: minimum qualifiers are subject to change from one admission cycle to the next. Some medical schools recommend courses in addition to the prerequisite courses listed here, so applicants should check potential schools for any additional recommended coursework as far in advance of application deadlines as possible.
- Additional requirements: BS or BA prior to matriculating in medical school, however, no particular major is required. NOTE: May not be required for D.O. but it is dependent on the school.
Application Process:
Students apply to medical school by completing and submitting a primary application through a central application service (AMCAS or AACOMAS). This service standardizes the information from the application and forwards it to the medical schools indicated by the applicant. The next step of the application process is the secondary application. In secondary applications, medical schools request additional information from students, such as letters of evaluation and responses to essay questions. Some medical schools automatically invite all applicants to complete secondary applications, while others only invite applicants who meet minimum GPA and MCAT score criteria to complete them. Interviews normally take place between September and February for acceptance the following fall (although some schools continue to interview into the spring). Most admissions offers are made during fall and winter terms but some schools, including OHSU, continue to make offers through spring term (and even later in some cases for applicants who are admitted from wait lists).
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