The 2023-2024 application has closed!
Program Overview
The Accelerated Pathway to Medical Education (APME) program offers a unique educational experience for talented students anticipating a career in medicine or medical science. The APME fosters flexibility and creativity in undergraduate education while reducing the pressures related to gaining early conditional admission to medical school. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the reduced pressure by exploring and challenging themselves personally and professionally to prepare a solid foundation for success in medical school and for leadership roles in their careers in medicine.
Students apply to APME once they have entered their senior year of high school and have been accepted at the University of Arizona (we accept in state and out of state students). A student must first apply and be admitted to the University of Arizona, meet the eligibility criteria (see "Admissions Criteria" tab on the left) then they can apply for APME. Students applying to the University of Arizona are not required to declare a major within the College of Medicine- Tucson options but a science major is recommended to satisfy the undergraduate requirements for the MD program. This is a competitive application process, five students are accepted each year to the program.
*To see a full list of undergraduate course requirements, please click here.
The APME program will take a minimum of seven years to complete, three years of undergraduate studies, and four years to complete an MD degree. The accelerated portion comes from removing the 4th year in the undergraduate portion. Students will be required to complete a sequence of required premedical courses during their undergraduate coursework. Students will not receive a bachelor's degree but they will complete the undergraduate coursework that will prepare them for the MD curriculum in the future. Conditional admission is based partially on completeing required premedical coursework during the 3 years of undergraduate courses.
Being conditionally admitted to the program allows students to earn a reserved spot at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson MD program provided he or she meets specific academic, non-academic, and professional requirements annually. The MCAT exam is not required for students in the APME program upon application or admission.
Admission of individuals will be conducted through a holistic review in a manner that treats each applicant fairly, on the basis of experience, attributes, and metrics. The holistic review process ensures all factors of a student's application will be considered equally. When viewing applicants, they will be reviewed on the entirety of their application, one portion will not weigh more than another.
There is no "ideal applicant" to the Accelerated Pathway to Medical Education. We look for exceptional applicants with a variety of personal and professional strengths, who will contribute to our diverse and well-rounded student body.
Dates & Deadlines
- Application Opens: September 12, 2022
- Application Due: January 20, 2023
- Letters of Recommendations and Unofficial Transcripts due: January 20, 2023
- Application Review Begins: February 2023
- Invitations to Interview: Week of February 20th, 2023
- Virtual Visit Day (Virtual Interviews Conducted): March 3, 2023
- Acceptances Announced: March 24, 2023
- Students Commit to APME: April 21, 2023
- Second Look Event: April 2023
All applications will be reviewed starting February 2023.
*Dates are subject to change
*All dates and deadlines are in Arizona Time (MST)
Informational Sessions
Virtual Information sessions will resume Fall 2023!
There will be one virtual informaiton session a month, September-January and will all be hosted via Zoom at 5pm AZ time on the alloted dates. Dates for Fall 2023 will be posted in August!
Please contact Camille Chavez (camillechavez@arizona.edu) Assistant Director, Admissions Pathways with any specific questions or by phone 520-626-6214.
Want to see whats happening at the College of Medicine- Tucson? Check us out on social media:
- Instagram: @uazmedapme and @uazmedtucson
- Twitter: UACOMTAdmission