The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information in its programs and activities. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, no qualified person will be denied access to, participation in, or the benefits of, any program or activity operated by the University because of disability. The University of Arizona’s College of Medicine and the Disability Resource Center will work with you to provide reasonable accommodations during your application and matriculation process. Please contact 520.626.6214 or email admissions@medadmin.arizona.edu with questions.

FAQ Sections:

• International Students

• GPA

• Secondary Application

• Prerequisite Courses Required

• Returning Applicants

• MCAT

• Letters of Recommendation

• MMIs (Multiple Mini Interviews)

• Review Process

• Waitlist

• Rescind Policy and Deferrals

• Commit to Enroll/Plan to Enroll Policy

• How do I compare to the newly accepted class?

International Students 

Do you accept international students?

In order to be accepted, you must complete the steps provided below to be considered for Admissions.

• If you are accepted, you must receive your permanent residency status prior to the start of medical school. You may be in the process of obtaining your permanent residency status during the application process.
• If you obtained your degree from an institution outside of the United States or Canada, you must complete a minimum number of units within the United States or Canada. All of the core academic prerequisites must be taken at an accredited institution within the United States or Canada regardless of prior completion from an institution outside of the United States or Canada. See more about academic requirements here.

I graduated from an international medical school. How do I become a doctor?

If you graduated from an international medical school you can become a practicing physician without going to medical school again. Below are some links that will help familiarize you with the process of getting certified to practice medicine in the United States:

• Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
• U.S. Medical Licensing Examination for International Medical Graduates

Please direct any questions about obtaining residencies to one of our graduate medical education offices.

GPA

What GPA do admitted students tend to have?

I graduated 5 years ago, is there a time limit or expiration date on my courses?

In the initial screening, we use your overall undergraduate GPA and overall undergraduate BCPM GPA regardless of any education beyond a bachelor’s degree. We accept all grades regardless of when they were completed.

Secondary Application

What is required to receive a secondary application? 

Please refer to our Secondary requirements page. 

If I got invited to complete a secondary application this year, will I be invited next year too?

Each application year should be looked at as a new process. There is no guarantee that you will be invited to complete a secondary application as a reapplicant.

Are metrics considered after the initial screening?

Your secondary application is the primary screening tool when considering your application for an interview. Your entire application is reviewed when considering your acceptance.

2023-2024 Prerequisite Courses Required

What are the courses required to attend the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson campus?

Returning Applicants 

If you are a reapplicant, do they pull up your previous application when reviewing?

We are able to note if you are a previous applicant but we are only able to see your current AMCAS and supplemental materials.

As a returning applicant, how should I approach my secondary application since I completed it once already? Should I start completely from scratch?

It is up to you. Be highly critical of your own answers and seek help to try to modify your answers. Minor revisions or corrections may be needed. Try to reflect on the questions and see if your answers have changed based on new life experiences since you applied. Some people may find that their responses have changed as a result of the time between applications.

Can you roll over your letters of recommendation?

You are able to re-submit letters of recommendation that were submitted when you first applied, but it is not recommended. The information about you may become outdated.
Keep in contact with the people who provided letters so that you can ask them to update the letter they originally sent, including new information about your recent experiences.

MCAT

What minimum score do you require on the MCAT (cutoff)?

Should we wait to submit the AMCAS until we get the MCAT scores?

The decision of when to submit your AMCAS application is up to you. Please keep in mind that the earlier you submit your application, the longer it is considered in the application pool. You are able to note on your AMCAS application when you are taking the MCAT. We will not consider an application until the newest MCAT score indicated on AMCAS is received unless your current score meets our MCAT minimum requirement. We will receive your new score when it becomes available and it will show up on your application when reviewing your profile later on in the cycle. 

Do you average scores?

We do not average scores.

Which scores do you consider?

We take your highest MCAT score that you have received within the past four years. However, all scores are considered when reviewing your complete application.

Should you retake the MCAT to improve by a point or two?

If you received a secondary application last season then don’t worry too much about improving your score, unless you feel that it is borderline low. We look at your overall application, so focus instead on improving the other components of the application.

Letters of Recommendation

How many letters of recommendation do I need?

We require at least three letters of recommendation from people who know you well, and can attest your fitness for the medical profession. Some colleges offer a pre-medical advising system, with a committee that writes letters for their students. If a committee letter is obtained, that is sufficient to meet the minimum requirement of three letters of recommendations. You are still responsible for submitting a letter from a physician or clinical supervisor.

Who should I ask for a letter?

Applicants are required to provide, at minimum, one letter of recommendation that collaborates service with a physician and/or clinical experience. If you have participated in clinical activities or academic research, we'd like to see letters of recommendation from professionals who worked with you. For example, a clinical or community service supervisor, and/or a research mentor.

What if I submit more than three letters?

How do I submit letters of recommendation?

 

MMIs (Multiple Mini Interviews)

Once an applicant gets to interview, is there a difference in how in-state and out-of-state applicants are looked processed?

Out-of-state applicants receive comparable consideration after the interview process. The largest difference between how we looked at applicants this past season was at the initial screening.

How many applicants are typically invited for an interview?

We will interview around 500 applicants every year.

Review Process

What do you look at when evaluating an applicant?

Metrics, secondary application, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and interview scores.

What about the holistic review?

The University of Arizona College of Medicine -Tucson utilizes a holistic approach when selecting our incoming class. Holistic review guarantees a fair and equitable consideration of your entire application, including your experiences, attributes, and metrics. Note: There is a baseline MCAT (498) and undergraduate GPA (3.0 overall and BCPM) required to receive a secondary application. 

Waitlist

Do you accept letters of intent or updates to applications? 

The University of Arizona College of Medicine -Tucson does not accept letters of intent or updates.

How many students are put on the waitlist?

The number of students on the waitlist varies year to year.

 

Rescind Policy and Deferrals

What is the College of Medicine's Acceptance Offer Rescind Policy?

Acceptances offered before April 30: “If an applicant receives an acceptance offer prior to April 30, a written response (via the online acceptance portal) must be received within 10 days of the offer. The response will indicate if an applicant will accept or decline the offer. If an applicant does not respond within the 10-day timeline, the acceptance offer is automatically rescinded.”

Acceptances offered after April 30: “If an applicant receives an acceptance offer after April 30, a written response (via the online acceptance portal) must be received within 5 working days of the offer. The timeline may be reduced to two days if the applicant is offered close to the start of orientation. The deadline to respond is within five working days of the acceptance offer. If an applicant does not respond within the five-day timeline, the acceptance offer is automatically rescinded.”

How can I obtain a deferral? 

With the limited number of positions that can be offered to prospective medical students, The University of Arizona College of Medicine expects that students accepted to the College of Medicine will matriculate in the year in which they are accepted. Thus, prospective students should only apply if they anticipate being able to accept admission in the year offered. However, under limited circumstances, accepted students may request a one-year deferral of matriculation for a maximum of one year.  The request must be submitted in writing to the Assistant Dean and Executive Director of Admissions by May 15 of the acceptance year. Examples of circumstances for which deferrals may be granted include:

Illness
Unanticipated family hardship
A meaningful educational opportunity (i.e. Fulbright, Rhodes, or Marshal scholarship
Completion of military service

If a deferral is granted, to activate the acceptance for admission in the subsequent academic year, the deferred student must notify the Admissions Office no later than May 15 of the year of the deferred matriculation. In addition, it is expected that the student will submit a statement of activities during the deferral year and official transcripts for any academic work attempted or completed since the commencement of the deferral year.

AMCAS requires all accepted students who are granted deferrals to submit a new AMCAS application for the year they will be entering. The deferred student is not required to pay a fee to AMCAS if they are committing to The University of Arizona College of Medicine and will not be applying to other schools during the application cycle. Note: If the student intends to apply to other medical schools, the deferred student is responsible for all AMCAS fees associated with their application and forfeits the deferred admission of the University of Arizona.

If students do not activate their acceptance to the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine after one year, their acceptance will be withdrawn. If they wish to reapply, they must complete a new AMCAS application, including new supporting documents and pay the required fees. Reapplication will be competitive with all other applicants. Again, students who are contemplating pursuing other academic degrees or travel should strongly consider delaying application until they are ready to matriculate if accepted into The University of Arizona College of Medicine. 

University of Arizona College of Medicine’s Commit to Enroll/Plan to Enroll Policy

Acceptance Policy

“If an applicant receives an acceptance offer from UA College of Medicine prior to May 2, a written response (via the online acceptance portal) must be received within 10 days of the offer. The response will indicate if an applicant will accept or decline the offer. If an applicant does not respond within the 10-day timeline, the acceptance offer is automatically rescinded.”

“If an applicant receives an acceptance offer from UA College of Medicine after May 2, a written response (via the online acceptance portal) must be received within 5 days of the offer. The timeline may be reduced to two days if the applicant is offered close to the start of orientation. Note: If any date falls on a weekend/holiday, the timeline will apply to the following business day.

UA College of Medicine Timeline

February 19, 2024: “Plan to Enroll” option is available for accepted students. The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson encourages students to utilize this tool.
April 15, 2024: The AAMC Application and Acceptance Protocols recommend accepted students narrow offers to three medical schools (if applicable).
April 30, 2024: “Commit to Enroll” option for accepted students is available. The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson highly recommends accepted students utilize this tool when they are ready to commit and are withdrawing all other applications.
June 24, 2024: “Commit to Enroll” is required to be selected by students matriculating to University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson. Failure to do so will result in rescinding of the admission offer.

 

How do I compare to the newly accepted class?

 

Demographics

• 56% Female; 36% Male; 7% Unreported 
• Previously Applied for Admission: 25%
• Class Composition is 72% Arizona residency and 28% nonresident 
• 30% identified themselves as disadvantaged

Academic Achievements

• Average Overall Undergraduate Science/Math Grade Point Average: 3.69
• Average Overall Undergraduate Grade Point Average: 3.77
• MCAT Average: 509