How to Apply for AAMC Medical School

AAMC Medical School Application Process – Overview

Medical schools prepare aspiring doctors and surgeons for the healthcare industry. Nursing programs are typically separate from medical schools. Traditionally, medical schools in the United States have a 4-year curriculum, which starts with a pre-clinical phase of foundational science training, often lasting two years.

Under this, you will learn about basic medical concepts, functions and structures of the body, different diseases and their diagnoses and treatment.

If you have been searching for a guide to the AAMC medical school application process, you’ve come to the right place. This article outlines the different aspects and stages of applying to a medical school in the United States.

AAMC Medical School Application Process

Different stages of applying to a medical school in the United States

Step 1 – Before Applying

Read the AMCAS Application Guide on the AAMC official website to gain an edge and complete your AMCAS application more easily.

You must also certify that you have read the terms and AMCAS application guide before submitting your application.

You should also know that the AMCAS processing fee is USD 170, which includes one medical designation. Therefore, for every additional school designation, you must pay USD 43 for each; this fee may vary yearly.

The AMCAS Fee Assistance Program is designed to help applicants facing financial hardships by reducing the costs associated with taking the MCAT and applying to medical schools.

The Fee Assistance Program’s eligibility is based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ poverty level guidelines, among other factors

To learn more about the Fee Assistance Program, visit the official website at https://students-residents.aamc.org/fee-assistance-program/fee-assistance-program.

2 – Providing Background Information

After completing the first stage, you must input your basic background information, such as name, birthday, schools attended, ethnicity, citizenship, race, etc.

Section 1 requires entering the basic information about yourself and any ID numbers that may appear on the transcripts sent to AMCAS by the schools you have attended.

While AMCAS requires information on post-secondary education, detailed high school information is generally not required except under specific circumstances such as for applicants with a GED. If you have a GED certificate, were homeschooled, or attended high school in a foreign country, then you can find specific instructions in the AMCAS Application Guide at this link https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/11616/download?attachment.

Section 3 requires applicants to fill in biographic information, such as contact information, legal residence, citizenship, languages spoken, race, ethnicity, parents/guardians, siblings, military service, military discharge, and even criminal convictions.

The contact information required is the email address you primarily use to communicate with AMCAS and medical schools.

3 – Coursework

In this stage of applying for AAMC medical schools, you must enter your transcripts and any information related to your coursework.

The Transcript section requires one full transcript from each U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution at which you completed coursework that appears on your AMCAS application, regardless of credit earned. You can consult the AMCAS Application Guide to determine if an official transcript is needed from your undergraduate institution.

AMCAS accepts transcripts in electronic and paper forms. Electronic transcripts must be shared through an approved vendor, such as National Student Clearinghouse and Parchment.

You can also send it via secure email from approved school registrars.

However, AMCAS does not accept transcripts that are sent by fax. To prevent delays in your application process, it is recommended that you submit your transcripts electronically. If this facility is unavailable at your institution, you can mail the transcripts on paper directly to AMCAS.

This will require you to attach the matching AMCAS Pre-barcoded Transcript Request Form. You can find this form within the application itself.

4 – Work and Activities

In this stage of applying for AMCAS medical schools, you will have to enter any work experience, extracurricular activities, awards, etc.

For this, you must consider any work experience, extracurricular activities, honors, awards or publications that you would like to highlight to the medical school you are applying for.

5 – Choosing Medical Schools and Programs

In this stage, you will need to provide the names of the medical schools to which you wish to apply. There are several different types of medical school programs that you can choose from, like Regular MD, Combined Medical Degree-PhD, Combined Bachelors/Medical Degree, Combined Medical Degree-Graduate, Deferred/Delayed Matriculation, and Other Special Programs (OSP).

Conclusion

Before applying, proofread it carefully and avoid getting your application rejected for a simple oversight. It is highly recommended to print your application using the “Print Application” button on the website and proofread a hard copy of your AMCAS medical school application before submitting it.

See Also

Medical School Rankings

How to Get Into Harvard Medical School

How Long is Medical School?

How Much Does Medical School Cost

Best Dental Schools in California

How Many Medical Schools in the US

Current Version
November 6, 2022
Written By
Shubham Grover
March 17, 2024
Updated By
Andrea Morales G.

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